The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-11-17

the road, and then the probabilities were
that the Indians had already wiped ou'
the stations.
$50 he STRUCK on the trail and made his
bling over hands Of Indians time sfter time,
hiding and holding his breath TO let the
red devils pass him, riding Ike mad over
country where nothing but a messenger
pony could ave scrambled.
"He hadn't any food. he dldnt, sleep
He faced death hour after hour, but nc
covered 800 miles in five DAYS and thirteen
hours. and rode into the station with ne
mad and express intact. They had to HI
him from the saddle. II was months before
he could walk.
THAT was lust one story. There are
plenty more. MANY a time a man RODE
until no wa so exhausted that he hadn !
strength enough to dismount, vel. founu
that the man who was 10 relieve hlin was
aid of by death or accident. and hat ne
must 90 on. Often the messenger was TOO
weak TO dismount and mount again.
The station men lifted saddle, rldeI,,
ba gs and all bodily and set them on a fresh
horse. The messenger who couldn't have,
stood on his feet for a moment swallowed
tho liquor poured down his throat SET
his teeth, gripped the saddle with his Knees
and turned his fresh bronco loose. Death
and worse than death might be lying in
wait, but the mail must go on If there was
a chance OF getting 1t through. g..
Fifteen dollars a hnlf ounce wasn't
too big a price for that sort OF mail hurry
ing. Even AT those rates the pony express
didn't pay. Ii was disContinued; and,
%afterward. the first telegraph line followed
the pony route. A..
"You know the Indians cut the first
wires down and made trinkets OF them;
but. luckily, a smallpox epidemic broke out
and the tribes thought the wire
brought it on, so they didn't fool with the
next wires.
Then when part Of the line was up,
two bands Of indiana were induced 10 use
II and arranged a rendezvous. they
trotted of sceptically, 20 the place OF meet
ing: and. when they met their friends there
and found the long talk was a square
deal, they developed a tremendous respect
for the telegraph line. .
Most of the pony messengers went
into the overland stag service, and some
Of them did great stunts as stage drivers
There was one fellow. | have forgotten
his name, but he used to drive a stage on
tho road. 20 avoid Indians or road agents,
and follow unbroken trail as cheerfully
as il he had been alone on n bronco.
He could drive "A stage wherever there
was ground under its wheels, and he
squeezed out Of more tight holes than
any other man in the service.
A lot Of the old messengers came to
grief in the 1854 massacre, when the hostile
tribes were allied against the Overland.
That was the only time in history when
tho Sioux, Arapahoes, Cheyennes. Utes.
Snakes the whole outfits got together. -.
They made Simultaneous attacks all
along the stage line from st. Louis to Salt
Lake, raided the stations held up the
stages, massaCred travellers, drivers,
guards. II was in August. and travel was
hea ".
The Injuns had a royal time and carried
Of great Punches 81 scalps and millions Of
dolln worth Of booty. They were so
well satisfied that they kept quiet for a
long time after that; but the Overland
service was paralyzcd for months, and
even the Government mails couldn't be
carried for a while.
1--WE often thought hat a story o. the
brave deeds that have been done all over
the world in order that letters and de
spatches might he delivered safely would
be the most exciting reading imaginable.
Our own army messengers, in Indian days.
furnished enough stories for a book. but
il | were doing the writing I'd put the pony
express messengers in a place If honor