The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1901-12-07
mail was to go through on schedule

messenger and pony to ride off prec-
ipice in the binding storm Sometimes
they fell on soft snow, piled in the ra-
vine below and were not hurt There
were scores of escapes fairly miracu-
lous. Sometimes no one knew what
had become of the messenger until the
searchers found him and his pony
buried in the snow.
Several times the pony in his
plunging after the fall broke the rid
er's arms or legs. One man rode into
a station after such an experience with
his hip dislocated and one arm broken,
but with the mail safe.
THE Indians got a number of the
boys, but the latter died game, and a
good many of the messengers led the
Indians wild chases and came out all
right after hairbreadth escapes You
see, a messenger would leave the trail
to avoid Indians, and then he had the
devils own time hiding among the
mountains, starving, desperate, expect
ing at any moment to see a painted
/ face peering at him, or get an arrow
in the back and feel a scalping knife
run round his head.
Did l ever tell you about Bridger?"
| Oh, well. he wasn't pony messenger,
and l never knew him myself, but he
1 VI
write a story of the scouts. Nobody
has ever done them justice.
But coming back to the express
business, there was Aubrey. He was
what nowadays you'd call the real
thing. He started out with the mail
| one night, and when he reached the
end of his ride. found the man who was
| t. take his place had been killed by
Indians and the country ahead was
sWarming with Indians on the war
path.
He was pretty we'll used up after
his sixty mile run, but he shifted the
mail to fresh horse, mounted and
went ahead, leading an extra horse
He knew there was little or no chance
of his striking the few stations, for
he couldn't keep the road, and then
the probabilities were that the Indians
had already wiped out the stations.
He hadn't any food. He didn't
sleep. He faced death hour after hour,
but he covered 500 miles in five days
and thirteen hours, and rode into the
station with his mail and express in
tact. They had to lift him from the
saddle. 1t was months before he could
walk
That was just one story. There are
plenty more. Many time a man rode
until he was so exhausted that he
hadn't strength enough to dismount,
yet found that the man who was to re-
lieve him was laid off by death or ac-
cident, and that he must go on. Often
the messenger was too weak to dis
mount and mount again.
THE station men lifted saddle, rider,
bags and all bodily and set them on a
fresh horse. The messenger who
couldn't have stood on his feet for
moment swallowed the liquor poured
down his throat, set his teeth, gripped
the saddle with his knees and turned
his fresh broncho loose. Death and
worse than death might be lying in |
wait, but the mail must go on if there |
was a change of getting it through
Fifteen dollars half ounce wasn't |
too big a price for that sort of mail |
carrying. Even at those rates the |
pony express didn't pay. 1t was dis
continued, and afterward the first tele-
graph line followed the pony route.
You know the Indians cut the first
wires down and made trinkets of them;
but luckily, smallpox epidemic broke
out, and the tribes thought the wire
ornaments brought it on, so they didn't
fool with the next wires.
Then when part of the line was up,
two bands of Indians were induced to
use it, and arranged a rendezvous.
They trotted off skeptfcally to the place
of meeting, and when they met their
friends there and found the long talk
was square deal, they developed a
respect for the telegraph
line.
He could drive 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 the Sioux, Arapahoes,
Utes, Snakes-the whole |
together.
They made simultaneous attacks all
along the stage line from st. Louis to
Salt Lake, raided the stations, held up
he stages, massacred travellers, driv
ers, guards. 1t was in August, and
.ravel was heavy.
THE Injuns had a royal time, and
carried off great punches of scalps and
Millions of dollars worth of booty.
They were so well satisfied that they
Kept quiet for a long time after that; | ]
lut the overland service was paralyzed
or months, and even the government
nails couldn't be carried for awhile.
I've often thought that a story of |
he brave deeds that have been done
Ill over the world in order that let I
ers and dispatches might be delivered s
afely, would be the most exciting
eading imaginable. Our own army {
in Indian days furnished i
enough stories for a book; but if I S
we're doing the writing, I'd put the t
,oor express messenger in place of t
lonor."