Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-09-21
Wager Of 100000 Laid on Result Of
Race Of Nearly Two Thousand
Miles Across the Plains.
OCCURRED BEFORE THE WAR
J. c. Walker and Or. Atehison, Two
Lewistown People, Acquainted
With the Incident.

IeNlStOWH, II ueNOllnS oOule tlulS lhis
fall to going over his old papers and
arranging in scrap book form ac-
counts of many of the incidents which
occurred within his knowledge during
his residence of nearly half a cen.
fury west of the Mississippi.
Sunday he came across an account
of a ride from st. Joseph, Mo-. TO
Sacramento, 1850 miles, which was
made in 1860 and upon the result of
which a wager of 100000 was laid.
A special train-something very I'M
usual in those days, was run from
Washington, ID. c., to st. Joseph, Mo-,
TO witness the finish and from this
train were thrown newspapers telling
the citizens of the towns along the
road the purpose of the party and
exciting much interest in the result
of the race. Mr.. Walker was then
living in Macon City, Mo, and became
greatly interested in the biggest Sch
sation of the year.
At st. Joseph, Mo-, DIR. j. B. Atchi-
son was one Of five thousand people
who gathered there to witness the
mail carrier. Johnny Fry. reach the
finish, but five minutes and a half
ahead Of the hour when the allotted
ten days would have expired. The
doctor says that he a still hear the
shouts that went up from the throats
of that vast throng.
The account of the incident. as Civ
en- in a paper of that year, is as fol-
lows.
in 1859 st. Joseph was the west
ern terminus of railroad communica-
ton. Beyond, the stage coach, the
saddle horse, the OK trains were the
m%unication with the Rocky mountains
and the Pacific slope. In the winter
of 1860 there was a Wall street lobby
at Washington trying to get $4,000 600
for carrying the overland n year
between New York and San Francis
co. The proposition was extremely
cheeky, and William II. Russell. back
ed by Secretary of War Floyd, resolv-
ed to give the lobby a cold shower
bath. He, therefore. offered to bet
100000 that he could put on a mail
line from Sacramento to st. Joseph
that should make the distance-l,950
miles-in ten days. The bet was TAX
en- and the Sth of April fixed upon
for starting. Mr.. Russell called upon
his partner and general manager of
business upon the plains. Mr.. A. b.
Miller. now a citizen OF Denver. and
stated what he had done and asked
if he could perform the feat. Miller
replied: Yes. sir, | will do it: and
do it by a pony express To accom-
plish this Mr.. Miller purchased 300
of the tleetest horses he could find
in the west. and employed 125 men.
Eighty of these men we're To be post
riders. These he selected with ref
erence To their light weight and their
known daring and courage. 1t was
very essential that the horses should
be loaded as light as possible; there
fore, the lighter the man the better.
1t was necessary that some portions
of the route should be u at the
rate of 20 miles an hour. The horses
were stationed from 10 TO 20 miles
apart. and each rider would be re-
quired to ride 60 miles. For the
change of animals and shifting of the
mails two minutes was allowed.
Where there were no stage stations
at proper distances, tents sufficient 10
hold one man and two horses were
provided. Indians would some times
give chase, but their cayuse ponies
made but sorry show in their stern
chase after Miller's thoroughbreds,
many of which could make a single
mile in a minute and fifty seconds.
"All arrangements being completed,
a signal gun on the steamer at Sac
ramento proclaimed the merriam of
April IS, 1S60-the hour for starting
when Border Ruffian. Mr.. Miller's
private saddle horse. with Billy Bak
er in the saddle. bounded away toward
the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas,
and made his ride of twenty miles in
49 minutes. The SHOWS were deep in
the mountains, and one rider was lost
for several hours in a snow storm;
and after the Salt Lake valley was
reached. additional speed became nee
essary to reach st. Joseph on time.
From here on all went well until the
Platte was TO be crossed at Jules
burg. The river was up and running
but the rider plunged his
horse into the quicksand and drown
ed. The courier succeeded in reach
ing the shore. with his mail bag in
hand, and travelled ten miles on foot
TO meet the next relay. Johnny Fry,
popular rider of his day, was to
make the finish. He had sixty miles
TO ride, with six horses to do It. When
the last courier arrived at the 60-mile
post, out from st. Joseph. he was one
hour behind time. A heavy rain set
and the roads were slippery. Two
hundred thousand dollars might turn
upon a single minute. Fry had just
three hours and thirty minutes in
to win. This was the finish for
the longest race, for the largest sum,
ever run in America. When the time
for his arrival was nearly up, at least
five thousand people stood on the riv-
bank, with eyes turned towards
the woods from which the horse and
It's rider should emerge into the open
in the e of Elwood-one
mile from the finish. Tick, tick. went
of watches. The time was
up. But nearly seven minutes
remained! Hark, a shout goes up
from the assembled multitude: HE
lie comes!" The noble lit
tie mare, Sylph, the daughter of lit
tie Arthur, darts like an arrow from
the bow and makes the run of the
last mile in one minute and fifty sec
understanding upon the ferry boat