The silver state news. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1907-1909, 1908-05-28
BUFFOLO BILL TELLS
OF EARLY CHILDHOOD

"pony express rider / had one or
two adventures in that pursuit thai
it may prove interesting to read. They
were certainly interesting enough to
me at the time. The job was worth
$3.50 month and meant ceaseless dan
ger.
The pony express service was tarted
by my old employers, Russell, Majors
& Waddell, early in 1859. 1t had
taken stage coaches three weeks or
mere to go from the Missouri river
to Sacramento. By means of relay
stations my employers made it pos
sible for mails, kilograms, etc, to be
carried that distance on the backs OF
swift ponies at from eight to ten days.
The route then chosen is now travers-
ed by the Union Pacific tracks. But
in those days much of it was tracklcss
wilderness, swarming with Indians and
highwaymen. liz 1861 the pony ex
press service was killed by the teie-
graph, but for year or more it had
flourishing times.
At the start mail sack would be
throw mover "A pony's hack. The rider
would mount and ride at top speed 10
the next relay station. There fresh
pony would be waiting, on whose back
the mail sack would be hastily thrown
and then off again until the relief ri
der would snatch the pouch and dash
off with it for the next lap of the long
rece The relays were fifteen miles
apart. Forty five miles each way at
top speed, over rough country was my
daily "stunt.'' Not an easy job for
a l4-year-old boy. But ! stuck to it
in spiteof aching head and tired bones
For the first three months l had
no mishaps. / began to think the
the talk of danger was all bosh Then
as ] was galloping around curve on
a hill side one day, ! rode flush up
to a loaded pistol. The man behind
it told me to throw up my hands, and
obeyed. There is no use of arguing
with loaded pistol Robbers in thoss
days shot to kill.
The road agent dismounted and
walked up to me to take my saddle
bags. just then / whirled my pony
around The little horses plunge all
=
and stray kick from one of the iron
shod hoofs grazed the fellows head.
knocking him senseless.
! dismounted and tied the unconsc-
ious road agent with my beltand han
dkerchief Then ! hoisted him to his
own horse and towed him along to
the relay station. 1t was the first
time--the only time but one-I was
ever late on my trips Both times /
escaped call-down.
Hereis the reason for my second
delay:
One day | galloped up to a relay
station and found no pony waiting for
me. Not a soul was in sight, but
heard men yelling and shooting down
back of the station by the corral.
jumped off, rifle in one hand and 20
pound mail pouches in the other, and
made fro the trees that hid the corral
from the trail | thought from the
noice that there must be an Indian
raid at least.
i reached the little clearing above
the corral in time to see gigantic
buffalo bull charge through bunch of
cattle and rush on towards the door
way of the station -Four or five men
were yelling at him at the top of their
voices and blazing away at him with
guns and revolvers. But if any of the
shots reached the brute it only servef
10 madden him the more. 1t was n
BUSINESS of mine and | stood ther
laughing at their excitement. But
1t once | stopped laughing and turne
sick at what ] saw
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