Bisbee daily review., 1911-06-25
OLD TIME STAGING
Billy Hodges One of Pioneers of
 the West.

Billy Hodges, the last of the band of a hundred men who undertook to
 blaze the trail for the mail and ex. press coach from the western termi-
 nus of the railways at Fort Smith
 into the unconquered west, is now
 running an elevator.
 In the records of the express cont
 pany will be found the report of this trip of the 100" It was their duty to cover so much ground daily to re- cord the distance travelled and to
 establish stationa stocking them and thus paving the way for the civilization which followed at their heels.
 Few forts there were on the plains, and while they stopped at each one for supplies end friendly chat. be- tween these widely separated federal depots they drove and fought and builded. They prodded on their half famished beasts while showers of Cherokee arrows whizzed above their heads and sometimes into them. They cut their way through the various nations" of the redskins; nled slowly through the dreaded Apache pass and forded turbulent streams in the midst of their fren- zied enemies.
 The route laid out led them in al most a direct line for Fl Paso, through the rough Osage country. and crossed the Arkansas river where it divided the old Pawnee nation from the land Of the Osage, Skirting the territory of the Conan ches they were forced to throw up Qualifications hastily to withstand the fierce attack of the barbarous hordes. They pulled out of that country safely to encounter worse the land of little water and alkali and dusty sagebrush. Yet with the cry of the coyote ringing in their ears they sang as they went, ending with the accomplishment Of their purpose.
 In 1857 the completed route, well stationed and equipped. stood a mon ument to the work of that band. For two years they had struggled and, while their achievement was of won derfuI value to east and west, few came out of the scathing we'll and sound. However. Billy Hodges was young and fortunate. He undertook to drive the mail and express route from Tucson to Pima village.
 The run was about 100 miles. bus hazardous. Bandits were born of the rapid development or civilization and hostile Indians were everywhere. On arriving al Pima village he released the reins to an other driver. who drove to Fort Yuma and thence to Los Angeles. At Pima village Hodges received the coast mail and took it back to Tucson. where he was met by another driver, who carried it fur ther east to the station near the Apache pass.
 Into Face of Death
 On a day early in 1858 Billy ar rived at Pima village to discover that the relay driver was long over due. Fearing trouble he followed tue custom of driving into the other mans territory until the shadows O. Anache pass loomed before him With him on the box was a gun messenger. and in the coach. sitting with the other passengers, were other guards. From the pass there came the yell of the Apache and in an ln- stant horde of them were riding circles around the coach.
 It was the duty of gun messengers to shoot, and they shot. IL was the duty of Hodges to drive, and ne drove Lashing out with his Whip' he sent his leaders down an incline and successfully brought them to standstil close under the shelter of a government fort.
 Even there it was precarious. me handful of soldiers were unable 10 cone with the swarms of redskins lowering round. The relay coach had taken shelter there. not daring tO move through so hostile country The Indians surrounded the pass, blocking all outlets, and for elght days the small band held out ana fought.
 On the eighth day Hodges. realizing that if no help came soon 1t would mean their death, said: I'll go a Tucson"
 There was a protest from his as sociates. but before his insistence