The Washington herald., 1914-07-05
FIRMS HISTORY
FULL OF THRILLS
Story Of WeIls-Fargo Reads
Like Fascinating Piece Of
Fiction.
EXPRESS CIRCLES GLOBE
Taking Over Of Eastern Offices Of the
United States Company Marks
Important Epoch.
EXPRESS CIRCLES GLOBE

FIRE thrillers Of dime and nickel novels
are interesting 10 most men. many wom-
en-. and all boys. Commercial history
Is pleasant reading to very few men,
women. or children But produce a com
mercial history that is as thrilling as
the widest adventure OF Black Pete. re-
lating the same brand of incidents. and
as true as truth itself, and that history
should be universally fascinating. An
organization with such a history invaded
the peace Of Washington during the last
week.
wells-Fargo & Co. Express Is the
| Organization in question. Its past. al
| though not dark and bloody. has been
full OF all OF the adventure and excite
ment Of Western life in its crude stages.
very closely corresponding to the hair
raising, breath-stopping scenes shown in
the moving picture theaters. But coupled
| with its past there Is a really vital pres
| ent
! Epsch-InalxinE Change.
-wells-Fargo has not been as we'll
known to Washingtonians as Il should
/ have been, because Its system and ac-
tiyities have heretofore been confined to
the Western and Northeastern parts of
! the United States. But at midnight be-
| tween last Tuesday, June 90. and Wed
nesday, July !, solemn ceremony was
observed by the employees Of the Old
United States Express Company in all
OF its Offices in the East, Including the
Washington ONCE. As the clock struck
twelve. each worker for the old United
States company took the badge OF that
company from his coat and substituted
the badge OF the Wells-Fargo company
This marked the death Of the United
States Express Company. which has
operated in the Eastern States since be-
fore the civil war. and the extension of
the Wells-Fargo into the cities Of Phila-
delphia, Baltimore, and Washington.
When the wells-Fargo took over the con-
! tracts and business Of the United States
company they found such an efficient
force in operation that but few changes
were made. There was no change in the
Washington ONCE.
As for the hair-raising thrills OF the
Wells-Fargo history. they are all due TO
the fact that the company reversed the
advice OF Horace Greely-as many others
have done profitably-and grew up with
the West. gradually extending its power
| eastward.
In the rough and lawIess period in the
history Of the Western States, which fol-
lowed the gold rush in 1s4s. the goId-mad
miners found II a perilous business to
transport their store Of nuggets and gold
| dust from their mountain claims to the
| comparative civilization Of San Fran
cisco. Bandits and desparadoes, singly
| and In bands. men who were too lazy to
| locate claims, preyed upon the success
| full miners as they left the mountain
mines and struck for the coast with their
gold. Robbery and murder were lust as
common as claim-Jumping and death BY
starvation.
safe cold Transport.
A means of safely transporting gold TO
Frisco without requiring the miner to
| leave his claim, was the solution to the
problem Of sure wealth for the man who
actually had found a deposit Of gold. So
the Wells. Fargo and Company Express
was formed, in San Francisco in lS52.
From a simple stage coach service
carrying gold and passengers through
the mountains to the coast the company
gradually extended its activities TO in
clude banks, steamship lines. railroad
lines. mail service and. as a real pro-
| lection to its patrons. one of the most
| encient detective services OF any other
! similar organization.
1 Its gradual growth through the West
gave II strength and ambition until the
stupendous proJect-for those DAYS and
the means OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS con-
ceiNed OF making the WeIIs-FarRo a
! I'M
the Santa Fe Railroad built a line into
Chicago. and the weIIs-Farro went into
that city over the rails of the new line
On March T. 1855. Wells-Fargo went into
New York City by taking over the lines
OF the Erie Express Company, and thus
spanned the continent
The trans-continental system was
network of lines. railroad in the East
and stage coach lines in the West The
rQfI N.nz
tended West as far as St Joe and indie
pendence. From there to the coast. ? 100
miles the only means of transportation
and communication was by a relay sys-
tenn OF pony riders and stage coaches.
Historic Stage Coach.
The stage coaches, an important figure
In American history. are known to every
American from early childhood The his
tory BOOKS are fun OF pictures OF them
and the present day six-year-old would
be cowboy builds coaches out OF the
parlor furniture. Two of the old Wells
Fargo coaches are still in existence and
are used for exhibition purposes One
Is to be feature Of the exhibits at the
Panama-Pacific Exposition next year.
Fiction and history are full OF stage
coach hold-ups, in which masked bandits
waylaid the numbering vehicles in some
lonely mountain pass. and after reliey-
ing the travellers and baggage rack OF
all valuables, under cover OF threatening
revolvers. made their escape into the for
est These hold-ups were an everyday
occurrence In one period OF the Wells.
Fargo history. but an efficient protection
by guards and detectives was established
and the bandit career was made a dan
gerous and uncertain mode Of life.
Whenever a stage-coach driver or 4
passenger, or a robber was killed in ths
constant warfare between the bandits
and the company. the motto of Wells
Fargo was carved on his tombstone.
''Wells-Fargo never forgets." After
awhile this motto served as a warning to
the lawless and a guarantee OF protection
to the peaceful.
The mail service of the company was
the first means of communication be-
tween points In the far West. Until a
few years ago. the mail boxes Of Wells
Fargo and the United States govern
ment were side by side in the streets OF
San Francisco The postage stamps OF
the company are now one OF the curl
osities
From the end OF the telegraph line at
ST. Joseph, the only means of carrying
mails 10 the Pacific Coast in 1859. was
by the pony express Of the wells-Fargo
Strong and wiry ponies, ridden by
jockies. whose chief qualifications were
small size and endurance, in relays OF
six horses TO sixty miles. made the trio
in an average time of eleven or twelve
days The record for the trip was made
in carrying 4 message for President
Lincoln from St. Joseph to Sacramento in
fen days