The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1934-10-05
he Pony Express Statutes the Telegraph

sThose marked with an are living at the
present time.
During the same year Howard R. briggs, presi-
dent of the Oregon Trail Memorial association
and well-known historian of pioneer days in
the West said in an article in the New York
Tribune magazine:
"They can be counted on the fingers of one
hand the few that remain of the hundred or
more daring boys who helped put Americas first
mail across from old Saint Joe to Sacramento
during those stirring days of the early '60s
Right now . only bare handful of the orig
inal riders are left to take part. And they can
participate only onlookers; for every one of
them is over eighty years of age.
"These survivors, according to last reports
are John Seebeck of Alameda Calf. Charles
Cliff of st. Joseph, Mo-; and Elijah Maxfield of
Loa Utah. Two or three others have been named
with some uncertainty Several station keepers
and substitute riders have also been reported
alive. More may be discovered through the cele-
bration in progress; but the three Pony Express
men just named seem to be the only regular
riders that linger to give firsthand experience
of that thrilling epoch in Americas story
1t will be noticed that Mr.. briggs list of sur
vivors checks with Miss Packs list only in re-
gard to Charles Cliff and John Seebeck He does
not mention four in her list-Charles Becker,
William Prdham, Tom Ranahan and w. III.
Streeper-and she does not mention one of his
three-Elijah Maxwell. And neither of them
mentions another survivor, Henry Avis, who was
a resident of Kansas City until his death in
1927.
In Root and Connelley's Overland Stage to
California" appears "a partial list so far as is
known, of the men who rode the Pony Express
and contributed to the lasting fame Of the enter
prise" 1t contains AZ names, "a fewer than
Miss Packs list, but it names three which she
have They William ROultOQ. Will
liam Carrigan and Fl. J. Faust.
One Of Miss Packs list just missed being
marked with an as survivor He was Joseph
Donovan (Joe Donovan) who died in Denver,
July &c, 1923, just a month before the Pony
Express celebration began. Besides being Pony
Express rider, Donovan had a stirring career
a government scout and Indian fighter, &C.
cordng to the accounts of his death in the Den
yer newspapers. He was said to have held the
distinction of being the only Denver citizen, at
the time of his death, who had visited the site
Of that city prior to 1859.
Even more famous as a scout was another
Pony Express rider who now lies buried on
Lookout mountain near Denver His name ap-
pears on the Pony Express roll as William f.
Cody but the whole world was to know him in
the future as Buffalo Bill" Most accounts OF
the Pony Express give prominent mention to
Cody as one of the youngest Of its riders Che
was only fourteen at the ume) and the rl0er
who made lone of the longest and probably
the longest continuous performance without
formal rest period in the history of this or any
other courier service"-322 miles in 81 hours.
Unfortunately for Cody's fame as Pony Ex
press rider, just as is the case in some of the
other phases of his career, the record is not clear
enough to be accepted unquestioningly. One of
his most trustworthy bographers Richard J.
Walsh in his book, "The Making of Buffalo Bill"
says: His Pony Express record is accepted by
historians but all of the testimony is hearsay
and the accounts of that period are highly con-
fused !. Alexander Majors rouched for Cody's
service on the Overland trails but Majors, when
he told the story was an old man in sore straits
and grateful to Buffalo Bill for financial assist
ance and Majors book was written for him by
none other than Prentiss Ingraham, the dime
novelist"
Elsewhere in his book, Walsh says: "At first,
he (the- fourteen year-old Cody was given an
easy route, forty-ive miles, which he had to
make in three hours with three changes of
mounts. /. This easy route was probably the
regular road between Leavenworth and ST. Jo-
seph, over which Cody rode as the Office boy on
horseback "a term by which Majors once char
acterized him), carrying mail to be placed in the
Pony Express bags at ST. Joseph. Connelley
civilian e. Connelley, late secretary of the
Kansas Historical society and one of the most
careful Investigators and reliable historians OF
that part of the West) believes that this is the
only Pony Express riding ever done by Cody"
Perhaps the name of Tom Ranahan on the
Pony Express rolls means little to the average
person but to anyone who has ever read the