The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1934-10-05
BY ELMO SCOTT WATSON

BY ELMO SCOTT WATSON
AwAHE other day press dispatches carried
.Ae|h the news that zone of the last of the
~ oldtime Pony Express riders" had
EWh2e died in the West at the age of eighty
fH II five. The only trouble with that news
$$@lc item was this if his age at the time
STSSSSlA of his death was given correctly, then
ElN.R he must have been Drawing the perils
- which constantly threatened members
Of that famous corps of daredevil
riders, at the tender age of eleven years! Know
ing what we do of the history of the Pony Ex-
press, what was required of its riders and the
conditions under which they operated, it doesn't
seem likely that an elevenyear-old boy was one
of them.
And yet this particular news item is not
unique For the last two decades such items
have been appearing regularly in our newspapers
and almost invariably check-up on the dates
In them would reveal the fact that this sup
posed PONY Express rider had been engaged
In his dangerous task while still mere child.
Indeed, of them who was characterized as
Pony Express rider" would have been only six
years old at the time!
The explanation of this inconsistency lies in
the fact that there is much confusion as to
exactly what is meant by the term PONY Ex-
press rider" Strictly speaking, that title can
be applied only to men who were engaged by
the Central Overland California and Pixies Peak
Express company for its Pony Express service
founded by William H. Russell of the famous
firm of RUSSELL Majors and Waddell in 1850
started in April of that year and discontinued
in October, 1861. That was the original Pony
Express whose brief career of Is months forms
one of the most romantic chapters in the his
tory Of the old frontier.
In later years throughout the West the mails
were carried over long stretches of territory by
horsemen until their work was taken over by
stage coach lines which. in turn, were succeeded
by the railroads. During these years it became
somewhat the fashion to refer to these horsemen
as 'Pony Express riders" Characterization
which persisted after the passing of the from
tier without any special inquiry into the appro-
priateness of the title.
So in these modern days, when an old-timer
dies and 1t becomes known that he had once
carried the mails on horseback out West, he is
Immediately set down as "Pony Express rider"
which accounts for some of the news items
spoken of at the beginning of this article
Mounted mail carriers they may have been but
they were not real Pony Express riders-at least
not all of them.
Who, then, were the real Pony Express riders?
1t is doubtful II a complete roster of their
names can ever be compiled. When operation Of
the Pony Express service began, there were 80
of them but this number varied during the next
IS months and it is probable that at least 100
different men at one time another were riders
in the service.
In connection with the celebration held In 1923
the Union Pacific Magazine issued special
Pony Express number in which Miss Mary Pack,
writing on 1.-THE Romance of the Pony Express"
listed the following as known riders for the
original organization:
Baughn Melville (MeD Kelly, Jay G.
Beatley, James (Jim) King Thomas Owen
Becker Charles little Yank"
Boston" Macaulas
Brink James w. Martin, Bob
Bucklin Jimmy Mccall, j. G.
Burnett, John Mcdonald James
Campbell, William McNaughton, Jim
Carlisle Alex c. McEneany
Carr, william Moore, James (Jim)
Gates, Bill Perkins, Josh
Clark, Jimmy Pridham, Williams
Cliff, Charles" Ranahan, Tom*
Cody, William f. Rand, Theodore
Donovan, Joe Richardson, johnson
Egan, Howard Ransom Rifles, Bart
Egan, Richard Erastus Rising, Don c.
J Ellis, J. X. Rolf, Harry
Fisher, John Sangiovanni, G. g.
Fisher. William tBill) seebeck john
Frey, Johnnie Spur, George
Gentry, Jim Streeper, w. H.
Gilson Jim Strickland, Robert c.
Hamilton, Sam Thatcher, George
Haslam Robert T0wne, George
Hogan, Martin Wallace Henry
Huntington, Let Westcott, Dan
sIrish TOM Whelan, Michael NJ
James, William tBnI) "Whipsaw''
Jenkins VIII ID. Zowgaltz, Jose
KeatlpV lack