The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1958-03-25
Pony Express.

lhe gold rush ol 1850 and thNm AZ.
sisted Col Andrew Talcott IN The
preliminary survey Of railroad
between Mexico Cliy and Vera
Cruz
In the fall Of 1868. he returned
TO the United States and Joined
fellow Virginia Military Institute
graduate, Mai B Il Flcklin. in
trip from Washington 70 Salt Lake
City and Camp Floyd where the
encampcd
II was from that trip that The
Central Overland California and
Pixies Peak Express company. the
Pony Express. was developed
Missonri-Co Transit
ticklin had accompanied U S
Senator William Gwin, OF California.
on an overland trip from San Fran
cisco to Washington. d C.. in
1854 Ficklln then was general
superintendent Of big frelghting
and stage firm. Russell. Majors
and Waddell. Of Leavenworth Flick
lin told Gwin Of his idea for a
closer transit service between the
Missouri river and the coast
Intrigued by the idea Senator
Gwin introduced a bill in January
1855. to establish weekly letter
express service between ST. Louis
and San Francisco. on a l9-dav
schedule, following the htral
route. with compensation not to eX-
coed $500 for each round trip The
bill vas referred 10 the Senate
Committee on Military Affairs.
tabled and killed
The tie 70 The West was dead tin.
I'll the winter Of l953-i85a when
William Russell. senior partner OF
the stage firm vas called to Wash
angton D. G. for governfn emit
freight contracts He talked 10 GWin
who brought UP the need 0f better
mail connections over Tie central
route. and particularly the need for
better communications should var
occur.
Verbally Committed
Russell submitted the idea 10 his
partners. Majors and Waddell. a,
Fort LeayenWotth. Opposed at fist.
they agreed to the plan when they
learned that then partner had
verbally committed them
They joined III the preparations.
formed corporation and were
granted charter by the Territory
Of Kansas The incorporators In
Guided thf three. plus Flnney Flick
liA. f A Bee and John s Jones
Powhatan s Flnney was made West
en- ma4ager With offices IN san
Francisco
They 4ilad to revise routes, equip
them with relay OF relief stations.
provide provisions for the men and
horses They had to hire dependable
men as station keepers and riders
and buy high grade horses for the
entire 1000 mile route.
50 Riders, APO Horses
Finally the fully equipped Inc
had 100 stations. 420 horses. 400
station men and 80 riders. The
mail routes varied from As % 100
miles. all ridden al a gallop Fresh
horses were stationed al ID mile I'M
tervals.
For all their work the Pony Ex-
press lasted only l6 months ID was
Supplanted by the transeontlnental
telegraph Yet il was Of great mn
portance III binding NE East and
the West together at time when
overland travel was slow and ma
lonal crisis made rapid commun-
cation Of news between sections a
necessity
Senator Thomas H Benton said
that He F'inney solitary and alone
put in motion throughout its Western
division. from San Francisco to Salt
Lake City. an enterprise that was
one Of the marvels Of the age :"
Letter BY Pony Express
F'icklin sent F1nney letter by
Pony Express, telling him to put
someone else in charge Of the bust
ness and return at once to the
state. BY way Of Panama
Finney did and the man Whp was
born at Prospect Hill. PoWhatan
May l6, 1929. first saw service as
captain and quartermaster Of the
Provisional Army of Virginia, under
Col Thomas j jackson at Har-
pers Ferry, and later under his
successor. Gen. Joseph E Johnston
He was commissioned a lieuten-
ant colonel by President Davis, and
was assigned to the Fiftiety regi-
ment of Virginia Infantry then in
camp at Wytheville He began
drilling the raw soldiers. ard was
ordered to move On to Greenbrier
and Gauley rivers, where the
skirnishes were not infrequent :"
Then Finney was stricken BY
typhoid fever, Before his recovery.
the Fiftieth Regiment was trans
ferred to the South and beseged at
Fort Donnellson
Drilled Conscripts
General Harry Heth requested
Finney's services when he was
able to return to duty. Five miles
from town he was ordered to throw
up a line of breastworks, mobilize
and drill conscript soldiers at Green
brier and White Sulphur Springs
Deserted by his squirrel rifle and