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Show ,... • • • (PONY EXPnESS AND S1'A .rE COACH CO N TI Ntf~ D ) - 3 - Attached to t he ma cheers were four l eather pouc he s or pockets f or t he di spa tches , two on e ither side, one being before and t he other uehi nd the r i der ' s leg i n each ca se . The messa ges were written on the lightest and t hinnest ti ssue paper and s ea led in silk wrappers , and then locked s ecurly in t he rna cheer pouc hes , all t h i s precaution being taken on acc ount of the heavy rains t hat f ell and the rivers and creeks t ha t had to be ford ed . The pa ckages were absolutely water- proof . Three of t hese -pouches were through affairs and the brass locks t ha t held them fas t were only ope ned a t each end of the route . The fourt h one was a sort of ac conrraoda tion or way pouch for whi ch each stationkeeper had a key . This pocke t also co ntained t he way bill or time card on which the sta tion kee per wa s required to wr ite the exact time o f .the arrival and epa rture o f t he ride r . Ea c h r i der would cover from forty to seventy mile s, and in t hat distance would use f rom two to four horses , which were a l ways pressed to their full power . rrhese animals were mainly Utah and Cal ifornia bred and noted for their endurance and genera l cussedne ss. But under all t .he c ircumstances t hey might have been worse . They were purchased f or thei r mettle and ge t there qualiti es , both of which they possessed in hi gh degre e . A WE STRUCK I ND I .. 4. NS ".A great dea l ha s been said , doctor , regarding the fabul0us sala rie§ sa id to have been pa id the daring · ri ders of t hese ponies on acco unt of t he 1ardships they were compe l led .t 'o endure and the dangers t hey had to run to keep fr om be i ng killed by the Indians- - wha t do you know of t hi s ?" nsimpl y t hat it i s all moonshine talk , " re plied t he docto r . nThey are like the wild r omant ic tctles told and written a bout scores of' the riders being rna ssa cred. The fact is tha t one a nd only one Pony Express r ider wa s eve r killed en route by Indians in ambus h . He was s hot off his horse on the Pla t t e . Poor chap , his s ca lped body was picked up and buried near to where he gave up his l i fe . The pony was found three or four days afterwards grazing al ong the river bottoms , still saddled and bridled and with all di spa tc hes urtdistrubed . They were transferred to another horse and sent on to t heir de st ina t i on. It is a fact that a good many riders and station men were killed a t different times at the sta tions, but not while travel i ng . I t was a strange and notable truth tha t t he Indians often s tood by and looked with wonder upon t he dar i ng ride r s and almost flying horses . There was a mystery a bout it-- something they didn't quite understand, and t he Indian, full of superstitious f ear as he a l ways is, had no desire t o solve it • .Aga i n every fronti e r rnan knows the dread an Indian has of destroying anything i n the shape of writing . I proved t his once to the extent of sav i ng r~ own l i fe and I know of numerous other such incidents • It was t hi s superst itious so ~ thi ng that protected t he br a ve mail carriers f rom the bullets and arrovs of scalp hunting , blo od t hirs t y Indians . Then a ga i n t r e boys were well armed and could t ake pre tty good care of themselves . Time wa s |
