ad The Charles Cliff and W.F Cody Express Monument, StJaseph, 1912 news Kelly, Jay GQ. King, Thomas Owen “Little Yank" Macaulas Martin, Bob McCall, J. G. McDonald, James McNaughton, Jim McEneany Moore, James (Jim) Perkins, Josh Pridham, William® Ranahan, Tom* Rand, Theodore Richardson, Johnson Riles, Bart Rising, Don ©. Roff, Harry Sanglovanni, GQ. G, Seebeck, John® Spurr, George Streeper, W. H.* Strickland, Robert By ELMO SCOTT WATSON Map HE other day press dispatches carried A. the news that “one of the last of the pf old-time Pony Express riders” had “8% died in the West at the age of eighty. { five, The only trouble with that news 4 item was this: {f his age at the time Bole of his death was given correctly, then or he must have been braving the perils, eh 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 bistory 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 eleven-year-old boy was one of them. And yet this particular item Is not unique. For the last two decades such items have been appearing regularly in our newspapers and almost invariably a check-up oh the dates In them would reveal the fact that this sup- posed “Pony Express rider” had been engaged fn his dangerous task while still a mere child. Indeed, one of them who was characterized as a “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 Pikes Peak Express company for its Pony Express service, founded by William H. Russell of the famous firm of Russell, Majors and Waddell in 1860, started in April of that year and discontinued in October, 1861. That was the original Pony Express whose brief career of 18 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,” a characterization which persisted after the passing of the fron- tier without any special inquiry into the appro- priateness of the title, So in these modern days, when an old-timer dies and it becomes known that he had once carried the malls on horseback out West, he is immediately set down as a “Pony Express rider” which accounts for some of the news items spoken of at the beginning of this article Mounted mall 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? It Is doubtful If 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 18 months and It is probable that at least 100 different men at one time or another were riders in the service. In connection with the celebration held In 1023, the Union Pacific Magazine issued a special Pony Express number in which Miss Mary Pack, writing on “The Romance of the Pony Express” listed the following as known riders for the original organization: Baughn, Melville (Mel) Beatley, James (Jim) Becker, Charles “Boston™ Brink, James W, Bucklin, Jimmy Burnett, John Campbell, William Carlisle, Alex, C, Carr, William Ontes, Bill Clark, Jimmy Cliff, Charles* Cody, William F. Donovan, Joe Egan, Howard Ransom Egan, Richard Erastus Elis, J. K. Fisher, John Fisher, William (Bill) Frey, Johnnie Gentry, Jim Gllson, Jim Hamilton, 8am Haslam, Robert Hogan, Martin Huntington, Let “Irish Tom" James, William (Bill) Jenkins, Will D, Keetley, Jack Pn, William H. Russell, Founder of the Fony Express REPORTER, C An Historic Letter a a re Eas PREC * Those marked with an * are living at the present time. During the same year Howard IL Driggs, presi- dent of the Oregon Trall Memorial association and a well-known historian of pioneer days in Vest, sald In an article In the New York RAOUL Inagnzine “They can be counted on the fingers of hand, the few that remain of the hundred or more daring boys who helped put America’s first mail across from old Saint Joe to Sacramento during those stirring arly tight now . . . only a bare handful of the orig inal riders are left to take part. And they can participate only as onlookers: for every one of them Is over eighty years of age. “These survivors, according to last reports, are John Seebeck of Alameda, Calif: Charles CI of St. Joseph, Mo.; and Elijah Maxfield of Loa, Utah. Two or three others have been named with some uncertainty. 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 first-hand experience of that thrilling epoch in America's story.” It will be noticed that Mr. Driggs’ list of sur vivors checks with Miss Pack's list only in re. gard to Charles Cliff and John Seebeck. He does not mention four in her lst—Charles Becker, William Pridbam, Tom Rapahan and W. I. 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 1027. In Root and Connpelley’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.” It contains 47 names, 24 fewer than Miss Pack's list, but it names three which she does not have. They ure Willlam Boulton, Wilk liam Carrigan and H. J. Faust One of Miss Pack's list just missed being marked with an * as a survivor. He was Joseph Donovan (Joe Donovan) who dled in Denver, July 26, 1923, just a month before the Pony Express celebration began. Besides being a Pony Express rider, Donovan had a stirring career as a government scout and Indian fighter, ac. cording to the accounts of his death in the Den. ver newspapers. He was sald 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 1850, 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 ¥. Oody but the whole world was to know him in the future as “Buffalo BIL" Most accounts of the Pony Express give prominent mention to Cody as one of the youngest of its riders (he was only fourteen at the time) and the rider who made “one of the longest” and “probably the longest continuous performance without a formal rest period in the history of this or any other courier service”—322 miles in 21 hours, Unfortunately for Cody's fdme as a 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 blographers, Richard J. Walsh in his book, “The Making of Buffalo Bil" 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 vouched 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-five miles, which he had to make in three hours with three changes of one days of the ‘Bs Several ys dom Reonahan thrilling story of the Battle of Beecher's Island fought in eastern Colorado in September, 1868, that name Is familiar. For Tom Ranahan was one of the party of U0 scouts, commanded by Col. George A. (“Sandy™) Forsyth of the regu- lar army, who wrote thelr names high In the history of the West by their desperate defense of the little isiagd In the Arickaree river against the hosts of Cheyenne warriors led by Chief Roman Nose, who was killed there. Ranaban was still living in Idaho a few years ago-—one of the three last survivors of the “Forsyth Beouts” and one of the few re surviving Pony Express riders One of the best short accounts of the Pony Express, dealing with its organization, operation and its historic importance, is the chapter de- voted to it in the book “The Overland Mail, 1540-1869" by Dr. Le Roy Hafen, Colorado state historian, which was published by the Arthur IH. Clark company of Cleveland in 1920 . In it Doctor Hafen points out that “The Pony Express” was not an end in itself, but 8 means to an end. There had been previous suggestions for the establishment of a fast overland express and an attempt was made In congress in 1855 to provide such a service but these first efforts did not succeed, With the establishment of the overiand stage lines a rivalry had arisen between the Butterfield (the Southern) and ‘Central’ routes and with the assembling of the thirty. sixth congress In December, pointed In the direction of a general revision route were active but they met with consider. able opposition. It was with the idea of demon. for year-round travel and to secure an enlarged conceived, “During the winter of 1850-60, while William H. Russell was In Washington, he discussed the Central route before he would be able to get to reimburse the firm for the undertaking. The through the enterprise.” Put it through he did and on April 8, 1880, the historic Pony Express went into operation with riders starting simultaneously from the Eastern and Western termini—=8t, Joseph, Mo., Lud Ban Francisco, Calif, It continued until the through telegraph line was in operation, Then, says Hafen, “When the telegraph line was com. pleted on October 24, 1861, the Pony Express came te a close. The pony was fast but he could not compete with the lightning.” Unfortunately for its founders it was far from being a financial success, It cost Russell and his partners $700,000 to operate It during its brief existence and their receipts were only $500, 000 leaving them with a net loss of $200,000, But “from the standpoint of the nation the Pony Express was eminently successful, It demon strated the practicability of the Central route and marked the path for the first transcontinental ralirond. By shortening the distance between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts it helped unite the Pacific coast and the Rocky mountain region What Has Been By DR. J. M. WISAN, Chairman, Counell on Mouth Hyglene, New Jersey Btate Dental Society. A report emanating from the White House conference on child health held last year, Includes the following statement: “Dental disease Is pre ventable. It is our duty to prevent it" A broad statement but never- theless one that Is consistent wirh the facts, As Individuals, we can eat the proper foods, keep our mouths clean, and obtaln necessary dental care. In not only prevent dental defects, but also pre whatever defects do present from developing into diseased conditions, Information that will help our chil adults how to care and their children's the communities ean treatment for’ Indi. | can teach Also, provide dental gents, ease cannot be prevented. Most dental authorities, however, take the | position that at least 90 per cent of | our dental troubles can be prevented, | Giving children adequate dietaries, | which should Include a quart of milk | a day per child, vegetables, unsweet ened fruits, will help to provide the | elements to bulld sound teeth, At- | tention to teeth every three | months Is necessary if we are to pro- | tect the child's teeth. All irregular) ties Childs should be tanght ing their mo may say that this is pu the should be remedied. the value of HE Ci¢an whenever these pra made a habit with th i children Fins ship, sive followed for the las Ing the first ves: was manent teeth DOeCOREa TY dren In attendand This year extract four permanent teeth among these ohilidres 5 at Is nific ed, with the exception of for children who had ed who had not the pro more sig Alt—the teeth L were extract one, were done recentis mot had into town benefit of the dental Makes Powerful Light Adding a minute part of rubidium A rare etal, usually used in to mercurs mercury lamps has resulted in the development of a la Hight metal rays. In spectrum a life ten long dinary incandescent lamp costs £7 a dram, but hundredths part of the metal is used in each lamp to change the light hue | from green to light red Previously physicists had improved the mercury | mp whose The Lo | mercury | is sald to have i i as an or | Rubidium one five 4 ¥ * pas iio} approximates sunlight causes the lamp addition to The lamp times fo give the as | Oniy lamp by adding potassium to mercury, but the to disintegrate the glass bulb or tube of the lamp-—Popular Mechanics Magazine, potassium is sald | Quick, Safe Relief For Eyes Irritated By Exposure To Sun, Wind and Dust At All Drug Stores Write Marine Co, Dot. W, Chicago, for Pree Book . Always a Supply “Fools rush in" but there are Accomplished. gram carried on in that community. This community is not one of high economic status, 20 we ean eliminate the thought that it is an exceptional group, What was done In Clark township can be done anywhere, iy giving children proper foods, by inculeating proper dental habits, and by provid. ing them with scientific dental care we can save thelr teeth, Medal Portrays Christ A medal struck from what is be- lieved to be the oldest representation of Christ has discovered In Trieste, according to a message from that town. Up to the present only five of these medals, were struck the reign of the Em- peror Tiberius (42 B. C. to A. D. an were known and bear on the one side of the Messiah and on the “The has the Light has shone been which during the head other come In peace: the words Messiah Why Liquid Laxatives are Back in Favor pT The public is fast returning to the use of liquid laxatives. People have learned that the right dose of a propesty prepared liquid laxative will bring a more natural movement with- oul any dizcomfort at the time, or alter The dose of a liquid L. varied to suit the recds of the in- dividual. The action can thus be regulated. A child is easily given the right dose. And mild liquid laxatives do not irritate the kidneys. Doctors are generally agreed that senna is a nafural laxative. It does not drain the system like the eathar- tics that leave you so thirsty. Dr. Caldwell’s Syrup Pepsin is a liquid laxative which relies on senna for its laxative action. It gently helps the average person's constipated bowels until nature restores their regularity. You can always get Dr. Caldwell's Syrup Pepsin at any drug store, ready for use. INGRAHAM WATCHES Given for selling our novelties. Write TOMTEE NOVELTY CO. 164 Hemry St N. Y.C., New York stive can be HAIR BALSAM Bamoves Duandrat! 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Ssitswiss! | Hildred hep | YOU can bow obtain Qlrect from 1H wer i vend in EI ct line and old. ones] beauty nt FRED ation fort F000 Benes Bemovore Sar
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers