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chunk 414 · paragraph 1431

o and St. Joseph that would make the dis- tance, 1950 miles, in ten days. He was given encouragement by Secretary of War Floyd and set to work making arrangements to carry his wager to a successful issue. The bet was taken, and April 3, 1860, was the fixed date for start- ing. Mr. Russell called in his partner and gen- eral manager of business on the plains, Mr. A. B. Miller, now a prominent citizen of Denver, Color., for a conference. After informing Miller of what he had done, Miller concurred in his opinion that the feat could be performed by pony express. In order to accomplish this Miller purchased 300 of the fleetest horses he could find in the West, and employed 125 men, eighty of these men were to be post riders, and they were selected with reference to their light weight and their known bravery and courage. Indians would sometimes give chase to the ex- press riders, but their common ponies were by no means matched for the chase after Miller’s thoroughbreds, any of which could run a single mile in 1 :52.