Russell Escapes Conviction
Within a week Russell's case was called in the Criminal Court of the District of Columbia. There his attorney must have been no less enterprising than himself, for the lawyer boldly argued that…
Holladay & Russell
Obviously, he [William Finney] was a man of resourceful initiative. How much easier it would have been, in the face of the frightful Pah-Ute attacks, to close up shop and await the…
Ficklin and Russell
Shortly after Ficklin departed, Russell penned some derogatory statements about him to Joseph Roberson of the firm's St. Joseph office. Ficklin chanced to read them and fired a telegram to Russell: "Send a…
Pony Goes Semi-Weekly
They arrived safely on June 22nd and the delayed mail was sent on to San Francisco, where it was received June 25th—the first Pony mail in three weeks. Now, a strange thing…
Russell Purchases Hockaday
Through this maelstrom of congressional bickering and administrative ill-will, seemingly only W. H. Russell, the great opportunist, had a clear eye to the future. A month after Postmaster General Holt crippled Hockaday by…
Chorpenning’s Pony Express
George Chorpenning, antedating the Pony Express by a little less than two years, established a one-time run along his new route south of the Humboldt River. When surveying the road in the fall…
Russell’s Reason for Starting the Pony Express
The motive which prompted Russell to organize and operate the Pony Express has often been misstated. Briefly, it was an advertising proposition to fix public and Congressional attention upon the Central Route, with…
Russell Purchases Hockaday’s Mail Route
While the stage line was being gotten into operation Russell branched out in a new direction to assume another heavy liability. On May 11, 1859, he bought the contract of J. M.…
Russell and Jones Stage Line
While Waddell was writing critical letters in the spring of 1859, Russell and Jones were moving swiftly to get their stage line into operation. In doing so they relied principally upon credit.…
Russell’s Whining
Russell expected Majors and Waddell to join him in the venture, although he had not consulted them. When Waddell heard about it he was so infuriated that he wrote Russell a series…
Larimer, Russell, and Denver Stagecoach
One Sunday afternoon General William Larimer, professional promoter and town organizer, called upon Russell to seek advice on plains travel. He was organizing a party of prospectors and meant to lay out a…
Miller, Russell & Company
Being bankrupt and going in deeper every day did not dampen Russell's sanguine spirit or put a crimp in his tendency to speculate. In the spring of 1858, when every dollar was…
Russell and Brown
James Brown was the first to sign a contract under the new plan. Being one of the best plainsmen and freighters on the trails he delivered his consignment on schedule and in…
Russell Gets Into the Santa Fe Trade
One day in 1847 he met his friend E. C. McCarty, wholesale merchant at Westport. "How would you like to try the freighting business," asked McCarty. "I've several customers in Santa Fe who…
Russell’s Character
Lesser men of his day and since, either through ignorance or misunderstanding, have flippantly labeled him an impractical visionary or reckless gambler. The fact is, he was neither. He carefully weighed each proposition…