Between Split Rock and Three Crossings they robbed a stage, killed the driver and two passengers, and badly wounded Lieut.

Flowers, the assistant division agent.

The red-skinned thieves also drove off the stock from the different stations, and were continually lying in wait for the passing stages and pony express-riders, so that we had to take many desperate chances in running the gauntlet.
The Indians had now become so bad and had stolen so much stock that it was decided to stop the pony express for at least six weeks, and to run the stages but occasionally during that period; in fact, it would have been almost impossible to have run the enterprise much longer without restocking the line.
While we were thus nearly all lying idle, a party was organized to go out and search for stolen stock.

This party was composed of stage-drivers, express-riders, stock-tenders, and ranchmen--forty of them altogether--and they were well-armed and well-mounted.

They were mostly men who had undergone all kinds of hardships and braved every danger, and they were ready and anxious to "tackle" any number of Indians.