Your post reminded me that here in Australia, in the early days, the mail was delivered by horse-drawn stagecoach.
The bad guys -- called bushrangers here -- would raid the coaches and steal the valuables on board. One of the most famous of our bushrangers was Ned Kelly (died 1880). I wonder if he ever heard of the Pony Express.
Gary
I've heard of Ned Kelly, but I didn't know who he was. Thanks for that bit of trivia.
Ned Kelly was the son of early Irish immigrants to our country. Actually not so much immigrants but prisoners. His father was sentenced in 1841 to seven years' transportation for stealing two pigs - which is how the Kellies came to Oz. Lots of Irish came here for the same reason. I don't think the Brits liked the Irish very much. And from all accounts, the feeling was mutual.