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Show RELIC OP "PONY KAIL." The news that Henry Mower, the pioneer mail carrier of Utah and Illinois, Illi-nois, is dying at his home in Fair-view, Fair-view, was brought to this city yesterday yester-day by Swen O. Nielsen of that place. For a month past the veteran distributer distrib-uter of the mails has been gradually sinking from old age and general debility de-bility until yesterday he was in such a precarious condition that no hopes were entertained for his recovery. Mower, who is known nearly across the continent, is one of the historic characters not only of this sta-te but of Illinois, where he was born and first rode the "pony mail." Mower, when but a lad, hauled the lumber with which his father built Abraham Lincoln's Lin-coln's first house in Springfield, and the boy became personally acquainted with the man who was to afterwards become the president of the United States. In his old age it has been his delight to tell stories of the times when he hauled lumber for that house and of the impressions he received from the owner of the place. It was but a few years after that that he began to carry the' mail through the rr.ral districts of Illinois, riding a pony and distributing the mail to the settlers. For a number of years be carried the mails and about forty years ago came to Utah. Having became be-came a professional mail carrier by long experience, he immediately took up his old calling in the southern portion por-tion of this state. Provided with a spring cart and a horse Mower carried car-ried the mail from Nephi throughout all the southern part of Sanpete county. coun-ty. "The mail carrier," as he was fa- cart was a familiar sight along the roads between the scattered settlements settle-ments in the southern part of the state. As the tide of improvement rushed on and into Utah, bringing with it tfie railroads, and the train mail services, the "mail carrier" was forced to submit sub-mit to the inevitable and retire with the discarded methods of the past. Since then Mr. Mower has resided the greater part of the time in Fair-view, Fair-view, although his home was for a number of years in Springville. Mr. Mower is now 78 years of age and has a large family of children, grandchildren grand-children and great-grandchildren. His relatives from this and adjoining states have been summoned to his bedside, bed-side, as it is not believed that he will survive many more days. |