Joseph Alfred Slade

Joseph Alfred "Jack" Slade,[1] (January 22, 1831 – March 10, 1864), was a stagecoach and Pony Express superintendent, instrumental in the opening of the American West and the archetype of the Western gunslinger.

As superintendent, he enforced order and assured reliable cross-continental mail service, maintaining contact between Washington, DC, and California on the eve of Civil War.

Gregg Palmer played Slade in a 1955 episode of the syndicated television series Stories of the Century, starring and narrated by Jim Davis.

[15] John Dehner played an evil version of Slade, who is shot and finally shows some decency before dying, in the Laramie episode "Company Man", aired in February, 1960.

The same episode featured Dabbs Greer as Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), who, when asked about his profession, says that he is a writer, working on a new book, which he is going to title Roughing It.

In 1963, Don Collier played Jack Slade in the season-12 episode of the television series Death Valley Days titled "The Man Who Died Twice."