STAGE COACH TALES B by E C cl TAYLOR A president takes a tumble K DO not alot travel any more we W merely arrive macauley wrote this in commenting on the passing of oatho the old days when a trip was an adventure when one lived every moment of hla his journey journeys yi whether it was a few hours trip of a few miles or a trek across the continent one of the most romantic periods of the history of the united states was that between 1800 and the coming of the railroads roads prior to 1850 that was the day of the stage coach T the e notes of the coachmans coach mans horn the th tamping stamping of four or six horses 91 and the rattling of the old concord stages that filled the highways of america in those years are nearly forgotten few records have been kept of their era although for decades the life of the young nation flowed through these great arteries of travel the lords of that distant i d day a y were the drivers of the stage coaches they were the boys heroes like aviators are today their word was law and they were looked up to and respected by the great and the lesser individuals who comprised the general public of the tales that are left of these romantic figures the most amusing perhaps Is the one of how they ventured to express their emphatic disapproval of a president of the united states when martin van buren was occupying the white house he vetoed a bill appropriating funds for the im the national road in indiana that great highway was the tha backbone of the nation between 1830 and 1848 when the railroads pushed westward over the allegheny mountains everywhere along the road there was great indignation over van but bur taa action the stage drivers being sort of overlords of their community and no doubt somewhat tired of the severe cottings jottings jol jot tings they received when they drove their coaches at full speed over a rocky rough and swampy highway nursed their revenge their opportunity came when van suren buren was returning to washington D C from a trip up the mississippi va valley iley the president rode in as much pe peace ace and state as the highway then provided until he reached plainfield ind when his coach left it had bad an acel accident dent and the president of the united states was unceremoniously ous ly spilled out in the ithe road where the mud was deepest the identity identify of the driver of hla co coach a c h Is cloaked in mystery n everyone very denied responsibility tor for what had happened although it Is probably they a all it laughed up their sleeves investigation showed that an axle had been sawed nearly in two and it WM was brought out that the driver when he reached a particularly muddy s stretch of road had not avoided any of the numerous bumps the coach hit a big rock and the axle broke As it was going at good speed the vehicle turned over of course and mr van buren was sent sprawling into the mud puddle the president returned to the at plainfield and after cleaning ua up started oft again and reached the tha nations capital without further mishap but he had bad been taught an object lesson on the importance of 0 keeping the count rys greatest highway in repair when the bill came to him again soon after his adventure he promptly signed it the position held by the drivers cilvers of the old stage coaches was like that of the captain of a steamboat some of the drivers stood on as lofty a plane as aa the C commanders om manders of great ocean liners of the present day their word was law while on the road they came into constant touch with all the prominent political social and commercial figures of the country and their attention and favor was eagerly sought bought although they were paid only a standard wage of 12 a month and their board and lodging they took precedence over even their most dl passengers in the eyes of small boys they were wera even above the president of the united states they also thought well e 11 of themselves as one driver ar lied while I 1 drive this coach I 1 am the tha whole united states of america M 1131 1931 western union