Show I STAGE COACHI COACH I TALES I By E. E G. G TAYLOR The Race With Mail G. G BECK DECK an nn old vv stage coach driver of 01 the National National Na Na- road rond days lived until recently ut at Fairfield Iowa Iown Nearing eighty years of age ae he said he lie felt like Jumping up and cracking his heels I together whenever er he heard or read I of ot the men and events on the old National road and wished he were back there again He lIe was the son of ot James Beck Deck of or the noted bridge building firm of or orthe the early decades of ot the United States and started driving dri a n stage stagecoach conch coach before he was of ot age lie He was born In Uniontown Pa In 1819 1810 and went to Iowa to live In 1817 18 a n year after he left the road In 1840 1540 he be was driving for the theOld theOld theOld Old Line the National Road Stage Both company the Old Line and the Good Intent line Une carried 1 the United States mall at nt that time The mall mail was of two classes classe's s. s the lock mail in leather that was to be speeded west as fast fust as possible and the canvas mall in canvas bags which was on carried n a slower schedule The latter was frequently called the lie second mall mail as It contained what Is now second second- I class mall mail matter In December 1840 18 the Old Line carried the lock mall mail and the Good Intent line the time canvas mail Beck was driving the mail coach for the Old Line out of Cumberland Md Id and Jacob Crouch drove the mail stage stae for the rival company Great rivalry existed he between tween the two companies and their drivers over carrying the mall mail and races were ere frequent On this particular day Crouch loaded the canvas mall mail aboard his coach conch Immediately after the train arrived at Cumberland Cumberland Cumberland Cumber Cumber- land and started off nt at full speed toward the West The lock mall mail was handed to Beck who had to take It to the post posto postoffice postoffice o office ce where here It was overhauled before before be he- fore he could start on his trip causing causing caus caus- ing him considerable delay While waiting In front of the Cumberland post o c for the mon mall to be sorted sorted sort sort- ed ed Jack Shuck and other Good Intent Intent Intent In In- tent line drivers chided Beck Bek with the fact tact that the canvas mail man had such a n good start that Beck could not get near ItI itI itI it I made up my mind said Beck later that If It ft was In the hides bides of m my two teams I would catch and pass him It was after nightfall wh when n Beck got under wa way and In crossing a n waterway a In the Cumberland mountains mountains moun moun- his stage stae coach lamps went I out But nut what Beck thought was a n calamity turned out to be an tage As soon as he had crossed the Wills creek creel bridge he put his teams to n a full run and never pulled up until he reached reache Rock Hock Hill seven miles out of Cumberland At that point the road was T windIng winding wind wind- Ing and he espied the light of ot his Ills rivals rival's coach Crouch because of the going out of Becks Beck's coach lamps lumps could not see Beck Hecl approaching al although ul irl- though on the long stretches of the road he had kept a careful lookout Crouch was ryas er very much surprised when Beck pulled up alongside of him and the tile two raced side h by side Into Frostburg Md I lashing their teams teams at nt every jump Grooms nt at Frostburg hind had Becks Beck's second teams hitched to the coach b by the time Beck Deck hail had fairly stopped i iA A friendly driver ran with the lock I man mall to the Frostburg post office while another lit the lamps Beck Beck- did not leave his seat The reins on the fresh teams were thrown up to him him and he was oft off again in full run The fhe way mail bag was teas thrown onto the coach as ns he dashed past the post office Crouch carr carrying ing the canvas mail man had not ha had to stop and hind had gone on ahead At Sand San Spring at atthe atthe the foot of Big Savage Beck passed Crouch Thereafter he lie held the lead lend trotting his Ills team every Inch of the road to Piney Grove the end endot of ot the mall mail route Beck had covered the 22 miles In 2 hours and 10 minutes Fourteen I miles tulles of the tile wn way ha hind had been uphill but he pulled Into Piney Grove 22 minutes ahead of his rival I. I g c i 1931 mai Western Newspaper NO Un Union on 1 |