| Show Er STAGE COACH I j TALES By ByE E E. E C. C TAYL TAYLOR 0 R Henry Cla Clay Rides to a Fall H HENRY EN ENnY CLAY eLAY the Idol of tho lie whoso whose efforts In congress congress con con- gress gres more than those of any other man Dlan In ArnerI American public life the building of or of tl the e great National roa road was due rode to a fall on the road he tie had f fathered 4 Cla Clay Clay- often traveled elc over the great Highway a ns as e m made de frequent nt trips from from the he nations nation's capital to his home In Kentucky c each echi ch year and was was known and liked hiked by by every ery stage stagecoach stagecoach stagecoach coach driver along the route One day the brilliant political leader was traveling back home borne to Kentuck The streets of Uniontown Uniontown Union Union- town Pa In those days were were not the paved thoroughfares thoroughfares' of tolla toda today They were mu muddy dy morasses Iri mi wet weather and rocky roads In dry The coach in which Clay was rIdIng riding rid rId- ing hag struck a large boulder of at limestone limestone lime lime- stone as I It was wn fI leaving and overturned throwing Clay Into the street He He was up unhurt unhurt un- un hurt and after viewing the smashup remarked This Is is- mixing the Clil Clay f o n- n tucky with the limestone o of ot Pe Penn Pein s sylvania S Sam Sibley the driver t e received eI ed a n broken nose nn J the p party returned returned returned re re- turned to to the McClelland house which it had had- had just- just left lint Oa a a new coach conch and driver Were pt cured The Pike Boys 1 a as ns f the tIle lordly lY drivers driver on the road rand we were c called were ere all nil friends s of Clay although although al al- I though they did not nil all agree with him P politically One driver was lie nc- ac accused of delIberately down downa a a pro Clay procession procession- during the thc Clay Polk Presidential cont contest s The The Pike Bo Boys Boys' su were were Uie arus- arus y of the day day Lads all oVer ohr the tha nation looked m as the thc boys bOrs of look up to Lindbergh and other heroes of It was wase e every r bo boys boy's s ambition to tobe the tobe be the driver driven er en of mall and fast passenger conches coaches There probably were more street cornet corner arguments along the great grent highways ln ip those flays over o the st style lc of ot V various heroes heroes' driving and their pr prOve as lords of t the road than there over oyer politics polities The Tue dri drivers were as not noted d for their qU quiet k wit and II lage ge nt- nt ance with nen of affairs affairs' rs as as for dextrous handling of two hands hand full ot Ir reins Their social an and ss position tion on was vas the en eri envy f of al rill alt boyhood o and It was tb the ambition tl e natIons natIon's nations nation's na na- na- na tion's s 's youths to emulate te They them were worshiped as ils ii liero ros s. s Among the best known drivers of cit f the da day nearly all of whom Clay b. b kne knew w by hy their nicknames were sere er John Bunting Jim ne Reynolds Billy Armor Red ned Bunting nearly seen seven seven se sev sev- en feet tall was the In Inthe In Inthe the East David GO Gor Gordon l 1 n and Jn Jarne Bun nun were the outstanding h heroes heroes' ot of the western section of the stage lines S drivers ers vere of their These were wei p ud of horses horses' and took the best jest of ot them The passage passage of-a of President was a a triumphal pr procession ess es's iH along the National road The drivers and tho the best horses were assigned od to them 0 0 The c coaches aches were re elaborate affairs af at- fairs many of thi th them em m costing severn several I thousand dollars They were gaily painted highly polished and iund lined with silk upholstery They h hid had d darm arm rests and comfortable omo s seats The earliest couches coaches o on on the e National Na road were the Troy coaches es They were built s at Cumberland Md and carried 10 16 j g lB These we were re followed b by r rl elaborate Concord rd coaches s that I were used universally b by the stage lines all nih over the United Stares States nela Relays s 's of horses were waiting for forthe forthe S the the coaches every ten or twel twelve Q 1 miles nn anil these thes were e changed while the coaches coach s were re still sui rock rocking rock ing after an abrupt halt Speed Speech was the watchword and not a amin minute min ute was lost on os-a os n a trip tt Th lh The drivers drivels prided themselves on on maintaining n their schedule ule in In- In nil all all of dl r 1 weather s 0 I 1 Those wh who lived along Iong the Na- Na a. a 1 road when len 1 th they y t n were wie re children dili iren I still eagerly recall tJi he lid thrilling li ng sight ishi at of n a t train aln of f cO caches chIs li 9 SPI some sometimes I times In es as as many as s' s 14 11 14 In nn a sD f fe feline e line r rushing into Inti a relay station with tl tile the e. e drivers drivers' blow blowing Ins Ins' their Ir horns quickly changing hors horses h. h and amid speeding off again n It It was rO romance to them S 'S c ili 1931 31 Western e t rn ew p Union ni f |
