Show STAGE stagecoach COACH TAUS TALES by be C zachary taylor skids ItES IDENT ZACHARY TAILOR P old zach who hd had led the american army that chased santa anna through northern mexico in the war with mexico pored ignored the dangers of travel b by v stage coach over oer the old national pike while he be reveled in the beauties of the scenery with a party of statesmen politicians and ollice office seekers president taylor rode over the road in 1849 1841 between cumberland and the ohio river the party rode in many specialty specially chartered coaches the identity of their drivers has never been clearly established but they were the pick of the drivers then operating on the road west of cumberland and probably included such famous reins men as an henry farwell archie mcnell mcneil and alfred wolf the presidential party was wa under the of thomas sh shriver river of cumberland that ardent whig included in the party was colonel bullet famous editor of new orleans who was the colonel house of the taylor administration the road was a glare of ke ice everything above ground was heavily coated with sleet that had been falling failing for hours before president taylor and his party left cumberland to a southerner like president taylor who had never seen sean the like it was a phenomenon going down a spur of the be road from meadow mountain the presidential coach along alduk with all the others danced and waltzed on the polished pol lebed road first brat to one side bide and then to the other every moment threatening to overturn but it remained upright under the capable handling of the driver shriver was in one of the rear coaches and was greatly to in fear for the safety of the president As the coaches careened down each hill bill and mountain his bare head bead could be seen protruding through the window of his coach to discover it if the presidents coach was still upon its wheels the iron fron gray head of zachary taylor with almost the same frequency could be seen outside the window of the presidential coach but zachary taylor was not trying to see after safety fl he was enjoying what seemed to him an arctic panorama aft after er the party had skidded and lurched along many miles and down many slopes and everything was waa safe bate they finally reached the narrows two miles west of cumber land at twilight at the nar narrows rows Is one of the most sublime vie views wo along the atlantic coast there zachary taylor assumed c command 0 and ordered a h halt alt ile he got out in the snow and sleet and looked and looked at the giddy heights on both sides of wills creek every twig of vegetation and eve every ry inch of ground covered with glistening ice lie he had beheld nothing like it fi in his life before not even in the beautiful mountains of northern mexico when he was on the trail of the elusive santa anna it was more than an hour before the president would permit shriver and the rest of the frightened party to proceed on their journey etwas it wag known along the road that the president and his bis retinue of were making the trip and great alarm was felt when they failed to reach cumberland at the time they were due every precaution had been taken of course to insure the presidents safety but the people of cumberland stood about awaiting old zach with many misgivings when president taylor and his party finally pulled into cumberland they were tendered a huge reception and the unperturbed general and his bis shaken compan companion lons dined rested and set out the next morning to continue their journey to washington president taylor was waa only one of the nations leaders leaden who traveled over the famous old pike before the railroads had pushed across the jackson van buren monroe harrlson polk and tyler were other chief executives who rode the stage coaches over the old national nation a road others were henry clay champion of the road in congress and a great favorite with all the stage coach drivers denton and cass casa lafayette the mexican general santa anna the indian chief black H hawk a wk john quincy adams P T barnum ba mum and jenny lind who returned from her first tour of thi the west by stage coaches from the ohio river to the east M 11 1031 Wo costers New newspaper binton tinton tn Tin lon ton |