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Show As I Remember Them The Old Stage Drivers 1 By C. C. Goodwin 1 MOHAMMED was a camel driver, but he - was not like other camel drivers. The stage drivers in the old California and Nevada days were not like other stage drivers. Marysville, California, was headquarters for the California Stage company and it was there that staging was Been at its fullness. As soon as it was light on those delicious mornings, the criers began, one -can hear them still, "Empire Ranch, Rough and Ready, Grass Valley and Nevada" was the first cry. Then qume, "Oregon Ranch, Camptonvllle, Downieville." Then, "Orovllle, Forbstown and Moore's Flat." Then "Tehama, Red Bluff, Shasta and Yreka," and at steady intervals in a glorified baritone rang out "Sacramento, Sacramento." Then, from the Ptables would come the stages. The horses had been driven across the plains, turned out on their arrival and by the next spring they had grown a hand in height, and when taken up, fed grain and groomed, they were most beautiful. The great Troy coaches for twenty-seven passengers pas-sengers and drawn by eight horses had the right-of-way. At first they were driven on alternate days by "Big John" and "Big Jake." Their real names were John Littlefield and Jacob Putnam. Later Oscar Ross was put upon that line, but ' one morning he ran his coach into an opposition coach and knocked it to piecps, but a passenger on the opposition coach, so soon as he could extricate ex-tricate himself from the wreck, fired a full charge of bird shot, at close range, into Oscar's side and he died three days later. "Big John" became be-came dissipated and the company took him from the Sacramento route and gave him one of the Camptonvllle coaches, which were four-horse coaches. After a few" days he made a night with the boys in Camptonvllle. He was a little "How come you so" when he mounted the box next morning, and, going down the Goodyear hill grade, rolled his coach, over, broke the rail from the top of it, bruised badly a Chinese passenger, but managed to get to Marysville. He had the coach repaired at his own expense and next morning drove up in front of the stage office. While waiting for the time to start, a clerk came out of the office and, walking up to the coach, said: "Mr. Littlefield, President Hay worth has instructed me to inform you that your salary has stopped." Littlefield began to wind the reins around the m brake bar, and in a soft voice which grew harsher as he went on, said: "My compliments to President Presi-dent Hayworth, and kindly say to him that while I hate to disappoint him, if what you have just said is true, I'll be d d if I drive!" Robert Robins and his twin brother, Dan, drove the Shasta stages, leaving Marysville on alternate days. They were known as "Curly Bob" and "Curly Dan" because of their curly hair. As the railroad stretched its way up toward to-ward Tehama and Red Bluff, and staging declined de-clined they came to this side of the Sierras and drove on the Overland and branch lines. They were fine looking men and great drivers, and had none of the wild strata in them which is so common in men of their calling. Rob died some years ago In Idaho, and Dan died In this city a few months ago. Of late years he was much afflicted with rheumatism in his legs and feet, but when a driver was needed the boys would help him to the seat of a carriage, and many a person in this city has ridden in his carriage never dreaming that the man on the box was once a famojs horse tamer. Baldy Green was another famous whip He was an old, time California driver and then for I years handled the ribbons on the Overland be- 1 tween Virginia City and Austin. He lost his 1 place because his coach was robbed so often that M the company grew suspicious that the hold-ups M had got to know him and could tell by the ex- ) pression of his face when he was carrying large amounts of bullion. The last I heard of him ho was a Justice of the Peace in northern Humboldt county. His knowledge of law was limited, but he surely had a great deal of horse sense. He must have been of the Sancho Panza order of magistrates. Of course half of the world has heard of Hank Monk. Before there was any grade over the Sierras and before the finding of the Comstock, Monk drove a stage between Genoa and Placer-ville. Placer-ville. It was there that Horace Greely encountered encounter-ed him and the famous story has been told with more variations than are used when "Home Sweet Home" is played on the piano by an amateur. ama-teur. There was not much to it except that Greeley grew impatient going up the mountains from the Genof side and impatiently told Monk that he was put down for a lecture in Placerville that night. Monk with his drawl told him to keep his seat, that he would have him there on time. Reaching the summit, Monk shook out his team and Mr. Greeley's head at short intervals inter-vals collided with the top of the coach, which caused him, to cry out to go slower, but Monk's only reply was: "Keep your seat, Mr Greeley; I will have you there on time." Mr. Greeley did not know it, but the man on the box was about the most superb relnsman In the world. His secret was his exact calculation. With every ribbon apparently loose, he would turn a running team on a narrow street, and bring them to a full stop at exactly the right point. A friend of mine came down one evening with Monk from Glenbroolc on Lake Tahoe, to Carson City, fourteen miles, in forty-five minutes. The friend asked him if he ever rolled a stage over on that route, for the horses were at full gallop half the time. "O, no," was the reply, "when you strike a level grade ride your brake and let the stock go; but when you turn a. curve, take off your brake and give the wheels full play because be-cause to ride a brake around a curve when going go-ing lively might make you trouble." J1 Monk had a superior education and was famous 1 for droll expressions. I was riding beside him , once when, nearing a wayside hotel, a man with overcoat on his arm came running out of the hotel to the coach. Monk pulled up his team, when the man said: "Monk, have you seen Bill ! lately?" "Yes, saw him yesterday; he's coming I down with me tomorrow," was the reply. The A man said he was glad, turned and walked back 1 to the hotel, and Monk, easing up on the reins, the team trotted on When we had gone a few rods, Monk said: "I wonder what Bill that ya- ' hoo meant?" "What Bill did you mean?" I asked. "I meant the way bill," said Monk. Mrs. of Virginia -City went up to Tahoe in a ' carriage one day for a few weeks' rest in the hot weather. She loft her trunk a sky scraper to be sent next day by coach. When Monk j reached the hotel at the lake, the lady, a fidgety little woman, was on the upper piazza looking for her trunk. It was not there, and, knowing Monk well, she called to him and asked where her trunk was. 'They were sawing it in two when I left," he replied. "I will bring half of it tomorrow and the other half next day." The j 'Continued on Page 4 ) i I H AS I REMEMBER THEM. WM (Continued from Pago 2.) B Indy rushed to her room and cried out to her H husband: "They are sawing my trunk in two H in Carson and all my good clothes are in that H trunk: all my party dresses." "0, well," said the H husband, ''that will be all right, you are not more H than half dressed anyway when you go to a H party." H At last after many years, Monk tipped a stage H over. He never recovered from the humiliation H of it, and died a few months later. H But when the Comstock was discovered, stages H and stage driving reached perfection. The H coaches were beautiful, the horses magnificent, H covered with ivory rings, tassels on their head H stalls, and trappings generally as splendid as H could be invented. There were two rival lines; H the California Stage company's line from Dutch H Flat via Donner Lake to Virginia City and Wells H Fargo & Company's pioneer line from Placerville H tov Virginia City. The drivers were the finest H that could be found. Among these were John H Burnett, whose sobriquet was "Sage Brush;" Wm, H Gephardt, "Curly Bill;" Charlie Livermore, and 1 "Sage Brush" was a wonder with the reins. H He was driving for Jack Gilmer in Nebraska and m Dakota when in a quarrel one night he killed or M desperately wounded a man. The difficulty was H fixed up some way, but he thought best to leave H that region, and finally reached Sacramento. He B was a small man and was much travel worn, but B, he walked into the stage office then in charge of H Grant Israel and asked if he needed a stage m driver. m Israel had just quarreled with a recaltriscent m driver and discharged him, and was in no good B humor. Turning fiercely upon Sage Brush, he H said: "A stage driver? Did you ever drive H stage?" Sage Brush had a drawl like Mark M Twain and he answered, "A little." Ever drive H two horses?" was Grant's next question. "Some- m times," said Sage Brush. "Ever drive .four? ' m asked Israel. "Occasionally," wa"s the answer. B "Ever drive six?" asked Grant fiercely. "O yes, M once in a while," said Sage Brush. "When can H you go to work?" asked Israel. "Whenever you H like," was the answer. "Do you know where the stage barns are." was Israel's next question, t Sage Brush said he did. "Well," said Israel, "go there tomorrow morning morn-ing at six a. m., and tell the men you are to have the six bays for the Placerville route. Come down the street that the barn is ori to a block below this, then turn to the left a block, then- turn into this street and bring the coach to this door!" "All right" said "Sage Brush" and turned to the door. But Israel hailed him and, calling him back, said: "I suppose you are broke; take this," extending a twenty-dollar gold piece, "and get yourself a square meal!" "No, thanks," said "Sage Brush," "I have plenty plen-ty of money. I only drive stage for exercise, and went out. Then the clerks in chorus said: "Mr. Israel, you surely are not going to give that team to that emigrant! They will kill' him before he ever reaches this office." "Suppose they do, you don't know how much I would give to see a stage driver killed. I have felt that way for a week." But Israel was out next morning to see the tenderfoot bring down the team; so were the clerks. But he did not come down the back street, but down the street on which the office was situated, only on the other side, and the team was trotting along gently enough, all their pranks seemingly put aside. When a little below the office, the driver seemed to rouse himself. There was a swift tightening of the reins, a sharp crack of the whip, the leaders came around on a run, the swings on a gallop, the wheelers on a fast trot; at just the right moment all the reins were pulled taut, the driver's toe touched the brake, from the driver's lips came a low "ewe," and the team stood still. "A stage driver at last, by " cried Grant, and the clerks said, "You bet." The stable boys said that beforethe new driver mounted the box, he inquired the name of each horse, then, went to each one, called him by name, rubbed his mane a minute, talking low to him, and "hoodooed the whole bunch." "Sage Brush" drove the first coach on the Donner Lake route out of Virginia City every night, and "Curly Bill" the second. "Curly Bill' was not nearly so expert a reinsman as was "Sage Brush," but was a tremendously puwvful man. One day a lady in his coach called to him asking protection pro-tection from a passenger. The passenger happened hap-pened to be a distinguished army officer who had made a great name in the Civil war. But that day he was in his cups, and in a vicious mood. Curly Bill got off the box, and, going to the stage door, said to him that one wearing the uniform hq had on should respect it too much to make a woman afraid. The officer made an insulting reply, whereupon 'Curly Bill" reached in, took Inm by the collar and hauled him out bringing the door of the coach with him. The officer was appalled by the terrible strength of, the driver, appalled and sobered. He apologized to 'Curly Bill" and to the lady, and for the rest of the journey was "childlike and bland." The teams driven in and out of Virginia City were marvels, but when the climbing of the Sierras Sier-ras began, leBS valuable horses were used. One day at Hunter's Station on the Truckee, Spauld-ing, Spauld-ing, superintendent of the road, asked "Curly Bill' if he would, not for a few days exchange his team going west from there for that of "Sage Brush." At this "Curly Bill" demurred, saying that he had taken pains with his team, that they traveled together like clock work, and he did not want to give them up. Then Spaulding said: "But that team of Sage Brush's are big half-breeds, wild as Zebras and a bit vicious withal, with-al, and Sage Brush is afraid that some day when he has a big load of passengers on the grade something will happen and he will have a spill." "O, that is different!" said Bill; "Give me the right-of-way and I will try them." The next day the passengers were seated in the coach and Bill was on the box when the "devils" were brought out. It required two men to each horse to hook them to the stage, then the reins wert passed to Bill and he nodded to let them go. They all sprang into a run, over the bridge they flew and up the road for a mile, when Bill said to a man beside him, "I wonder if they are real game." With that he gathered the reins, touched his foot to the brake and all six went up into the air as though they had struck a stone wall. "Why, they're dunghills," said Bill, and, taking his whip, he lashed them for a mile, then threw them up into the air again, and thus lashed them and hauled them up all the way to Crystal Peak. They went into Crystal Peak in a sickly lope; they were all afoam and trembling almost in a collapse of exhaustion. ' Sage Brush had crowded Bill's team to the utmost and reached the Peak a few minutes later. Bill, pointing to the panting, trembling horses, m said: "They are broke, Sage Brush." And Sago Brush replied, "They look it." When the railroad superceded the stage, "Curly Bill" established a livery stable In Virginia Vir-ginia City and later removed it to San Francisco, where he died last year. "Sage Brush" drifted to White Pine and then back to Austin. There one night he 'ran upon his own sister in a questionable place, went to his room and shot himself dead. Charles Livermore drove out and into Virginia Vir-ginia City, on the Placerville route. At the beginning of this paper I made reference refer-ence to Big John Littlefleld. After losing his situation in California, he wont to Virginia City and his friend, Deland, who had the Eclipse mine gave him a fine six-horse team and wagon and set him to hauling quartz. But he got full, let the team get away from him and smash the wagon. Livermore told me that one morning he was driving his coach up the steep grade through Gold Hill. He had his pet six-horse chestnut team (with all their trappings on, a full load, inside and out, of ., passengers, ladies and gentlemen, and he believed he had the finest team and coach in the world. Then he caught r Gight of Big John who had driven the Troy coach and eight horses between Marysville and Sacramento driving a donkey not much bigger than a Jack rabbit on a whim close beside the road. Livermore said: "I was foolish enough to call to him and say, 'Why, John, what are you doing there?' when in a voice like a fog horn John shouted (back, 'I. am trying to see to how d d fine a point I can reduce this stage-driving business.' busi-ness.' " Llttlefield went north and died, I believe, in Oregon many years ago. After tho collapse of staging in Nevada, Liver-more Liver-more went to Arizona to drivei on a line there. He had nothing left but one ivory ring such as are used where the reins cross between a team. His first drive was in the night and his only instructions were to follow the road. He was given four mules as wild as deer. It took several men to hitch them up; when they started it was on a run. A jolt put out all the lights. After a few minutes the coach stopped and the leaders disappeared in the darkness, the lead reins being pulled through Charley's hands. His first word was "Keno!" Someone trying to find water had sunk a great shaft fifty feet deep, the lead mules had run directly into this shaft. As they fell the goose neck of the wagon pole broke, leaving tho wheelers and coach on tho brink. Asked what ho thought, Livermore said: "I knew in a minute min-ute that my ivory ring was gone forever." When Big Jake gave up staging he went to Virginia City and opened a bank. Not a national bank, but one of King rharoh's, and became wealthy. Each year when the snow was deep and the sleighing good, it was his custom to hire a four or six horse team and sleigh with double bob-runners, fill the sleigh with robes and children chil-dren and give the children the ride of their lives. They are all gone. I do not know one of the old band that is left. The world will never see their like again unless un-less somewhere in the Cordilleras or Andes another an-other Comstock may be found, beyond the reach of railroads, where steep grades will have to be climbed and descended and sharp curves rounded and commerce will have to return to old methods. meth-ods. As it is, the old race have all passed away as did that driver in Sacramento, who, when dying, whispered: "It's a down grade and I can't reach the brake." |