Show I 1 STAGE COACH TALES j by E C TAYLOR zachary taylor skids RESIDENT TAILOR TAYLOR P PRESIDE old zach wl 0 had led the american army that chased santa an na through northern mexico in the war with mexico ignored the dangers of travel by stage coach over oner the old national pike wa atlle ile he reveled in the beauties of the scenery with a party of statesmen pollyl clans and office seekers president tay lor rode over the road in 1849 be tween cumberland and the ohio river the party rode in many specially chartered coaches the identity of their drivers has never nener been clearly es tabi shed but they were the pick of tl e drivers then operating on the road west of cumberland and probably in chudd such famous ref reins fismen men as henry farwell ancl ie mcneil and alfred wolf the presidential party was under the marshals marsha iship of thomas shriver of cumberland that ardent whig in eluded in the party was colonel bul let famous editor of new orleans ato wl 0 was vias the colonel house of the taylor administration the road was a glare of ice lee every thing above ground was nas heavily coated with sleet tl at I 1 ad been falling tor for hours before president taylor and his party left cumberland to a sout erner like president tay lor who had never seen the like it was a phenomenon going down a spur of the road from meadow mountain the presidential coach along with all the others danced and waltzed oft the polished road first to one side 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 in fear for i the safety of the president As the I 1 coaches careened down each hill and mountain I 1 is bare head could be seen protruding through the window of his coach to discover it the presidents president s coach was still upon its wheels the iron gray head of zachary tay lor with almost the same frequency could be seen outside the window of the presidential coach but zachary taylor was not trying to see after any body s safety he ile was enjoys enjoying what seemed to him an arctic panama after the party had skidded and lurched along many hills bills and down many s slopes an and every everything ng was sa safe e they finally reached the narrows two miles west of cumberland at twilight at the N arrows is one of the most sublime views along the atlantic coast there ere zachary ac ary laylor ay or assume assumed corn com mand and ordered a halt he ile got t out in the now and sleet and looked and looked at the giddy heigl ts oa on both sides of wills creek every twig of vegetation and every inch of ground covered with glistening ice he had beheld nothing like it in hi his 9 life ife before not even in the beautiful mountains of northern mexico when he be was vas 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 it was keown along the road that the president and his retinue of dig nit aries were making the trip and great alarm was felt when they tailed failed to reach cumberland at the time they were due every precaution had been taken of course to insure the prest dents dent s safety but the people of cum berland 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 shaken companies dined rested and set out the next morning to continue tl air journey to washington president taylor was only one of the nation s leaders who traveled over the famous old pike pile before the rail rall roads had pushed across the alleghenies jackson van buren monroe har rison polk and tyler were other chief executives who rode the stage coaches over the old national road others were henry clay champion of the road in congress and a great favorite with all the stage coach daiv ers benton and cass ra lafayette fayette the mexican general santa anna the in dian than chief black hawk john quincy adams P T barnum and jenny bind lind who returned from her first tour of the west by stage coaches from the ohio river to the east 0 c 19 1931 31 western New anaver aBer union I 1 |