Show I 1 STAGE COACH TALI TALES gis ibby dy E EG C TAYLOR R the idol of stage coach days daya It EDDING bunamo to ax everone ever one was more widely lamm aud had more friends than any other driver on tile old nation abroad al road ill ills ent entire ire service 1 vv I as the old line the national ilond road stage a that did the tile largest bhare of the business along the famous highway of a century lied fled bunting t as 0 ftp 8 3 indies inches tall in to ills stocking feet and was mas straight as an arrow lie ile was al of a reddish complexion tile ills tea fea lures tures prominent and striking bis his voice deep and sonorous ton orous hut but he was uns not loquacious and had a it bob hab it of munching he lip was las endowed with strong common sense the term horse benso sense originated among the tike boys of the na a lional road and was applied to him and he was vas affable convivial and companionable this idol of boys and men alike along the Mit motional Ional road nas as born boru in boyette bayette county pa lie ile was not only a famous driver but also was wag a trusted stage agent stage I 1 etor and tavern keeper he ile once owned the central hotel in union town ia ila end and probably would have died a rich man bad had be he at iut t been a victim of despondency and depression nhen the railroads supplanted the old east west highway during the presidency of martin van buren it lt was as deemed desirable by the administration leaders in washington hint that one of the tile presidents messages be spread speedily before the people of the country arrangements were made with the stockton line to carry 11 e message ue westward stuard as g the baltimore A ohio railroad was not then in operation west est of frederick md bunting as agent for the stage coach line vent went to frederick to receive the message and convey it to wheeling W va red sat beside the relay of 0 arl ers ere the entire distance miles although he did not handle the reins himself the distance was covered in 23 hours and SO 30 minutes changes of te ims and drivers were madeam made at the usual relay sta josph woolley drove the coach from farmington to union town toun making mating sparks fly as the coach r speeded down the long western slope of laurel hill homer westover drove from Union uniontown town to brownsville Browns ville pa ila a distance of 12 miles in U 41 minutes mall coaches conches in those days car ried only three passenger there vas os spirited bidding for the privilege of riding in the coaches directed by bunting on this record ride that was before the they started two of 0 the passengers lasted as far as Union uniontown town and the third got out at brownsville Browns ville that speed in a lumbering stage gave them too much of a shaking up it disturb bunting at all this ride occurred before the telegraph tires extended west of frederick the pittsburgh gazette had arranged to get an early copy of the presidents message and had agreed to pay robert L barry and joseph P mcclelland empl employees of the national road stage company 0 30 50 for speedy dell delivery iery of the message at their office in pittsburgh brownsville Browns ville was the distributing point tor or the united states mall at the time and larry and mcclelland took the mall boac boich h the I 1 industry 11 famous along the route at union n town and rode to L townsville on 14 it to obtain the message aud convey it to the pittsburgh gazette IN when hen the mall was opened there was no copy of the message for the gazette and birry and mcclelland rc returned turned h iame me and the gazette cazette had bad to wait for the next mall in 1840 after the railroad was completed to cumberland md lied bunting drove the great mall coach aiom cumberland to wheeling that carrie carriel the message of president polk officially proclaiming war with mexico he ile left cun berland at 2 a it m and re ached Union uniontown town at 8 a m he lie breakfasted there with the passengers passenger slit at his Us own hotel he owned the national house at the time and then started off oft again lie ile reached washington pa at 11 a m and IN wheeling beel F pt t 2 n m TIP marto ohp th ill miles in 12 hours houm red I 1 vas as a firm friend and staunch admirer of henry clay father of the national road an and d clay often stopped for days ot at Red reds sil hotel ii 1 Union uniontown town bunting named one of bis his cons sons after the great kentuckian Kentuck lan a 0 1131 western newspaper union |