Show I 1 STAGE COACH TALES TALE B by y E C TAYLOR the idol of stage coach days daya BUNTING red to everyone R was more mora widely known and had al niora ore friends than any other driver on tho the old national road hla his entire service was the old line the tea national road stage company that did the largest share of the business along the famous highway of a cen cea tury ago red bunting was 0 feet 3 inches tall in his stocking feet and was straight as aa an arrow ile he was waa of a reddish c complexion his features prominent find and striking tits his voice deep and ana sonorous but lie he was not loquacious and had a habit of munching he ana endowed with strong common sense the term Ili horse orse sense originated among tile the pike boys boya of the national road and was applied to him and lie ha was affable convivial and companionable this idol of boys and men alike along tile national road was born in fayette county pa lie ile was not only a famous driver but also was a trusted stage agent stage proprietor and tavern keeper ile he once owned tho the central hotel in Union uniontown town pa and probably pio bably would have died a rich man had he riot not been a victim of despondency and depression when the tha railroads supplanted the old east cast west highway I 1 during the presidency of martin van buren it was deemed desirable by the administration leaders in washington that one of tho the presidents messages be spread speedily before the people of the country arrangements were made with the stockton line to carry the message westward as the baltimore ohio railroad was wag not then in operation west of frederick md bunting as agent for the stage coach line went to frederick to receive c the message and convey it to wheeling W va red sat eat beside the relay of drivers the entire distance tan e miles although he did not handle the relas reins himself the distance was covered in 23 hours and 30 minutes changes of teams and drivers were made at the usual relay stat stations lons joseph woolley drove the coach from farmington to Union uniontown town making sparks fly as tile the coach speeded down the long western slope of laurel hill homer westover drove from union town to brownsville Browns ville pa ila a distance of 12 miles ln in 44 minutes mall coaches in those d days carrl it inerd only three passengers there alp spirited bidding tor for the brivil go f riding in the coaches directed by du banting t on tills this record ride that was before they started two of 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 wires 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 employees of the national road stage company 50 for speedy delivery of the message at their office in pittsburgh brownsville Browns ville was the distributing point for the united states mall mail at tho the time and barry and mcclelland took the mall coach the industry famous along the route at Union uniontown town und and rode to brownsville Browns ville on it to obtain the message and convey it ft to the pittsburgh gazette when the mall was opened there was no copy of the message for the gazette and barry and mcclelland returned home disappointed and the cr gazette lz et t C 1 had 1 a d t to 0 w wait at t f for 0 r t the li 0 n next e x t m mail a ll 11 I 1 in n 1 1840 S 4 0 a after ft e r th the e r railroad a 1 lr 0 a d was w a s co completed m to cumberland md red bunting drove the great mall coach from cumberland to wheeling that carded the message of president polk folk officially proclaiming war with mexico lie he left cumberland at 2 a m nud and reached Union uniontown town at 8 a m ile he breakfasted there with the passengers at his own hotel he be owned the national house at the time and then started off again lie ile reached washington pa pai at 11 a na and wheeling at 2 p m ile he made the ilia miles in 12 hours red was a firm friend and staunch admirer of henry clay father of the national road and clay often stopped for days at reds hotel tn in uniontown Union town bunting named one of ills his sons after the great kentuckian Kentuck fan P 1931 western union |