The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1853-10-27
HOW sIMMONDs GOT HIS WIFE.
A Pleasant Adventure.

-hVW SAMMONDS wi HIS WIFE,
eiod A Pleasant Adventure.
.- col Wis III ado -
When railway travelling was undreamt
of, and mail coaches were ''alone in their
glory; the ancient and sooty town of
Sheffield rejoiced in the possession of an
inhabitant named Mr., Samuel Peach. To
have, inquired for him, however, by that
appellation, whould have been next to
useless Not only in Sheffield, but Through
out the length and breadth of the three
Ridings of Yorkshire, he was known, and
familiarly sopken of, as :" Sam Peach, of
the Angel coach office" just as people
!. speak Of ..Tom Waddell, of the Hen and
Chickens, at Birmingham" or Isaac Tay-
lor, Of the Lion, at Shrewsbury"
Eccentric in many things, yet with
dash Of quiet humor, and most catholic
spirit of humanity in his nature, was this
Sam Peach. He was wealthy, of course
for eccentricity is too great a luxury for
q poor man to indulge in. Of the impor-
tance of his position, as autocrat of the
mail and stage coaches which travelled to
and from Sheffield, he had high opinion.
Not having any connection with the Sta
tistical Society,it it would be impossible to
state, with the requisite fullness and par
ticularity of detail, how many of these
coaches he possessed-how many horses
he had con the road"-how many quarts
of oats and loads of hay his cattle annu
ally consumed-how many miles per- diem
his carriages travelled-to how many fam
lilies his calling gave bread. Enough is it
to say, that Sam Peach, engrossing the
"conveyancing department" in and from
Sheffield, was considered a wealthy per-
sonage-the rather, perhaps, because he
studioulsy avoided the display of riches.-
He hadpurchased some land in the neigh
borhood of Sheffield, extensive enough to
becalled an estate. He always spoke Of
it as ''the frm,' though the house he had
erected thereon was sufficiently imposing
inappearance and extent to make it some
times be taken for the country of one
Of the squirearchy. With that 'order''
Sam Peach had no desire to be identified
Plain and somewhat brusquein his manner
he was proud of the business by which
he had acquired an independence; and il
is aforementioned as fact, that on one
occasion, when distinguished commonel
in theneighborhood (since become peer
and a Cabinet minister) addressed him as
Samuel Peach, Esquire" the recipient
who knew the writing, returned the lettel
to the postman, with an Endorsement, emo
known at the Angel coach-ofice!''
Wealth and integrity, backed by his &c
centricity, had made Sam Peach quite
popular character in Sheffield. Never dit
any one care less for popularity. His rul
of conduct was to follow the right, what
ever should betide. His very PECULIAR
y ties leaned to mercy's side! 1t was a
much as any of his coachmen's place wa
worth, for one of them to see tired foot
traveller on the road, and not immediatel
"pull up" and invite the wayfarer to
seat. The sterling character of the ma
was estimated from the fact, that most {
the people around him had been in hi
employment for upwards of twenty years
1t is more than probable that Sar
Peach never heard of the name and sys
tenn Of Lavater, and yet it is certain ths
he had habit of taking likes and dislike
topeople's faces, which involved the pu
ting them ''inside for outside fare," or fc
no fare, or the stout refusal to take the,
inside Or outside of any of his coaches,
any price. 5'1
Ithappened, that one sunny day in Sci
tember, ] Is, that Sam Peach was sittir
inihis coach -ofice-"his custom ever
an afternoon "-engagedin in examining ale'
ger; for he,used to say that, by attendir
to business, he was pretty sure of bus
ness attending to him. Agentleman can
- Inand asked what was the coach fare
London? .5f