Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-02-12

A Noted old Californian Stage Driver
Discovered, After Death, 10 He q We

the San Francisco Call, says There is
hardly Il city or town or hamlet of the
Pacific coast that includes among its
citizens n few of the gold hunters OF
the early days where at least one person
cannot be found who will remember
Charley Parkhurst. For in the early
days the gold hunters were, by rapidly
succeeding gold discoveries, drawn back
10 San Francisco as headquarters, and
again distributed from it to the most
recently found diggings, and in those
same early days Charley Parkhurst was
stage-driver on the more important
routes leading out from the city. He
was in his day one of the most dex-
ferrous and famous of the California
drivers, ranking with Foss, Hank Monk,
and George Gordon, and it was an honor
TO be striven for to occupy the spare end
of the drivers seat when the fearless
Charley Parkhurst held the reins of n
four or six in hand. California coach
ing had, and has even yet, one exciting
adjunct that was wanting in all preced-
ing coaching, II was when the organ
lied bands of highwaymen way laid the
coaches, leaped to the leaders heads,
and, over leveled shot-guns, issued the
grim command made so often that it
was crystaliZed into the felonious for
mula of Throw down the box"
Drivers OF a phlcgmatic temperam Mt he
come accustomed to these interruptions,
expertly wrecken up the killing capacity
of the gun-barrels leveled ut them, ac-
cept the inevitable, throw down the
treasure-box and drive on. Charley
Parkhurst was high-strung, and this
was one requirement of the driver of the
early days he could never master. He
drove for n while between Stockton and
Mariposa, and once was stopped and
had to cut away the treasure box TO get
his coach and passengers clear. But he
did it, even under the drop" of the
robbers firearms, with all ili-grace,
and he defiantly told the highwaymen
that he would "break even with them"
lie was as good as his word, for, being
subsequently stopped on return trip
from Mariposa to Stockton, he watched
his opportunity. and. contemporane-
ously, turned his wild mustangs and
his wicked revolver loose, and brought
everything through safe. That his
shooting was to the mark was subse-
quently ascertained by the confession of
Sugarfoot," II notorious highwayman.
who, mortally wounded, found his way
10 miners cabin in the hills. and told
him how he had been shot by Charley
Parkhurst, the famous driver, in des-
perate attempt, with others, to stop his
stage.
Charley Parkhurst also afterward
drove on the great stage route from
Oakland to San Jose, and later, and
for long time. he was 1.-The boss OF the
road" between San Juan and Santa
Cruz, when San Francisco was reached
by way of San Juan. But Parkhurst
was of both An energetic and thrifty
nature, and when rapid improvements
in the means Of locomotion relegated
coaches further out toward the from
tiers. and made the driving of them less
profitable. it was not sufficient for him
that he was acknowledged rs one OF the
three or four crack whips of the coast.
He resolutely abandoned driving and
went TO farming. For fifteen years he
prosecuted this calling. varying it in the
winter time by working in the woods.
where he was known as one OF the most
skillful and powerful Of choppers and
lumbermen, and where his services were
eagerly sought for. and always com
manded the highest wages. Although,
in his stage-coaching days. he was hail
fellow well met with the migratory
miners, and during the succeeding years
of his life rs farmer and lumberman he
was social and generous with his fell
lows, he was never incorporate, i'm
moral or reckless. and the sure result
was that his years of labor had been
rewarded with competency OF several
thousands of dollars. For several years
past he had been so severely afflicted
with rheumatism as not only TO be un-
able TO do physical labor. but the NAL
ady had even resulted in partial shriv-
cling and distortion Of some of his
limbs. He was also attacked by can
Ger on his tongue. AS the combined
diseases became more aggressive, the
genial Charley ParkhuTst became, not
morose. but less and less communica-
tive, till of late he hes convcrsed with
no one except on the ordinary topics of
the day.
Last Sunday. in a little cabin on the
Moss ranch, about six miles from
Watsonville, Charley Parkhurst, the
amons coachman, the fearless fighter,
the industrious farmer and expert
woodsman, died OF the cancer on his
tongue. He knew that death was ap-
preaching. but he did not relax the re-
ticence OF ais later years other than 10
express few wishes ne to certain
things to be done at his death. Then,
"HtH tut nHHus Vi tut kIuu iTleuub VINO
had ministered 10 his diving wants came
to lay out the dead body Of the adven-
turous Argonaut. a discovery WIS made
that was literally astounding. Charley
Parkhurst was n woman. The dis
coveries Of the successful concealment
for protracted periods of the female sex
under the disguise of the masculine are
not infrequent, and the case of Charley
Parkhurst may fairly claim TO rank as
by all odds the most astonishing of all
of them. That a young woman should
assume mans attire and. friendless and
alone, defy the dangers of the voyage of
lS4g. to the then almost mythical Cali
fornia-dangers over which hardy
pioneers still grow boastful--has in Il
sufficient OF the wonderful. That she
should achieve distinction in nm occu-
patton above. all professions calling for
the best physical qualities of nerve,
courage. GOODNESS and endurance, and
that she should add TO them the almost