The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-01-12
A noted Ola californian Sta8e-
driver Discovered, After Death, to
be q Woman.
CORRESPONDENCE San FrsncIsco CALI


! WATsoNv1LLE, CAL, Dec. 31.-There
is hardly city or town or hamlet of the
Pacific coast that includes among it's citi-
zens few of the gold-hunters of the
early days where at least one person can
not be found who will remember Charley
Parkhurst. For in the early days the
gold-hunters were, by rapidly-succeeding
gold discoveries, drawn back to San
Francisco as headquarters, and again
distributed from it to ihe most recently
found diggings, and in those same early
days Charley Farkhurst WAS stage
driver on the more important routes lead
ing out from the city. .,.E
He was in his day one Of the most
dexterous and celebrated of the famous
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 four or six in hand. Califor-
MIA coaching had, and has even yet, one
exciting adjunct that was wanting in all
preceding coaching. 1t was when the
organized bands of highwaymen waylaid
the coaches, leaped to the leaders heads.
and, over leveled shot-guns, issued the
grim command made 20 often chat it
has crystalized into the felonious formula
of "Throw down the box"
Drivers of phIegnatic temperament
become accustomed to these Interrupt
tions, expertly recksn up the killing ca
pacity Of the gun-b:urels eveled at
| them, accept the Inevitable, throw down
the treasure box apd drive on, Charley
Parkhurst was high strung, ana ss!A.is Has
tonereqlirement Of the driver Of the early
days he could never master. He drove
for while l,etween Stockton and Mari
posa, and once was stopped and had to
cut away the treasure box to get his
coach and passe clear.
But he did it, even under the drop
of the robbers firearms, with all i'll
grace, and he defantly told the highway
men that he would "break even with
them" He was as good as his word, for,
being subsequently stopped on retura
trip from Mariposa to Stocktcss he
watched his opportunity: ::nd, Contempt
uously, turned loose nfs wild mustangs
ard IN wicked revolver, and brought
everything through safe. That his shoot
| ing was to the mark was subsequently
ascertained by the confession of Sugar
foot" a notorious highwayman, who,
MORALLY wounded, found his way to a
miners cabin in the hills, and in articulo
mortis told how he had been shot by
Charley Parkhurst, the famous driver,
in a desperate attempt, with Others, tQ
| stop his stage.
Charley parkhurst also afterward
drove on the great stage route from Oak
land to San Joee, and later, and for q
long time, he was "the boss Of the road
between San Juan and Santa Cruz, when
San Francisco was reached by way Of
San Juan. But Parkhurst was both Of
an energetic and q thrifty nature, and
MleM rapid improvements In the means
of-loc6motion rel, gated coaches fnrthe,
out toward the frontiers, and made the
driving Of them less profitable, it was moi
sufficient for him that he was acknowl
e,iesd1as one Of the three or four crack
whiISsof the coast. He resOlutely aban
doneds driving and went to farming.
Fofa15 years he prosecuted this call
| Ing, 4arying it in the winter times by
lw6fking in the woods, where he wa'
llnowrr as one Of the most skillful an
powerful of choppers and lumbermen
and where hisservices were eagerly sough
lfys, and always commanded the highes
M&ses. Although, in his. stage-coachinl
days, he was hail fellow we'll met witt
the migratory miners, and during tn
succeeding years Of his life as farmer snt
|lumbermen he was social andeenerou
with his fellows, he was never intem
perate, immoral, or reckless and the SUR
result was that his years of labor ha'
been rewarded with . competency 6f rev
eral thousands Of dollars. Fer seyea