Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-01-15
CONFESSIONS OF A JEHU.

CONFESSIONS OF JEHU.
Drifting around in quest of something OF
interest to the public, Pittsburg CONNER
cial Gazette reporter dropped into the Union
depot of that city. At the entrance, en-
sconced on one of the benches, attired In a
heavy overcoat, he found a hackman who
had grown grizzled and gray in the service,
and who, as the reporter approached, drew
himself up as though he was sitting on the
box behind a fast-going span of nags, and,
swapping his whip with the air of con-
noisseur, he said (" Business is getting dull
in my line. Idon't get the good hauls that
/ used to. s'pose, young man, that have
hauled more people of note in that hack of
mine out there than all the rest of the hack
men in this town together. How is that?'
queried the reporter. swell, L have
hauled all the great actors and actresses
that have come to this city for the past
twenty years. Seems to me that the pro-
fession is getting to know me, and when
ever | see Lawrence Barrett get of the
train | says, How are you, MIR. Barrett
and he turns around and recognizes me.
BARRETT good fare, and pays double, so
he don't forget the hackmen. The last
time that he was here | hauled him to the
hotel and then TO the theater, and when
he got out he felt in his pockets and found
he hadn't cent with him. | says, All
right, Mr.. Barrett, and he told me TO call
at the hotel the next day. | went around,
and he gave me a gold piece. Barrett Is
generous to us hackmen, and always has
kind word or a joke to pass with us. RE is
not like old Forrest. who Is dead and gone,
l hauled him from the depot once, and my
front axle broke on the corner Of Grant
street. | thought old Forrest would kill
me- He jumped out of the hack and
stormed and ragged and swore like mad
man. | tell you he was not nice GUS
toner to handle. Alice Oates in her palnly
days used to he very dainty customer.
She would come out and look into my
coach very carefully before getting in, and
was dreadfully afraid that the cushions
would soil her dress then she would look
at the horses aud rig to see If it was
! stylish. Within the last few years, how
ever, she has not been near SO particular.
| She has changed great deal since thoseearly
DAYS. Formerly she would come dancing out
in vivaeious, sprightly way that made her
! look very pretty, but now when she comes
here she walks to my hack with her head
| down, as slow and demure as priest. She
! don't seem to care now whether the cush-
ions soil her dress or not. She always paid
me well, and | rate her among my best
fares. | suppose you remember when the
old Italian Salvini was here. Well, he
was a curious fare he couldn't speak En-
glish, and when / started for the hotel
would rattle on the window and stick his
head out looking at the buildings He
stopped me on Smithfeld street, and
pointed to the smoke overhead. 1t was
rather misty that day, and he did not
seem to understand what caused it.
Fletcher was mighty particular man
about driving, and would almost always
make me drive slow. When he came here
to open the opera house hauled him from
the depot, and he began rehearsing some
part in the hack, and got very much ex-
cited. l guess people on the sidewalks
who heard him and saw his gestures
/ thought was hauling mailman. Henry
| Ward Beecher is nice fare. | get him
every time he cores here to lecture ne
always has kind word and joke, and
never gets mad if 1 get stuck in a crowd of
wagons He always gives me pass to his
lectures. Theodore TIlton is a cranky sort
OF fare, and never would say much to
me. | tried to draw him out two or three
times when | have hauled him, but he
would always tell me to mind my own
! business. He always saw that he gave me
the right fare and 10 more | tell you
what it is, taking them all in all, lecturers
aud professionals make the best fares |
have got SO now that can tell as quick as
| see my old customers whether times are
good with them or not, and while they
always pay well, they pay better when
they have had good run of luck.
g l could go over long list of stars that
| | hauled, but those / have given you will
do for samples. Clara Louise Kellogg is
curious fare to haul Every time l have
hauled her she finds something to scold me
about. And one time she had a terrible
row with Miss Cary in my hack about
something. | tell you, expected to see
hair-pulling match, but they quoted down
before we reached the hotel I see by the
papers that Ole Bull is dead. Poor Ole,
he was mighty kind hearted man. The
/ first time | hauled him | looked little
hard up, and he talked and chatted with
me about my business, and gave me $40
bill. He was mighty good man, so he
was.
Lucille Western was a strange fare.
She was always beaming with kindness
1 hauled her down to the hotel one night,
and she told me to wait and take her to
the theater The front window was open,
and she would ask me all sorts OF questions
about Pittsburgh and its people. After
she got her supper she came out to get
into the hack, and l noticed that she had
been drinking. She spoke very kindly to
me, though, and when she got to the
theater told me to keep my hack at the
door for her. l told her all right,
and was driving away when she called
me back and asked me if wanted to see
the play told her l could not afford to
waste the time, and she said 'Oh, never
mind, I'll paw you double She gave me
pass and went in. She played Leah
that night, and 1 tell you she played it for
all there was in the part. When she came
to the curse scene she beat her face on
| the floor. She was very much excited, and
don't think l will ever see woman play
that part as she did that night. Poor
Lucille, she didn't live very long after that
night.