Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-31

The Plymouth Pastors First wild Ride
on the Steel Steed.

on the Steel steed.
Members of the Plymouth Church will
be surprised, says Peekskin IN. ~
special to the Morning Journal, to learn
that Henry Ward Beecher is an adept on
the tricycle.. He is the happy owner Of
cycle of extra size, on which he carvots
down the hills near his residence. Owing
to constitutional heavy facts the great
preacher does not ride up the hill. nor
does he move with startling speed on the
level road. but take him going down hill
and Maud S. would 60 into hysterical fit
at the sight Of such velocity. Whenever
the neighbors who live on Mr.. Beec hers
pet hill hear rush and a rattle and see
yard of hair floating in the dust they do
not become frightened as formerly. They
know that Rev. Mr.. Beecher is on his
three wheeled steed. bound for the bottom
Of the hill.
Mr.. Beecher does not care to talk much
about his first experience on his tricycle.,
but your correspondent was fortunate
enough to be one of a party who listened
to the story from his own lips, which were
constantly smiling at the thought of the
figure he cut at the time.
1t seems that the old gentleman was the
victim Of an extremely practical joke.
His son, with other gentleman friends,
thought that tricycle. would be wei
come addition to the stable of the house,
and they asked a friend in the vicinity
who owned one to call at the house and
infatuate the great divine with his easy
movement and speed. The friend did as
requested, and the cOnspirators dilated on
the adaptability OF the carriage to stout
elderly gentlemen of Mr.. Beecher's build.
1t did not take much persuasion, as Mr..
Beecher viewed the machine with de
light. and even after its departure he
talked in raptures of the tricycle., and eX-
pressed his determination of buying one.
Young Mr.. Beecher kindly took upon him.
self the task of making the purchase.
The tricycle. was brought forth and it
was noble one. Mr.. Beecher sat on the
seat and filled it with credit to himself.
The cycle groaned a mite as if its pun
ishment was greater than it could bear.
Mr.. Beecher bore down on the treadles,
but the machine replied with grunt and
refused to bulge. All the family and sew
eraI of the neighbOrs and invited guests
were present. Half dozen small boys,
unlimited guests, were also present, and
the smoker that greeted MIR. Beecher's
failure could be easily traced to this
source.
cry again, father" said the dutiful
son.
The sickliest smile ever seen upon the
face of Mr.. Beecher spread over that ex-
panse. He bent forward with all his
might, but the only effect was another
grOan from the tricycle. more pronounced
than before. Another smoker from the
boys and polite hiding of faces in pock-
ethandkerchiefs were more than Mr..
Beecher could sit out, and with little
Joke about hitching a horse to the tricycle.
he dismOunted.
81 have never been beaten yet," said
Mr.. Beecher, ''and L don't intend to begin
at this late day."
Young Mr.. Beecher rode the machine to
the brow of the nearest hill and Rev. Hen
nv Ward walked behind with the rest of the
party. The hill is fine one, and will be
easily recalled by all who have ever been
in Peekskill by the large clump of trees
at the right of the road in which stands
monster oak. Arrived at the summit, the
original Beecher again mounted his
balky steed and told all to stand back.
His son gave the cycle vigorous push,
and off she went, gathering increased
momentum at every revolution. Mr..
Beecher's hat came flying back to the
starting point. He himself was too busy
to notice such a trife, having more i'm
portant business at that moment in an
honest endeavor to stop in his downward
course. His hair streaming out behind,
with his horizontal cOat-tails as stiff as
plank; his eyes protruding in such man
ner that they could have been knocked of
with a stick; his hands grasping the sides
of the carriage; and the plunging. whiZ-
Zing tricycle-made a picture which the
natives who saw it will never forget.
There is a sharp curve in that hill at the
red gate which shuts off the road to the
ice pond. Farmer Tompkins stood there
and looked up the hill in wonder at the
approaching meteor with it's cloud of
meteoric dust behind. His first impulse
was to throw a log in the way. If he had
carried out that design Plymouth Church
would have been called upon to mourn the
untimely fate of its pastor. AS the trlcy-
Gle FASTENED to pass the farmer Mr.. TOmp-
kins saw what the trouble was. So did his
dog, which Immediately joined in the
chase, adding music to the ''merry-go-
down."
Like most hills, this particular inclined
plane has a bottom, and it came none too
quickly for the lightning divine. The
sigh he heaved as the machine struck
level ground was plainly heard in the vii
lage. The tricycle. reyolyed less wildly
and stopped short at the foot of another
hill. Before it was fully stopped Mr..
Beecher jumped off with surprising agili-
ty.
When the sympathizing friends, all a.
tremble, caught up with the tricycle., they
found Mr.. Beecber almost drowned in a
cold perspiration. He vowed that he
would never try it again, but he has, and
now he slides down that hill with great
enjoyment, horse dragging the machine
home from the foot of the hill.