Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-05-29
BRAVE POLLY MARTIN.
A Female Jebu with Grit and Muscle
who Fooled a Highway Robber.
Attleboro Mass Letter to the Boston Globe

Attleboro tMaSs.l Letter TO the Boston Globe.
"Will you have a carriage, sir2n
The query came from the lips of
tall. muscular woman, who stood
upon the platform of the railway
station in this village The salution
was an ordinary one at such a place,
but it sounded strangely, coming
from the lips of a woman. But to
the residents of this village Polly
Martin has for many yeals been
familiar figure about the streets and
at the railway station. The residents
of other portions of the town, too,
having long been familiar with her
face ana form.
For how many years, Mrs. Martin,
have you followed your vooation"
was asked by the reporter.
"Well, | have been driving a car
riaee now about SIX or eight years;
carried the mail to South and West
Attleboro, you know, before that.
commenced to drive the mail wagon,
we'll ] don't know just when, but it
was before the war ~ | think in about
1860 | drove it sixteen years and
five months"
'You have had some strange ex-
periences in that timer
"Well, | had some adventures,
that's a fact 1t seems like a long
time to look back on, and | wouldn't
want to go through it again. was
about IL all weathers, hot and cod,
wet and dry. 1t was pretty tough
sometimes, in the winter, can tell
Won"
did you ever meet with any
trouble by the way2"
Never but once, to amount to any
thing There was one time, about
ten years ago, that a gang of men
tried to stop ME. You see it was
Thanksgiving night Mr.. Anderson,
the minister of the Methodist Church,
was over to his sisters, the Read and
Idle neighborhood, spending Thanks
giving and he wanted me come round
that way with my mail and carry
him home. 1t was a pretty cold night
ana as dark as a pocket, when | over
took gang of five of six men stand
ing by the road. One of them called
out and asked which road led to He
bronvi.le | pointed out the road to
bin and went right on. ] had this
same little morse with me that | am
driving now; he is % or 20 years old.
One of the men stepped into the mid
die of the road and called on TO me to
stop.
had a whip in my hand made of
three branches Of apple-tree braided.
1t was stout and tough. | struck the
horse on the flank, and just then the
man gave spring and grabbed the
back strap and the reins. | struck the
horse again, and he sprang forward,
dragging the man along. He chung
to the harness and the reigns, and
tried to pull them out of my hand, all
the time trying to get into the wagon.
He got one foot on the step and went
hopping along on the other. | pound
ed hin in the face with the stick until
the blood ran down, and every time
the stick struck him it struck the
horse too; so he kept along at brisk
trot, and kept pounding the fellows
face. BY and by his foot caught in
the wheel and he fell on his back, and
the wheel ran over his legs.
He didn't get into the wagon,
then2n
well, l guess not. He had tackled
the wrong customer that time.
That was quite an adventure Is
that the only time you were trdubled2"
That's the only time any one at
tempted to stop me. l have broken
down a good many times, but that
was Hothing; | could mend up easy
enough. / have been through some
pretty big snow drifts. though. Many
time [ have carried d shovel and
got out and dug the horse out of the
drifts. | remember once that | got
into big drift which filled the road
Besides the mail | had a number of
heavy express packages on"
You ran an express, too, thenF
"Oh, Yes / have carried every
thing, from a collar to an engine.
But, as [ was saying, when | struck
that drift saw the horse couldn't
drag that load and me too. So l got
out and took to the top of the wall.
The horse kept the road all right, and
l walked on top of the wall for a
quarter of mile or more, until we
got out of the drift.
What was your route2'
4 took the mail at the Post Office
mere and drove up through Farmers,
and right through by the mill, pass
ing the graveyard, to South Attleboro.
There left the bag and my express
packages Then drove up over Red
Rock Hill to Oldtewn, where / left
another mail at Newell's tavern. l
carried that mail in a box Then |
drove round to Farmers again, and
sohome. 1t was about eight miles in
all.
Did you carry telegraph messages
as well as the mail and express2"
Yes, l have carried TELEGRAPH mes
sagcs ever since the telegraph office
was opened here, and | carry them
now IN connection with my hack
business. / have carried a great deal
oI express matter-some pretty heavy
packages. Once | carried a corpse.
1t come by train in care Of the sexton,
and was to 90 10 the graveyard at
south Attleboro. The sexton went
with me. The box was pretty long,
II e Il