Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-06-05
BRAVE POLLY MARTIN.
s Female yehu with Grit and Muscle
Who FoiIed a Highway Robber.

Attleboro C1Iass) Letter to the Boston Globe.
"Will you have a carriage. sir?"
The query came from the lips of a
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 q
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 and form.
''F'or how many years, Mrs. Martin,
have you followed your vocation?"
was asked by the reporter.
"Well, | have been driving a car
riage 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-I think in about
1860. | drove it sixteen years and
five months"
"You have had some strange ex-
periences in that time2"
well, | had some adventures,
that's a fact. It seems like a long
time to look back on, and I wouldn't
want to go through it again. I was
about in all weathers, hot and cold,
wet and dry. 1t was pretty tough
sometimes, in the winter, I can tell
you"
"Did you ever meet with any
trouble by the way?"
Never but once, to amount to any
thing. There was one time, about
ten years ago, that gang of men
tried to stop rae. You see. it was a
q 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
and as dark as 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
bronville. [ pointed out the road to
him and went right on. I had this
same little horse with me that I am
driving now; he is 27 or 90 years old.
One of the men stepped into the mid
die of the road and called on to nae 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
norse 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 bleod 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,
then?"
''Well, I guess not. He had tackled
the wrong customer that time"
"That was quite an adventure. Is
that the only time you were troubled?"
"That's the only time any one at
tempted to stop me. [ have broken
down a good many times, but that
was nothing; I could mend up easy
enough. [ have been through some
pretty big snow drifts. though. Many
time [ have carried 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 I had number of
beavy express packages on"
"You ran an express, TOO, then?"
ooh, Yes! [ have carried every
thing, from collar to an engine
But, as [ was saying, when I struck
that drift I saw the horse couldn't
drag that load and me too. So I got
out and took to the top of the wall.
The horse kept the road all right, and
[ walked on top of the wall for
quarter of mile or more, until we
got out of the drift"
''What was your Toute?"
II took the mail aG the Post Office
here 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 I drove up over Red
Rock Hill to Oldtown, where I left
another mail at Newell's tavern. I
carried that mail in a box. Then
drove round to Farmers again, and
SO home. 1t was about eight miles in
all"
did you carry telegraph messages
as well as the mail and express?"
''Yes, I have carried TELEGRAPH mes
sages ever since the telegraph Office
was opened here, and | carry them
now In connection with my hack
business. I have carried a great deal
OF express matter-some pretty heavy
packages. Once I carried a corpse
1t come by train in care of the sexton,
and was to go TO the graveyard at