St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-10-09
A Famous Stage-DriVer.

Long OtlOTe Horace OTeel6y ndu
made him famous Hank Monk was a
hero among the heroes of the Pacific
coast, writes Joaquin Miller. He was,
perhaps, the first man to use the short,
double barreled shotgun, which Wells
Fargo's messengers made famous in
their blood battles with stage robbers.
The facts are, Hank Monk was such IA
reckless driver, that, while every one
was proud of the honor of having once
crossed the Sierras with him, no treas
ure messenger was willing to make a
regular thing of it. For it was uni
versally conceded that it was only n
question of time when Hank Monk and
his now famous "Tally- Ho" stage,
along with his six horses, would be
tumbled from the nights into one of
the innumerable gorges that lay yawn-
ing under his narrow span of road
around the mountain peaks. And so
the daring driver had to sit Oh his box
alone, save when the member of con-
gress or judge of his circuit, in order
to show his valor and win votes, took
possession of the perilous post. 1t
was the ingenuity of Monk that intro
duced the short, double -barreled shot
gun. But he did not carry it under
his cloak with cock lifted and finger
on trigger. Nothing of that sort; his
hands were too full of the ten or dozen
reins for that. He simply had the gun
pointed down on the side of his
leg with the muzzle just peeping
through the sole of his heavy boots.
And no one was permitted to know OF
the presence of this arm at all. 1t was
known that he carried his bowie knife
down the back of his neck, so as to be
in easy reach when he pushed back
his broad hat to get good look at his
enemy ; but the now famous shotgun
no one knew anything about no not
even after he had twice been attacked
and had thrice beaten off the robbers
| am told that the first time he used
this weapon he stopped the stage, and
was slowly handing down the treas
IRE box to the leader when, getting
his leg in range he emptied load OF
buckshot into the robbers heart. A
second shot into the crowd of sur
prised robbers, and he dashed away
with all his desperate speed down the
mountains. And even then no one
knew who fired the shots. The rob
bers believed it was all the work OF
the passengers inside the stage. A
repetition of this same feat drew some
suspicion on Monk and his life now
was in great peril. Once he handed in
bill for a new hat, saying the one he
had WAS so full of bullet holes that il
"wouldn't hold shucks." The amount
of gold that this man carried out of the
mines amounted far up into the
millions and never n dollar in all hi,
years of service was lost. Counting
the peril, the peculiar opportunities he
had to betray his trust and escape sus-
picion by colIusion with the robbers
and so on, the name of Hank Monk
particularly at this time, ought tC
rank high.
Reckless and hard driving with hin
was passion. And yet there wa.
nothing reckless about it at all anC
he was the kindest of masters to hi
horses. He loved them and they
loved him. and knew his every ton,
and touch of the rein. His team wa
literally part of himself. Once som,
timid passengers complained to Bel
Holiday and told him that as tn,
stage whirled at railroad speed arount
"A PERCEPTIONS point the last wheel wa
for n moment over the ledge. Monl
twisted his broad hat about in his twt
hands as he stood with uncovered
head before the great stage king, an'
at last said slowly, with a twinkle il
his fine eyes: "Governor, they lie
only two of the wheels was over"
There is no doubt, however, that h
was never quite so happy as when h
could hang his stage full of passenger
over some deep precipice, as he dashe,
down the Sierras around some curve
and stretched his six horses out unde
the cracking of silk at full gallon
And yet was he really reckless
think not think | see something @
an explanation of it all in the swit
motion of the bicycle through the ali
The man merely understood the prop
t critics of the air better than Others
and knew well, from long practice
that so long as he could keep his stag
in swift motion it could not upser
. even if call the wheels were over th
precipice."
Never but once did he upset." an
that was on level ground, and in hi
5 old age, as he slowly turned about i
the yard to take in passengers. II
handed in his whip after that, an
would drive no more except on rar
! occasions.
What iS Cnnpre1ariouaI Siuo