The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1885-07-17
mAI: cARRYixG.
Some OF ITS Romance In she Past and
she Preseat Times.
fTar dan Naws

tbordon News.I
The business OF carrying the mails,
whether by land or sea, was, in the
coed old days. fertile Of romance. The
very instructions given to captains OF
the mail packets breathe the spirit Of
adventure; they were ito run while
they could, TO fight when they could no
longer run, and to throw the mails
overheard when lighting would no
longer avail" Frequent were the en-.
counters with highwaymen by land and
with the French at sea. Generally the
hishwaymen were merely vulgar ruff
fans in search Of purses and watches.
Ia chasing and sighting them, the
guards OF the coaches often showed true
British bravery. One of these. in re
ward Tor the courage he had shown,
was presented by George Ill with
key of Windsor Park, to be used by
him aud his descendants as long as they
drove a coach between Reading and
Londou. Occasionally, however, the
highwaymen were of different type,
and we're in search OF what was inf.
nitely more precious to them than gold.
When Sir Joha Cochrane was in prison
for his participation in the Monmouth
rebellion. the mail packet coming from
the south was supposed to contain the
warrant for his execution. Animated
by this belief, Sir johns daughter.
Grizel Coehraue, dressed herself in male
attire. aud. mounting on feet horse.
proceeded to Berwick on-Tweed. On
Twevdmouth Moor she fell in with the
post hoy. She dismounted bin and
threatened him with immediate death
unless he gave up the post packet.
which he ultimately did. The warrant
not reaching its destination, the execu.
tion could not take place. aud in the
time thus gained other members of Sir
Johns family fouad means, by the help
OF . heavy ransom, TO secure his
pardon.
Aitseugh the romance Of the present
day may pale before these thrilling ad-
ventures, yet the service is not without
its heroes even now; and there is some
satisfaction 10 the reflection that the
romances of to-day more often than not
consist IN devotion. even to death, to
the duties of the service. Thus two
letter-carriers perlshed,. not many years
ago. ia q snowrstorn, and IL was dis
covered that their lsst aot had heen 10
tie their bags upon one of the rosd's
posts. where they could be readily
found sod ceuveyed to their, defamation
by Others. Again. in 1856. on the oc
casion OF the toundering Of the NAL
packet between Dover and ostend. the
officer in charge Of the mails, seeing
that tho mails could not be saved, re.
moved all the cases containing the mail
bag. frop the hold. He perished in
the performance OF his duty. but he
achieved the end for which he thus gal
lantly sacrificed his life, for the bags
fioatsd instead OF going down with the
vessel, aud they we're all ultimately re-
Gov. red. One might add another in.
stance OF this fine spirit of devotion to
duty which was given about two years
ago by letter sorter belonging to
travelling postotice. The carriage in
which he aud another sorter were at
work was smashed by collision. and
they themselves we've badly injured
One was senseless. and the other nearly
so; he was incapable Of speech, but was
able. by pointing to the green bag con-
tanning registered letters, to save it
from being tost 10 the general wreck
and ooif;IiSsisn.