San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-03-05
A might INiSTlGE COACH.
by SIGISNIUND.

| visited Council Bluffs, Iowa, in the fall
of 1865; the Northwestern railroad had
not penetrated farther west than
MarshalltOwn, and DeS MOines was yet
looking anXiOuSly towards the east,
watching for the first rail to enter that
then small city in "the far west" Few
of the young folks of this generation
ever saw a stage-COach and fewer still
can tell, by experience, what perfect
engine of torture that ancient institu-
ton is for making every inch of its VIC
tims-thOse who were compelled to
travel in it-ache, yet stage coaches
were the only means of travelling i'll the
western country twenty years ago. In
deed often think it must be the guard
ian angel of travelling agents that in
vented the sleeping car.
True, a thorough bred travelling agent
can witness the most outrageous freaks
of mother earth, in field, flood, storm
or railway, with an exalted philosophy
that amounts to patience. Still when L
scrutiniZe them as class, particularly
their piety? and see how much the past
generation have abused them, in COM
pelling them to travel on stage-COaches;
then am reluctantly forced to recOg-
nize the hand of Heaven in bringing
forth the palace car for the special con-
venience of those children of sanctity?
(P. S., mOdeSty is prOmnant trait in
travelling men, distance and nom de
plume hide my blushes.)
Council Bluffs at the time Iwrite was
a struggling little town of one street.
The particular period of my visit was
on fair week. the hotels were crowded,
and every travelling man knows that on
such occasions it is useless to attempt
to sell goods, store keepers are too busy.
So determined to run down to st. Joe,
transact my business there, return when
the fair was over and finish my bust
ness in Council Bluffs.
The stage was to start after supper,
the one | rode in was full, containing
seven men and one woman, entirely UNI
known to each other
The sun was just dipping below the
horizon as we rolled out on the prairie
road leading to st. Joe. Nature SEEM
ed to be taking a rest. so calm did all
things appear. Nothing broke the quiet
harmony of the scene, made still more
attractive by a western sun set, except
once in while the gee up of the
driver and the crack of his long whip,
which caused the horses to jump for
ward and add increased torture to the
passengers by reasOnO of the sudden jerk
of the coach, arouse few prairie chick
ems who whirled past us, one of them
perhaps a mother who just left its
brood, to meet its death by coming in
contact with a telegraph wire.
sometimes have thought that stage
coaches were materali2ed off-shoOt of
the southern plague called backbone
fever, and that the aches and pains that
resulted from nights ride on one was
but the necessary ordeal to reduce all
men to perfect equality, so as to pro-
duce the social good-fellOwship which
cannot be equaled in any other sphere
of misery. Indeed to ride in a stage
coach is to get most friendly acquaint-
ance with its occupants, so that it did
not take us long, on this occasion, to be
in perfect good standing with one an.
other.
As we had an all night ride before us.
sleep being out of question, it was NUT
ually agreed that each one would, to
vile away the hours, tell story. | was
called upon 10, metaphOrically, preside
over the "meetin" and preserve order
with the privilege of calling on who
should amuse the audience" In the
further corner of the stage. from where
/ sat, was a dark viSaged man about
thirty-fve years of age; his hair was
long and black, his eyes were keen.
dark and penetrating, he wore a long
southern gOatee. and would be cOnsid-
cred remarkable man in any cOmpa'
ny but one who by his silence, far-away
look and indifference to what was going
on about him, gave evidence of some
mysterious event in his life over which
he was brOOding; this influenced me in
calling upon our romantic looking com.
panion for the first story.
After some hesitancy and complaint,
on being the first to be called on, he re.
lated the following, which designate
the:
MURDERER's WIFE.
Nellie McNab, was a beautiful, Great
ure, who lived in the interior town of
r Galloway County, Missouri,
just previous to the late war, She was
native of the place, young, innocent,
and with but little worldly experience,
she felt none of the tremorof theexcite-
ment that agitated that section of the