The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-07-14
QUEEN WIGS wCOACHMAN.
A Man Who Has Driven All the
Crowned Heads in Europe.

in the London papers stating that
George Payne, Her Majesty's state
coachman, had retired from his
position, and that the box of the
royal state carriage would be filled by
another. A representative of the
Pal Mall Gazette who called at the
l oval news found that Mr.. Payne had
already departed, and that the news
knew him no more. Presently, how
ever, the old gentleman was dis
covered to have taken up a temper
airy abode in a green and pleasant
country nook by the riverside. 1t is
owe fifty years since Mr.. Payne, then
a lad of thirteen, was first employed
in the royal stables at Windsor.
$50 you have at last given up the
reins of Office, MI. Payne?n asked our
representative as the old man, after
putting his stout stick in the corner,
sat down for a chat.
''Yes, it was time. Fifty-two years
is a long spell, and l thought it wiser
to resign before any accident might
happen which would spoil my record.
When q man is getting on to seventy
years the hands become a little shaky
and the eyes rather dim; SO | gave it
up in time"
"Then do you mean to say that in
all your long career you haven't had
a single accident when the great of the
world put themselves under your pro-
tection2n
Not a single mishap," Mr.. Payne
replied, with pardonable self-satisfac-
tion, Though sometimes it was not an
easy matter to steer the carriage
through the crowd. 1t was always
worse when the distance between
Buckingham Palace and the place to
which we drove was short and when
the crowd was concentrated in a few
streets
What was the greatest crowd
through which you ever drove the
Queen? The jubilee. | suppose?"
No, no, no! Not the jubilee, by
any means" was the reply, given very
slowly and thoughtfully, while. with
eyes fixed steadily on the ground, the
old state coachman evidently saw the
his mental eyes. 'sThe Jubilee crowd
was comparatively small because it
was dispersed along the whole route
from the palace, up to Constitution
Hill, along Piccadilly, and on to
the Abbey. 1t was child's play to
drive through it compared to making
ones way through some crowds 1
have seen. The worst, | think, was
when the Princess of Wales first
came to England. / was on the royal
box, because that was before | was
appointed Her Majesty's state coach
man, though L have driven the Prin-
cess and the Prince, too, times without
number on later occasions. But 1
had a good deal to do with the super
vision of the procession, and l
saw the like of that crowd. At the
Mansion House and the bank it was
something terrible; the Volunteers
who were stationed there were
bodily lifted up, guns and all, right
above the crowd, and our mounted
officer and his horse got under the
carriage of the Princess, which for a
moment was i'll great danger Of being
upset. When the Queen opens Par
lament in state the crowd is always
bad, because she goes by the nearest
way from the palace to Westminster,
and it is no joke to drive the eight
cream-colored ponies even when
there is no crowd to make them ner-
vous.n
Now tell me the secret of the mys-
terious eight ponies, Mr.. Payne. Are
they, as is popularity believed, Dr. are
they moi a team which, when it is
not harnessed to the great state coach,
lives under the rule of the COVER
norship Of a certain renowned circus
owner?n
"Circus ponies? Well, I'm a circus
pony myself if they are. There isn't
a word of truth in it. They are kept
at the royal news, in Buckingham
Palace road, and their chief business
is to stand and eat their heads off.
We exercise them every day, but they
do not work except on the rare oc-
casions when Her Majesty uses them.
Circus ponies indeed! Why. they are
bred down at Hampton Court, and
are brought up as they are required,
the old ones being killed off. We
have two coming up-at least | should
say they have two coming up, for |
won't be there to see them-this very
autumn, when the two oldest will be
killed."
"At what age do you bring them up
to town.
when they're about three. Yes,
as early as that. They are nasty,
stubborn brutes, and, if we don't take
them in hand while they are quite
young and can still be trained, they
give no end of trouble, and, indeed,
a hardly be broken in at all.n
1.-THE horses for Her Majesty's gen.
eral use are, | suppose, always very
| quiet, steady geing animals?'
Yes, they are carefully selected
and thoroughly quiet animals that
can be relied on. Not that the Queen
is particularly nervous, but when peo-
pie are getting old and a little weak
they don't care to run risks, and Her
| Majesty is not as strong as she used to
| be- She walks on a stick, you know
ibid you drive on state occasions
only?'
'sOh, dear, no; / drove Her Majesty
in private as we'll; not in my state
uniform, but in a simple livery-black
hat, coat, waistcoat and trousers"
why didn't you have photograph
of yourself taken in your grand ap-
parel?n
mo. / don't believe in being photo
graphed, but a gentleman from Kens-
ington has painted me life size, in the
state livery. The picture was nearly
finished when he got tired of it; only
the part from below the knees TO the
/ ground was left unfinished, aud when
[ gave UP nv home at the news 1