The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-08-14
A TERRIBLE TRIP.
Rounding q Dangerous Turn In the
Good Old Coaching Days.
an Experience Which Mado m Old Stage
Driver Say His Praycrs-A Mad
mans Wild and Eurl-
Gus Drive.

Onc OF the most famous and most largely
patronizcd stage routes of three decades
ago was that which ran from Ports
mouth, n. H., to Concord, says the New
York World. In the suburbs Of the lat
ter city there now resides an old man
who was once IL famous driver over tho
line. His name is Reuben IIcmiup, but
in the good old days he was known far
and wide rs Reckless Rube. He was q
daring and dashing master of the rib
bons," and had the reputation of always
bringing his coach through on time.
"Ya-a-s," said old RUDE, 81 hcv took
many ride over tn ole turnpike, an I
alters managed to git there on time,
somehow. Once skipped the last re-
lay an got into Kunls'rd purity nigh n
hour aforo l was due. How's that?
We'll, you see, only he'd two passen-
gers that day-a man an his woman.
The man was the drollest cuss We ever
see, an he wanted ter ride on tn box,
My assistant was laid Off fur day to
tend II fun'ral, an so thar was room.
Well, that air fellow tolc me that he
was 4 driver hissclf-that he'd dirty from
Virginia City, In Ncvader, ter Sacre-
mento, and wanted Inc ter give him tho
ribbons. Wc war bout four mile from
tn last relay afore gitten' ter Kunk'rd,
when let him hcv 'em, an tho
way he swung that whip was O
caution. The. hosscs jest plunged like
mad, an we went down the side O tho
mounting's though old Nick war chas-
in of us The coach rocked an swayed
an pitched, SO that, reckless us was
in them days, I was afcnI7d that she'd
keel over an spill us all into the ra-
vine. l reached aout an tried to grab
the lines, but gorrnmighty, t want no
use. That Teller jest chuclzed them
lines clean outcn his hans down across
the hosscs' backs, an he KEEP swing
in that air CAD till the hull six war a
runnin' dead away. was mad. there
ant no usc'n talkin', an grabbed the
Teller by tho throat m we'll, don't
know how 1t happened, but afore I
c'ud ha' said Jack Robinson I was on
my back and the cuss WAS holdin' me
with one hand m fingin' tho lash
with t'other. 1t was Jest at that minut
that we passed the relay where the
fresh hosses was all stnn'in' In the road
ready fur me. Cos we only stopped
there long enough ter change. But gor.
ramighty, mani we went by 'em SO
swiftlike that you c'udn't tole
boss from q mule The coach
was a-rollin' like row-boat In
hurrylsano, m tho woman tn
side sucked her head outen the
windy an yelled like q Commancher
Injun. Bout half O mild ahead was
n steep pitch, with q sharp turn
at the bottom, an deep gully dead
oh
l calllerlntcd that we wouldn't make
tho turn, but keep right on to the bot
tom O. the gully 'mong the rock an
stuns. thought over my Now lay
me- an one OF two others that c'udnt
remembers we'll, when all on q sub
dint we struck the pitch. Gorramightyi
it was awful' we jest slid down samc's
though the bottom'd dropped out O. the
road. When we reached the turn the
hosses made it oil right an then the
Ole coach swung nroun' tcw. Well, sir,
that air coach jest run on the two nigh
wheels fur morc'n forty rod, on leaned
way over jist cs fur's t c'ud 'thout goin'
clean over. a quarterly an inch moron
Wei been goners, but bimcby 1t set
tied back onto it's four wheels kinder
slow-like, cos you sec we was ngoln' so
fast that it c'udn't como daown quick.
There amt much more tcw toll, ccpt
that wc run into Kunlsr d the same vav
an the bosses stopped cos they o'u'dn't
so no furdcr. That droll cuss on the
box with mo was foamin' ct tn
mouth, an it TUX four men to hole him
an bout dozen to cart him of. Crazy2
Well, gorranighty, should say 30!
Yes, the bosses got over 1t; the woman
wasn't hurt nor the coach neither.
Have little wee drop O. pepper In yer
cider, sir? Yes, that was tho n
lee6est drive I ever took"