Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1892-10-07
TWO FAMOUS JEHIJS.
,,.oaA STAGE DRIVERS WHO HAD
MANY pEcULIARITlEs.

I sE,oe,,,ps sof 1Aifrsds and Cherokee
,r rho noted whips Of tho Yosemite
-.,,.v- Alfred Had Many Friends
.ny We'll Known People.
One of the best known Of all Sierra whips
- Alfred, who for number Of years up
w" ~ time of his death drove stage daily
-, W-awona and Yosemite valley.
u ,ras y dark mulatto and likely
~ and although much petted never
-. ton heavy or spoiled Probably no
81 living or dead, has ever driven 80
n" il,ustrious people. Grant, Garfield,
nans ss blaine. Schurz, Sherman, Senator
i,a.s Of Alabama, and hundreds Of
Mo- l,'ar senator's and congressman, governors
os s,any of the states; Bull Run Russell.
u .n NE Alfred Townsend, Charlie Nord-
.sg Tohn Russell Young and scores Of
n .hnr eminent Journalists; Albert Bier
o.ns Thomas Moran, Tom Hill and other
80" artists; Mrs. Langtry, Lady Frank
,tn The Princess Louise and many hun
i,n, of other persons Of consequence have
In taken into the great Yosemite by Al
~ He never had an accident; always
.',ade time. either way, to minute; knew
liz. neak and tree and rock and canyon
- clearing and hut and streamlet by the
-nvs;de He was of medium stature,
,re;obing 1855 pounds; he dressed neatly and
we tbe whitest and handsomest gaunt-
,sts Of any driver in the Sierra.
10 seemed to be OF melancholy nature,
~ like a man who had experienced some
S;stnrbapce of heart or peace Of mind. He
seldom had much to say unless spoken to,
mas temperate or did not drink at all, and
onlv smoked the best OF cigars. How many
ueonle there are in the United States who
hove presented Alfred with fine gloves,
aauntets and cigars can never be known.
Ia would drive the entire distance from
Wawona to Inspiration Point sometimes
,y;thout uttering a word or relaxing fea-
tnre But if he had jolly crowd behind
him he would watch his team carefully,
bnt listen radantly to the jokes and stories
and conundrums and conversation ct those
in his charge.
The last time saw Alfred was Yose-
mite commissioner, and went over the
mountains with him alone. He had on a
new pair of gauntlets sent him by Senator
Morgan. of Alabama, and used a fine whip
presented him by Mrs. Langtry. He said
To me that he had never permitted but one
man to take the reins from him in his life,
and that was President Grant. '.','' a gen
.fal drove nearly all the way to Inspira-
tion Point" said Alfred, "and lighted at
least four cigars. He took in everything
along the road, and made all the turns as
perfecty as an old driver. had fine
crowd that day-the general and Mrs.
Grant and Ulysses, Jr.; Mr.. Young, who
has since been minister to China; and there
were Miss Jennie Flood, the only daughter
of the wealthy bonanza man; Miss Dora
Miller, the only daughter Of Senator Mil
Ter. who is now the wife of an officer in the
navy. and Miss Flora Sharon, one of the
daughters of Senator Sharon, who after.
ward married Sir Thomas Hesketh, of
England Miss Sharon was the prettiest
girl ever carried into the valley and Mrs.
I,angtry the most beautiful and most
agreeable woman. received nice presents
from all the members of the Grant party.
The general himself gave me silver
mounted cigar case containing eight cigars,
and the girls sent me gloves and candy"
Aug II, 1878, rode over one of the sum-
mits of the Sierra from Quincy, Plumas
county, to Oreville, Butte county, upon
the seat with Cherokee Bill This driver
was not an Indian, but regular Buckeye
from the western reserve. But, all the
same, he was called Cherokee Bill. He
was stout, clumsily put together crea-
ture, with stub beard, and drove four
horse mud wagon. He was rather more
morose looking and slovenly in his dress
than most Sierra drivers, being clad in
overalls and wooden shirt, but wearing
good gloves and the regulation hat. | was
the only passenger except an old clergy
man, who occupied the middle seat ON the
inside. We left Quincy at in the morn
ing with not cloud in the sky. At II
the entire heavens were overcast, it began
to sprinkle and distant mutterings OF
thunder could be heard
At II o'clock when within thousand
feet of the summit, we encountered the full
violence of the storm | had never seer
lightning, thunder and rain to excel it.
The rain descended, not in torrents, but in
shafts; the lightnings flashed almost in
cessantly all around, and the thunders as
sumed one awful continuous roar, with
now and then crash that resembled the
fall of hundred or more noble taxodium.
of the forrest. | said to Bill, although
was already completely drenched, II CUES.
I'll crawl inside" mo" he replied, "you
don't want to get in with that thing inside
He refused to bury my poor boy few
months ago because he hadn't been bap
tzed, | wish one of these pines would
strike him dead. He's one of those ole
buffers who believes, or pretends that h,
believes, that lots of our babies come init
the world TO be damned, and claims thai
It Is wicked to bury fellow being if hi
hasn't been baptized. I'd like to run hin
Oft into the canyon"
We reached the summit at 10 O'Clock
and here sight presented itself such a
had never seen before and have neve
witnessed since. The storm had spent it
sell upon the summit, and had been sweep
into the stupendous chasms surrounding
with all of its celestial pyrotechnics ant
deafenlng artillery; and from sunny ele
Vatlon 1000 feet in the air we could beholt
the jubilee of elements below. ! saw
Hooker's fight in and above the clouds OIL
Lookout mountain, at the commencement
ol the Atlanta campaign, and | was re
minded OF that memorable episode by tn
sight before me, except that, with the ey
ceptlon OF the din of small arms, the roa
eI heavens artillery in the Sierra tina
i'th Gay " August was like that of 1000
battles in the clouds.
Bill rened up SO that could stand an,
get good view, at which the inside pas
sehger stuck his head out of the windoy
anu an, asked: What is the matter, driver
what are you stopping here forS" Bill
was leroelous and replied, I'm listenin
70 the salute the Almighty is firing owe
my poor boys grave" The preacher sal
10 more, and told Bill to drive on, whic
ne ald but quietly said to me: do yo
link that preacher would ask for my Gel