The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1892-07-09
FAMOUS SIERRA JEHUS.
REcoLLEcTIoNs OF ALFRED
AND CHEROKEE BILL.
Two Stage Drivers Who Had Their Line
OF Work Down Pat-Onc Was
Dandy and tho Other Very
Much the Opposite.

Wnlps was AlIred VINO Tor numDei
Of years up to the time OF his death
drove stage daily between Wawont
and Yosemite Valley. Alfred was Q
dark mulatto and likely fellow and,
although much petted. never got top.
heavy or spoiled. Probably no man.
living or dead. has ever driven SO
many illustrious people. Grant Gar
field. Hayes. Blaine Schurz, Sherman.
Senator Morgan OF Alabama and hun.
dreds OF other senators and congress
men, governors OF many OF the states
Bull Run Russell. George Alfred
Townsend Charlie Nordhof, John
Russell Young and scores OF other
prominent Journalistic Albert Bier
stadt Thomas Moran. Tom Hill and
other famous artists Mrs. Langtry.
Lady Franklin. TIE Princess Louise
and many hundreds OF other persons
of consequence have been taken into
the great Yosemite by Alfred.
He never had an accident; always
made time either way. to minute;
knew every peak and tree and rock
and canyon and clearing and hut and
streamlet by the wayside. He was
of medium stature weighing 165
pounds; he dressed neatly and wore
the whitest and handsomest gauntlets
of any driver in the Sierra He
seemed to be of a melancholy nature
or like man who had experienced
some disturbance OF heart or peace of
mind. He seldom had much to say
unless spoken to; was temperate or
did not drink at all and only smoked
the best cigars. How many people
there are in the United States who
have presented Alfred with fine gloves
gauntlets and cigars can never be
! known. He would drive the entire
distance from Wawona to Inspiration
Point sometimes without uttering a
word or relaxing feature.
But II he had jolly crowd behind
him he would watch his team care
fully. but listen to the jokes and
stories and conundrums and converse
ton OF those in his charge. The last
time l saw Alfred was Yosemite
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
The general drove nearly all the
way to Inspiration Point" said AL
fred. land lighted at least four CT
CARS He took IN everything along
the road. and made all the turns as
perfectly as IN old driver I 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, who was Tilted
by young Grant; Miss Dora Miller
who is now the wife of an officer Of
the navy. and Miss Flora Sharon. one
of the daughters OF Senator Sharon
who afterward married Sir Thomas
Hesketh. of England. Miss Sharon
was the prettiest girl l ever carried
into the valley and Mrs. Langtry 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 contain
ing eight cigars. and the girls sent
me gloves and candy"
August II. 1873 / rode over one OF
the SUBMITS OF the Sierra from Quin-
cy Plumas county, to Oreville Butte
county, upon the seat with Cherokee
Bill" This driver was not an Indian.
but regular Buckeye from the West
ern Reserve But all the same he
was called Cherokee Bill" He was
a stout clumsily put together creature.
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 l was the only
passenger except an old clergyman.
who occupied the middle seat on tho
inside. We left Quincy at 6 in the
morning with not cloud in the sky.
At 10 the entire heavens were over
cast 1t began to sprinkle, and distant
mutterings OF thunder could be heard.
At IL o'clock, when within /, 600
feet OF the summit we encountered
the full violence OF the storm. I
had never seen lightning. thunder and
rain to excel It The rain descended,
not in torrents but in shafts; the lightn-
lngs flashed almost necessarily all
around. and the thunders assumed
one awful continuous roar. with now
and then crash which resembled the
falling OF 100 or more OF the most
noble taxodiums OF the forest 1
said to Bill although was already
completely drenched. Il guess I'll
crawl inside" Nor he replied;
syou 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 baptized. wish one
Of these pines would strike him dead.
He's one OF those old buffers who be-
lieves or pretends that he believes
that lots OF our babies come into the
world to be damned. and claims that
Il is wicked TO bury fellow being IL
he hasn't been baptized. I'd like to
rim him into the canvOnv