The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1894-04-12

W nen we reached the bottom OF tn
grade. which was at this point wide
tnan common, the driver, with con
summate skill, swung the stage on
as far as possible, made sweepin,
turn and started on the up grad
again in safety. Such GOODNESS. brav
cry and skill as this have made tn,
time drivers famous
Perhaps the most celebrated driver
though by no means the most skillfu
or possessing the highest persona
qualities, was Hank Monk, who wa
on the route between Carson City anC
Piacerville for many years. Who
| does not remember Artemus Ward.
| humorous account Of how Hank drov,
| Horace Greeley over the mountain:
and got him to Placerville in time t.
deliver his lecture? Going up the
steep grades was slow work, anC
Greeley, who was accompanied by
Sam Bowles Of the Springfield Re
publican, and Gov. Bross of Illinois
constantly complained about loss o
time. Hank gave him no satisfaction
except to say, Il has my orders" AT
| ter the summit was reached Hanl
lashed his horses into gallop, anC
the stage plunged down the grade:
with a speed that was terrifying t(
the tenderfeet within, and not entire
ly free from danger even with So
skillful driver handling the ribbons
| The passengers bounced about the in
terror like rubber Dalls, every moment
expecting the vehicle to plunge of
the grade into the canyon below. II
vain they protested. Hanks invari
able answer was: '.Ihas my orders
git him there at sewing; keep yer seat
Horace. Gelang," and away the stag,
went faster than ever. Horace was
there at seven, but not in either ply
sical or mental condition to deliver ar
edifying discourse. The last time
saw Hank Monk was in the summer
Of 1880, when he drove Presiden
Hayes and Gen. Sherman from Car
son City to Lake Tahoe. For two
days he was kept locked IN room tC
insure his being sufficiently sober tC
drive the distinguished guests ovel
the route he had made famous more
than twenty years before by his tril
with Greeley Whether he has beer
sober since, if indeed he still lives, ]
seriously doubt.
The danger from accidents ant
runaways, the long, cold nights, the
rides in pelting rain and the fights
with drifting snow, the constant strair
To 10 C-.hn1,,1n l1, -,
on nights SO dark that everything ha:
to be left to the keen sight and intel
| lgence Of the horses, the complaint;
OF travellers and the necessity of look
| ing after the comfort of women anC
children improperly clad for the jour
ney, are not the only things that re
quire skill, coolness, pluck and faith
fulness of the stage driver. The high
wayman, with his Winchester, shot
gun or revolver, keeps him in constant
peril Of his life. He knows that the
! professional stage robber is not going
to shoot the stage driver needlessl y
| but amateurs are continually going
into the business, and trembling ting
ers often pull trigger when it is no
intended. Drivers have been foully
murdered by shots from ambush
others have been killed by accident o.
in encounters with robbers, while still
others have bravely lashed then
horses into a run and escaped witt
the treasurer in their care at the ex.
pense of wound from a shower O
bullets poured after them No ex
perienced robber will stop a stage il
| such position that escape is possible
He always selects an up grade. gen
orally the fiat near the head of the
grade, and thus has the stage at /;
disadvantage. Even then the driver.
| coolnes5 and nerve sometimes save
| the treasure. One has been known t(
sit quietly on bag of gold dust, ex
changing jocular badinage with tht
robbers. while the latter have search
ed the stage inside and out. The
great sufferers by stage robberies ar,
the express companies and banks
who are forwarding gold dust ant
coin. As a rule passengers and th'
mail are not molested The treasur
box is the object Of the attack, ye
often the mail is taken with the box
and sometimes passengers themselve
are despoiled of money, watches anC
jewelry. When this is done they ar
generally made to climb down from
the stage and stand in line, under tn,
persuasion of rifle, while one of tn
robbers goes down the line and help
himself to what he can find A fey
years ago banker going from Moore
Flat to Nevada City with a hand ba!
full of gold dust lost his life in thi
way by the pusillanimity of his felloy
passengers. He was the last to ge
off the stage to form in line, and whel
one of the two robbers undertook t,
take his grip he resisted, and the tw,
fell to the ground struggling. Th
second robber then turned his atten
| ton from the line and walked aroun
the fighters upon the ground until h
saw a good opening and then shot tn
banker dead. During this time an
one of the men IN the line could hav
grabbed the man with the gun an,
thus captured both robbers and save
the rash bankers life, but they wer
afraid to stir.
Ben Holladay, now gone from mur
dane scenes and his grandchildre
; robbed of his estate by legal an
illegal cormorants, used to tell of a
encounter with gentlemen of the roa
one time while going overland on h
own great stage line through Nevad
: With his hands above his head an
his eyes looking into the dual muzzl
of shotgun, whose hammers wei
/ cooked. and whose triggers were fins
= cred carelessly by a villainously vi
' aged man in red shirt. his nose b,
l gan to itch, and in spite of all IL
muscular contortion he could stan
: it no longer To lower his hand
! scratch the irritating organ woul
/ have been death, so he explained Il
5 situation with the forceful eloouent
! For x,rbyah hn u-oS yn&ol pnl