The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-10-02
GEORGIA'S OLDEST DRIVER,
IRA JENNINGS STILL CARRYING TRR
MAILS At IS.


Bogan DRIVING = stage In New York State
in 1881 and for sixty-two Years Has BSen
Travelling Over the Same R~oute-Distin.
Huished Men He Has Had ne Passenger,
DUBLIN. Ga. Sept. 9o.-The oldest stage
driver and star route mail carrier Ia: said to be
Uncle Ira Jennings, who lives In Bibb county.
He was born on July 10. 1916. at Dandy.
Tompkins county. New York, on the Ithaca and
0weRo turnpike. He is now In his eighty-third
year. and travels every week $50 miles on his
mall route.
His mother was the first white chiid born
In owego. Tioga county. He began stare
driving In 1881. when he drove a four-in-hand
coach from 0wego to Ithaca. n distance Of
twenty-nine miles. He carried passengers
and the United States mails. In about a year
the stage line was discontinued for a wooden
railway. The body Of Uncle Ira's stage was
taken OF and put on wheels adapted to the
wooden railroad. and he was the frst man to
drive on this line. During his career as stage
drivershe had several distinguished personages
as passengers. Among them we're John A.
Dix. William L.. Marcy. William H. Seward.
William H. Harrison. James X. Polk. Hamilton
Fish. Willard Fillmore, Amos Kendall and
Nick Biddle. Cashier OF the United States
Bank.
"TwoNof the most prominent passengers I
ever drove. said he recently to THE U cor
respondent. were Martin Van Buren, and
Andrew jackson. Chance threw them to-
Gether on this occasion. During the tedious
journey they were very jovial. and whiled
away the monotony OF the trip by cracking
jokes and spinning anecdotes. When their
destination was reached jackson. who then
occupied the Presidential chair and was max
ing another campaign tour. kindly handed me
q dollar and thanked me heartily for the safe
ride. I remember Just at that period there
Una n hiffar NOnlroyarev hafxuaau tho Maaopa
and the anti-Masons. The former supported
Jackson. and 1 exerted all the influence I
could. An an ti-Mason was Postmaster at
Dandy. and I recollect distinctly what jackson
said about him on that occasion. All that arc
not for me are against me. and they must be
hulled out. he said. and. true to his words. he
ousted the Postmaster. who was succeeded by
my uncle. Hudson Jennings.
John O. Calhoun Of South Carolina was the
most scholarly gentleman l ever drove.
Henry Clay and Daniel Webster were fro
Quently my passengers. 1t was always neces-
slow rate of speed to please them. They were
ocular on the trip, and l usually received
At the age Of 10 Uncle Ira worked on the
Taeet Eon Ia as ~ F. 19sS ax Z pa A purse u Sc Of $1,000
had trained the horse with a fleet-footed grey
qualities Of q horse In Virginia Correl de-
horse and %nd the g gre bound to the yiITGIniS
another fast animal. ,Correl told Uncle Ira
that the, speed Of the Virginia horse must be
dashed tGsfa Ti on 'q Gne eH14 Ira u mhsR Tas ' sTe h SreS.
hound. The dog raced down the track with
the horses USses a. and tt came out at the finish Li twenty
sStisSea that his horse could defeat the 4IE
ing $4,000. Upcie Ira rode the GorreHT horse.
In 1888 he drove a mail coach betwsen Rich
mond and Petersburg, Va; About this time
line In s'ifs TomP W Was msfe 70 to eSY SeWTS or ee enprtaSs s
messengers to travel on horseback at the rate
Of ten miles an hour. Uncle Ira was employed
returned to chersw. s. G. He established fhS
ever entered the city. On one occasion, he
e seRssi 9i % dml distance sno Of PISS 956 a miies IN one @ssf dSy:
s'e9g n iessv Rn1y the iS S s1p4ess H BUSINESS he returned
sEh,t%sr'Sh g.. Wiz si2t7 1aSDs'a 9eal hin ss g he sOP Bsrt e
sstt atesElms 2 s fraS Macon faa f &c Kno9yii tee in V GrsSi
ford county. and he Is still performing the
The most thrilling adventure he. ever. had
fiSofVfE to the he' Flint r Riv ssS His hs'E passen nFe1
were a merchant Of New Orleans, two gam
blers and a small boy: Rain had been falling
which Uncle Ira had 70 cross, on q fatboat. re-
passengers that the crossing would be din;
the food subsidized, They did not want to
wait, SO he undertook the trip. When the fiat
reached the middle of the, river the current
SscTied i do o. 4b stream eaRob s eIimgt the ID danger 9Ss the the
for safety. The latboat passed under the
limb of a tree and all were swept into the
seize the boy. but the next moment the waves
separated them. Fortunately, the boy got en-
tangled in some brush near the bank and was
Of this party was drowned. The horses swan
to the shore after having their, harness cut
loose, Uncle, Ira landed on an island. Though
he climbed to the top of a small tree and tied
his white shirt from a long projecting limb,
as a signal of distress. 1t was observed and
In the coach. at the time Of the accident was
q leather pouch containing $1,000 in bills adj
dressed to a New Orleans firm. and also sew
offered for the recovery OF the pouch. After
the waters had receded n general. hunt was IN
stituted. but with no result. Six months
swamp by a man named Carr. who, received
the 500 reward. The addresses on the letters
were illegible, but the bills OF money were sui
sued by a bank in, Washington City. The
money was redeemed by the bank.
The coach dritted into a pond on a planta-
came eaHn; aS ealt tfss5 the pears W afte aIlsa up a ' nsa re.
ploughing in this new;made field. ran his
plough against some hard substance. %lnyesti-
On Dec. 8. 1888, Uncle Ira married Mss
had a married life OF ffty-two years. He, has
thirty grandchildren alive and nine dead.