The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-09-17
DRIVERS HEROIC BACKGROUND

| One bold deed OF daring does not always
make q hero Of man. Sometimes. in
| deed, it hides his light under a bushel so
completely that every slimmer Of IL IS
/ lost 10 the world, or II the deed becomes
| conspicuous the principal factor re-
mains unknown. No useless medals dec
| crate his breast. No insignia of honor
| calls attention 70 his achievement. and
a slip from some local paper detailing
| the circumstance is his sole diploma OF
heroship.
| Such man drives a carette on the
| North Side. Bronzed, bearded. seedy, he
has none Of the earmarks of heroic pros
| perity, but II you watch him as you sit
| on the box you Will soon recognize him as
| one who loves his fellow men. He has an
| eye for everything on his route that
! he's an instinct of life, and can separate
| a pair Of fighting sparrows with his whip
| lash and not harm a feather of either
/ cCmbatant. Children are his delight, and
| they all love him without knowing why
| He is a street educator, tawing of lessons
| with that castigating line in way not
| soon forgotten. The man on the box will
| noJice-if he is interested-that his driver
never talks horse. He may slur the much
| berided carette animals, but not word
| il response for or against from the man
| holding the lines, who will mercifully
| flick off flies. and ease the team over
|
! or bad points. The reason for this is
| potent one, and accounts also for the
| crooked spine of the driver, for his broken
and Iacerated hands and for some pecu-
liar ideas he has, such as inpel him to
| descend slowly and Iaboriously from his
perch 10 remove a bit Of flying paper
| from the roadway lest il occasion fright
| to the horses. Wasn't II Charles Lamb
who called the horse the cry-baby Of the
/ kingdom S1lpg
even sheep would run away and dash
out its brains If a bit of white paper flew
up in its face? All of which has bear
ing on this occasion.
This too careful driver takes no risks,
! because Of something that happened to
| him years ago-which has been recorded
in song and story so eloquently as TO draw
tears from eyes that read it-but II poet
or narrator profited by the recital the
| man who inspired it and lay for weary
months in an accident hospital until his
| small savings were consumed never re-
ceived his need Of praise or reward for
service which saved many lives and ru-
ired his own.
Jerry Humphrey a dozen years ago
| drove c0aeh-and-four in Montana from
Butte 10 Deer Lodge, and there are plenty
TO remember him and his dancing. gallop-
ing horses that no one else could handle.
and the famous run he made carrying
| passengers and mall always willing and
obliging and faithful to the smallest de-
tail. And then one morn:ng-but here is
! the story as he told it himself 10 a pas
senger on his carette box. He began by
an apology for the nerves of his horses.
" Taint like as If they were people and
had sense. they're used TO blows without
any reason, kicks and digs that they don't
expect and don't deserve. and that would
cost man his life if he treated another
man that way. The finer the horse the
more nerves he has. l reckon 1 know.
for when I drove stage there wasn't
bit OF hOrsedesh in the territory of Mon
tana that I didn't know. and ! owned
the leaders Of my four-horse team-and
there was no other man could lift the
lines over them. And it was a smart fool
who lost them TO me and gave me this
He touched his shoulder to indicate his
crooked spine. and glanced thoughtfully
at the cicatrized scars on his worn hands.
Tell me about it, said the passenger.
If it does not hurt too much"
1T won't hurt any more for talking
about it, but hurt it must till I'm under
the sod. 1t were like this, stranger. One
morning when the horses were fresh and
the fine September Jay just touching on
August was like summer, l started out
with load of women and children. who
were going part of the way with me for a
ride and a picnic in the fields. and they
were SO full of fun the mothers and chill
dren both, and made so much innocent
noise, that l have thought that might
have had something To do with what
happened later. There wasn't a man
along. and for that I've always been
thankful for they might not then have
taken my orders as they did. Any way.
1 got them all settled and was right glad
to start. for my leaders. Vixen and Tenn
pest, were getting restless, and / saw ii
was all the hostler could do 10 hold tie
pair back. Beauties. and safe and gen
tie as lambs if you treated them right, but
swift as a bird through the sky.
Il spoke OF fool man, but I've never
made UP my mind whether ne wasn't a
villain instead of just plain fool. / was
told long afterward that he envied me
the horses that he had tried to buy. but
couldn't get. Maybe. It's between him
and his God. He was quite a swell. and
l noticed him walking round looking at
the team and now and then giving one Of
the horses a flick with his hand that sent
it dancing. l got mad at last and called
out kind Of sharp, What is your business
here?
You see, knew he wasn't booked for
the trip and l didn't Ike his gait but
just then l got my load settled and
climbed on the box and took UP the lines.
The hostler was holding Tempest by the
bits. and the stranger stood at thA head
o. Vixen. and as l called out Let en-
gO. he struck the mare with a folded
newspaper he carried in his hand-struck
her sharp and hard right across her eyes.
saying as ne did so, Now show your
pace, old girl
Well. she sprung into g mad gallon.
and then into run. and for all I could
do TO stop those four horses 1 might as
well have been left behind, for they
were mad with fright. Vixen mad with
pain from the cruel blow on her eye
balls. and the women and children were
screaming with terror as the stage swung
from one side OF the rocky road to the
other, threatening every minute 10 upset
Then, in moment. il came 10 me what
10 do. We were nearing n field where
shocks Of late hay were piled, anu IL
could guide the horses into that my pas
sengers might be saved. 1t WAS their only
chance. for mile beyond was rude
bridge over a deep ravine. and those
horses would never make it without dash
ing Us all 10 death. / tell you I prayed
and God put strength in my arms and
helped me make my voice as loud and
clear as trumpet. as I swerved the
coach into the field and cried 70 the wo-
men and children. Jump jump FOR your
lives I've always found women cooler
headed in times Of danger than men. and
more amenabIe "a oraers- They jumped
dragging the children with them. and not
one was injured ] thanked Gci when
saw the tots thrown hitler and yon over
the hay. but those mad horses never stop
Ped. ! heard the women scream. jump
Jump yourself Jerry but I knew ms
pace and stayed with the team. and went
over with them. and tfeT found ne lu-
dor fnra only ffr-f~r~ srfrzr