Evening star., 1903-08-03
James Connelly's Reminis-
cences of His Early Life.
ACROSS LONG BRIDGE
BRINGING MAILS AND PASSEN-
GERS FROM RICHMOND.
Armed Guards Stationed on the We
hicles to Protect Those Inside
Interesting Recollections.

Mr. James Connolly. now resident OF
Chicago, but who in his youthful days and
earlier manhood WAS A we'll known citizen
OF Washington. and who is now visiting his
former home. while entertaining few
friends recently with brief recitals of va
rlous events that happened In his day spoke
OF the period when mail and passengers
from the north departing for the south
were carried from the old Baltimore depot
on the avenue near LIST street IN stage
coaches There were two lines OF stages In
those days. one conducted 10y Hugh Latham
and the other by William WhaIey. and"
said Mr.. Connolly. "gr at was the compe-
ttion. I was for a while in the harness. AS
a driver. mind yea driver for the Latham
line. and drove one of their coaches from
here to Alexandria. 1t WAS a service that
WAS hard on man and beast. as the stage
had to make the route within a certain
time Neither horses nor mules for both
furnished the motor power. could stand the
pace required of them. and We're forced
sooner or later to succumb.
Across Long Bridge.
I'm the days when handled the ribbons
the Long bridge over the Potomac and 1t
was mile long. a terror to drivers 1
refer particularly to the winter service. On
q cold dark winter evening with the ther-
neighhorhood Of zero and stifr northwest
wind sweeping into ones face. it was alb
solute torture to have to make the trip
across remember, he said a very dra-
ma tic AS well sad incident that Ia puen-
ed In Alexandria one bitter cold night
when one of the Whaley line of coaches
came dashlng up In front OF the Old Man
sion House In the old Virginia CITY The
vapor from the horses nostrils was abso-
lutely frozen. They turned at the proper
point when they neared the Mansion House
ana backed the vehicle up 10 the curb The
passengers benumbed and half frozen
tumbled out and ran into the old hosiery
as lively as their stiffened limbs would al
low them to. The driver all muftied up in
great coats and blankets did not leave his
seat to open the door as was usually the
case. but remained where he was There
was good reason for It. He was frozen TO
death with the rens in his hands and 4
believe he must have been dead before his
coach had long cleared the Long bridge
The beasts knew the road. though ana
what to do at their journeys ending
The Route From Richmond.
OF course, stage routes at the period re-
ferred to by Mr.. Connolly We're common
and were up to n much later date In some
localities in Maryland and Virginia they
still exist. but rarely for mail PURPOSES
ell-known resident, Mr.. james Stone.
whose father. Mr.. James w. Stone more
than half century gone by kept the run
at Stafford Court House In Virginia has
many "reminiscences of those days Pas
sengers and mails then were carried from
Richmond to White Chimneys in Caroline
county; then to Fredericksburg via Stafford
Court House. which was "A sort of relay
station: then to Alexandria, and then
across the Potomac to take their Journey
northward At one time Extra Billy"
Smith. as many of the present genera ton
VIII recollect. member of Congress from
Virginia was the contractor for this ser
vice. Some of the old drivers wera vcrita.
BILE 1ehus. and could drive their coach AMI
four as well AZ any man. Among the best
known of them We're William King and
George King who were brothers: JOHN
ToombS John Kimberley and William Ia
cas- Their descendants. and they are
many. are scattered all over Virginia ami
everywhere else.
Guards to Protect Passengers.
1t is not known that there were any recu-
lar highway robhertes in those days the
turnpike roads by which the stages trav-
eled. certainly none such kept English
travellers in the vicnities of HounsIow
Heath or Finchley Common In constant
peril during the times of Claude Duval AMI
Dick Turpin. but frequently the stages were
robbed of trunks strapped on in the rear.
In fact. at one time such outrases w"ro
SO frequent that armed guards we're sta
toned. two on d coach. TO protect property
Of the passengers. man named Jack
Mills who cut the straps holding luggage
carried by coach as II VAS dashjng along
the route between Stafford Court House
and Fredericksburg. was 1T ON. time cap
tured and sent to the penit..ntiity at lsirE-
mond for fifteen years.
Both Virginia and Maj y1ani are full Cf
old gentlemen charged up to the muzzie
with stage coach reminisce!r -s belong :S
to these particular vicniu"s. and II -
worth any ones while to tdae day on
and give ear to recital of these memories.