Amador ledger., 1908-03-06
FROM OUR
CORRESPONDENTS
Stage Coaching
In Early Days

eccentricities and its fashions.
The native sons and daughters who
90 to a modern railroad coach to take
a journey will doubtless look back
with pretty glance at the mode of
travel of the early pioneers, for
theirs was the ungainly river steam
ers, and the great stage coach that
took them over the country as the
tightening express now takes you.
The stage Of today is not the stage
that carried the adventurous miner
on his journey to and from the mines.
for most of them we're six and eight
horse coaches with capacity of
carrying twenty we or thirty passeng-
ers.
| have seen eight coaches literally
alive with passengeIs-all that could
get inside and ten or twelve on top.
The top of the stages we're level, and
an iron railing about six inches high
extended all around on top like the
gun whale on steamer. The
passengers sat with their legs hanging
down over the iron railing taking a
hand hold upon the iron to keep
themselves from being thrown from
the coach in its terrific surges,
especially when running in opposition
to another contending line.
In 1864 L was in Nevada county and
stopping during the early spring at
the Forest House, a stage station for
line controlled and operated by a
typical southerner by the name of Nc
Clure, if L remember rightly. The
opposition line was operated by that
we'll known stage man long since dead
Ben Halliday. 1t was in the midst
of the great civil war, and their was
great gulf between those that leaned
to the South and those that we're for
the North. 10 those who knew him
sympathizer. But his business con-
trolled his tongue. He was asked one
time what his politics we're and that
too before 80 or AZ people.
my politicsY" he said. IL like
quail on toast at breakfast, a little
ale with salad on roast at noon, and
at night why little gingersnap, with
l don't care d. what as long as
it keeps me from having the night
mare.' Some smiled, others looked
at the man in wonderment. while ne
himself said with that air of triumph,
''What the deuce is it your business;
1 know mine. ="
A man to drive one of those stages
at that time had to be the very best Of
reinsman. The stage line run through
Grass Valley, Nevada City, over the
Henner's pass on to Carson, Genoa,
Virginia City and other minor points
Many times you would see the two
stage coaches of the opposition slines
come laundering duwn the road like
one monster chasing another.
A half mile of a stretch of level road
from hIllock to the Forest House
was as level asJthe Sacramento valley.
More than once I've seen the two
stage lines one behind the other only
a couple of hundred yards, Ecome over
the hill and come on a dead run down
the level stretch before them. Judge
Davis little boy, child of 5 or q
years old would see them coming. He
road, lay a large white marble down
and then would run to get out of the
way of the stage. The driver would
see the boys action and leaning out
ward he could see the marble, be
would rein his horses now in a dead
run in order to run over the marble
and it was fact that he would bury
the marble with his front wheel
oftener than he missed it. The stage
would go laundering past, and the
boy would run out dig the marble
from the dirt and take a satisfied look
at the stage as it rapidly disappeared
down the road.
Ben Halliday was identified with
nearly all the stage lines of any pro-
minence in the state. lie was
practical business man, and withal
was thoroughly up to the business.
lie enjoyed joke and was himself
inclined to be waggish. l heard a
good story of his humor He wanted
to go to a certain place and his driv-
ing team which he generally used on
a buggy was completely worn ont by
hard driving. lie accordingly went
to an old rancher and hired him to
take him TO a certain place that he
had business in. The old man hitch