Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1910-10-21
A Runaway wa Stasecoach
BY WALTON WILLIAMS
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.

uVo uhngerb OF ulHerent metnoob OF
travel, had It's advantages. True. O
reckless driver would once In awhile
swing round a sharp curve on a noun
tain side and spill load Of passen-
gers down a precipice few thousand
feet. but such occurrences were rare
| remember one close call I had out In
Colorado half a century ago when !
was youngster that wouldn't like
to 20 through again. II an accident
OF equal Importance should happen to
d railroad train, even on comparatively
level ground, h would be awful.
ION the particular occasion I'm 60
Ing TO tell you about we started from
Georgetown. In the mountains, to go
down to Denver. There's a loop rail.
roud at Georgetown now, but at that
time there was nothing but a turn
pike. A green hand at driving. an
IrIshman. Mike Rourke. from the sta.
bles, had been put on the box. the reg.
ular driver. Dan Patterson. having
been laid OF for illness. Patterson
was inside the coach. going down to
Golden City. where he lived.
at was a 6ne day, and we were re-
galed with many extensive Views OF
the plains at the foot Of the range.
appearing for all the world like nm
ocean. Indeed. biologists say that II
was once an ocean bottom. From the
brow of an eminence where we were
admirlng one Of these views we could
see the road before US winding down
a steep incline and at the bottom ris-
Ing q shorter distance to another sum.
NIT. A few moments after we started
down we noticed that instead OF going
slow. rs was necessary for safety on
such lnclines. we seemed TO start OF
with a qulckening pace and were soon
rolling downward at furious speed.
Patterson thrust his head out OF the
window and drew II in again. white
as q cloth.
"'What Is III we all asked breath
Iessly.
Don't know. but we're oil likely to
Ut uuaueu W pttNes.
Coming from trained stage driver.
this set US all wild. Some OF the
women grasped frantically at the
doors. but two Of US men. one on
each side. knowing that TO jump would
be certain death and remaining inside
might mean life, held the doors shut
But the inside Of that stagecoach was
the widest scene | ever witnessed
women shrieklng and men tsome Of
them trying to reassurc them. while
others were holding on to something
as II in that way they could hold the
coach back.
"But looking outside was worse then
the inside. The few scrub trees there
were beside the road shot by like ar
rows The coach swaycd. and az ev'
cry curve In the road we felt sure II
would upset. and sometimes un upset
meant a spill over the side of preci
pice. We kept hoping that there
would be some slackenlng OF speed
but instead Of slackenIng the pace was
continually growing faster, and the
quicker the pace the more the coach
reeled.
by this time the babel among the
passengers was deafening. Some were
praying, while others were shouting
at us two men who kept u strong grip
at the doors TO let them out. One big
strong man, maddened by terror, ham
mered me numerically to make me
open the door. But l held on with u
death grip. think that having some
thing to do helped me to retain my
own equanimity. II anything more
was needed It was supplied by the
sight of men crazed By fear ready
to do any foolish or selfish act. Pass.
ing a house beside the road, saw a
man standing in the door looking at
the coach with his eyes and mouth
wide open. But saw him only mo-
ment. for he few by like a cannon
ball.
"Then the swaying Of the coach grew
less and the terrible speed at which
we were going seemed 10 De IeSsening.
l put my head out the window and,
looking forward, saw that we were
near the bottom Of the incline and In
few moments would be rolling along
a comparatively straight ascent. Thr
sudden transition from almost certain
death to sure safety produced very
singular effect on me. The blows OF
the big man who had tried to force
me to open the door had produced Mt
effect on me of amy kind. Relieved
from the strain, my first act was tu
stretch my arm and plant my fist
against his eye and knock him sprawl
Ing on the seat behind him. Then
cried:
"'Hurrah. We're safer
"From this moment our pace slacken
ed, but we went far up the hill before
1t was reduced to anything like qule
run. The coach was long while com
Ing to a full stop. seemingly as thougl
It must do so Of Its own weight. Whel
1t did we all tumbled out. The diver
too ouma down from tho hnN nnf