Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1931-10-30
; STAGE COACH
/ TALES
BY E. C. TAYL OR
Henry Clay Rides to a Fall

Henry Clay Rides to a ran
HENRY CLAY, tho idol of the
L West" to whose efforts in con-
gress more than those Of any other
man in American public life the build
ing of the great National road was
due, rode to q fall on the road he
had fathered.
Clay often Travelled over the great
highway, as he made frequent trips
from the nations capital to his home
in Kentucky each year, and was
known and liked by every stage coach
driver along the route.
One day the brilliant political leader
was travelling back home to Kentucky.
The streets of UniontOwn, Pa. in
those days were not the paved thor
oughfares Of today. They were mud
dy morasses In wet weather, and rocky
roads In dry.
The coach in which Clay was riding
struck large boulder of limestone as
1t was leaving Uniontown, and over
turned, throwing Clay into the street.
He was picked up unhurt and after
viewing the smashup, remarked:
"This Is mixing the Clay of Ken
lucky with the limestone of Pennsyl-
vania." AAt
Sam Sibley, the driver, received a
broken nose, and the party returned
to the McClelland house, which it had
Just left, until a new coach and driver
were procured.
The "Pike Boys" as the lordly driv-
ers on the National road were called,
were all friends of Clay, although they
did not all agree with him politically
One driver was accused Of deliberately
riding down a pro-Clay procession
during the Clay-POlk Presidential con-
test.
The "Pike Boys" were the aristoc-
racy of the day. Lads all over the
nation looked upon them as the boys
of today look up to Lindbergh and
other heroes Of the air. 1t was every
boys ambition to be the driver of mall
and fast passenger coaches. There
probably were more street corner ar
guments along the great highway in
those days over the style Of various
heroes driving and their prowess as
lords of the road than there were
over politics. AsasAias
The drivers were as noted for their
quick wit and large acquaintance with
men of affairs as for their dextrous
handling of two hands full Of reins.
Their social and business position
was the envy of all boyhood, and 1t
was the ambition of the nations
youths to emulate them. They were
worshiped as heroes.
Among the best known drivers Of
the day nearly all Of whom Clay knew
by their nicknames, were John Blunt
ing, Jim Reynolds, Billy Armor. Red"
Bunting nearly seven feet tall, was
the best known in the East. David
Gordon and James Bun were the out
standing heroes of the western Sec
ton of the stage lines.
These drivers were proud Of their
horses, and took the best Of care Of
them. The passage Of President was
triunphal procession along the Ma
tional road. The best drivers and the
best horses were assigned to them.
The coaches were elaborate affairs,
many of them costing several thou
sand dollars. They were gaily paint
ell highly polished, and lined with silk
upholstery. They had arm rests, and
comfortable seats. Ha
The earliest coaches on the National
road were the Troy coaches. They
were built at Cumberland, Nd, and
carried 16 passengers. These were
followed by the more elaborate Con-
cord coaches, that were used univer-
sally by the stage lines all over the
United States.
Relays of horses were waiting for
the coaches every ten or twelve miles,
and these were changed while the
coaches were still rocking after COM
ing to an abrupt halt. Speed was the
watchword, and not a minute was lost
on a trip. The drivers prided them
selves on maintaining their schedule
In all kinds of weather.
Those who lived along the National
road when they were children still
eagerly recall the thrilling sight of a
train of coaches, sometimes as many
as IA in a single line, rushing into a
relay station, with the drivers blow
ing their horns, quickly changing
horses, and speeding off again. 1t was
romance to them.
ia 1871 Western Newspaper UnionN