The Coolidge examiner., 1931-09-04
STAGE COACH
TALES
The Idol of Stage Coach
Davs
B Y E. C.. TAY O r
D EDDING BUNTING, RED" t.


D EDDING BUNTING, Red" to
IN everyone, was more widely
known and had more friends than
any other driver on the old Nation
al road. His entire service was the
"Old Line" the National Road
Stage company that did the largest
share of the business along the
famous highway of a century ago.
Red" Bunting was 6 feet 3
inches tall in his stocking feet, and
was straight as an arrow. He was
of a reddish complexion, his fea-
lures prominent and striking, his
voice deep and sonOrOus. But he
was not loquacious, and had a hab-
it of munching. He was endowed
with strong common sense-the
term "horse sense" originated
among the pike boys" of the Ma
tional road and was applied to him
and he was affable, convivial and
companionable.
This idol of boys and men alike
along the National road was born
in Fayette county, Pa. He was not
only a famous driver, but also was
a trusted stage agent, stage prOpri-
etOr and tavern keeper. He once
owned the Central hotel in Union
town, Pa, and probably would have
died a rich man had he not been a
victim of dependency and depres-
sion when the railroads supplanted
the old east-west highway.
During the Presidency of Martin
Van Buren, it was deemed desirable
by the administration leaders in
Washington that one of the Presi-
dents messages be spread speedily
before the people of the country
Arrangements were made with the
Stockton line to carry the message
westward, as the Baltimore 4 Ohio
railroad was not then in operation
west of Frederick, Nd.
Bunting, as agent for the stage
coach line went to Frederick to re-
ceive the message and convey it TO
Wheeling, w. Va. Red" sat beside
the relay of drivers the entire dis
tance, 222 miles, although he did
not handle the reins himself. The
distance was covered in % hours
and 80 minutes.
Changes of teams and drivers
were made at the usual relay sta.
tions. Joseph WoOlley drove the
coach from Pennington to Union
town, making sparks fly as the
coach speeded down the long west
ern slope of Laurel hill. Homer
Westover drove from UniOntown to
Brownsville. Pa, a distance of u
miles, in A minutes.
Mail coaches in those days car
ried only three passengers. There
was spirited bidding for the privi-
lege of riding in the coaches di-
rected by Bunting on this record
ride That was before they start
ed. Two of the passengers lasted
as far as Uniontown, and the third
got out at Brownsville. That speed
in a numbering stage gave them too
much of a shaking up. 1t didn't
disturb Bunting at all.
This ride occurred before the
telegraph wires extended west of
Frederick. The Pittsburgh Gazette
had arranged to get an early copy
of the Presidents message, and had
agreed to pay Robert L. Barry and
Joseph p. McClelland, employees of
the National Road Stage company,
$50 for speedy delivery of the mes
sage at their office in Pittsburgh.
Brownsville was the distributing
point for the United States mail at
the time, and Barry and McClelland
took the mail coach, the Industry"
famous along the route, al Union
town and rode to Brownsville on it,
to obtain the message and convey
it to the Pittsburgh Gazette.
When the mail was opened, there
was no copy of the message for the
Gazette, and Barry and McClelland
returned home disappointed, and the
Gazette had to wait for the next
mail.
In 1916. after the railroad was
completed to Cumberland, Md,
RED" Bunting drove the great mail
coach from Cumberland to Wheel
ing that carried the message of
President Polk officially proclaim
ing war with Mexico. He left Cum
berland at a. m. and reached
Uniontown at a. m. He break
tasted there with the passengers at
his own hotel-he owned the Ma
tional house at the time-and then
started off again. He reached Wash
ington, Pa, at II a. m., and Wheel
ing at 2 p. m. He made the 131
miles in II hours.
"Red" was a firm friend and
staunch admirer of Henry Clay, 'fa-
ther" of the National road, and
Clay often stopped for days at
Reds" hotel in Uniontown Bunt-
ing named one of his sons after the
great Kentuckian.
OG. 1881 Western Newspaper Union.)