Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1931-10-23
|STAGE COACH !
: TALES /
.By E. C. 'TAYL o R !
The Idol of Stage Coach Days

The Idol of Stage Coach Days
D EDDING BUNTING, Red" to ey-
IN eryone, was more widely known
and had more friends than any other
driver on the old National 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 cen
fury ago. su ssn
"Red" Bunting was feet inches
tall in his stocking feet, and was
straight as an arrow. He was of
reddish complexion, his features prom
inent and striking his voice deep and
sonorous. But he was not loquacious,
and had habit of munching. He was
endowed with strong common sense
the term "horse sense" originated
among the "Pike boys" of the National
road and was applied to him-and he
was affable, convivial and companion
able.
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 trust
ed stage agent, stage proprietor and
tavern keeper. He once owned the
Central hotel in Uniontown, Pa, and
probably would have died rich man
had he not been victim of despond-
ency and depression when the rail-
roads supplanted the old east-west
highway.
During the Presidency of Martin
Van Buren,, it was deemed desirable
by the administration leaders In Wash
ington that one of the Presidents mes
sages be spread speedily before the
people Of the country. Arrangements
were made with the Stockton line to
carry the message westward, as the
Baltimore & Ohio railroad was not
then in operation west Of Frederick,
Md. t1aa sajlsaH, l.9sI} ..ii I'd
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
lance, 300 miles, although he did not
handle the reins himself. The dis
lance was covered in % hours and
80 minutes. lffe
Changes of teams and drivers were
made at the usual relay stations. Jo-
seph Woolley drove the coach from
Pennington to Uniontown, making
sparks fly as the coach speeded down
the long western slope of Laurel hill.
Homer Westover drove from Union
town to Brownsville, Pa, distance
of II miles, in A minutes.
Mail coaches in those days carried
only three passengers. There was
spirited bidding for the privilege of
riding in the coaches directed by Blunt
ing on this record ride. That was be-
fore they started. Two Of the passen-
gers lasted as far as Uniontown, and
the third got out at Brownsville. That
speed in numbering stage gave them
too much Of a shaking up. 1t didn't
disturb Bunting at all.
This ride occurred before the tele-
graph wires extended west of Freder
lex. The Pittsburgh Gazette had arr
ranged 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 message 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, at Uniontown
and rode to Brownsville on it, to OBJ
tain the message and convey it to the
Pittsburgh Gazette. o.l.
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 COM
pleted to Cumberland, Nd, "Red" Blunt
ing drove the great mail coach from
Cumberland to Wheeling that carried
the message of President Polk official
ly proclaiming war with Mexico. He
left Cumberland at 2 a. m. and reached
Uniontown at a. m. He breakfasted
there with the passengers at his own
hotel-he owned the National house
at the time-and then started off
again. He reached Washington, Pa,
at II a. M, and Wheeling at 2 p. m.
He made the 131 miles in IL hours.
''Red" was firm friend and staunch
admirer of Henry Clay, father" of
the National road, and Clay often
stopped for days at Reds" hotel in
Unlontown. Bunting named one Of his
sons after the great Kentuckian.