Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-11-20
TOPONCE SERVED
MAJORS E RUSSELL
AS BULLWHACKER
ALSO DROVE ON FIRST OvRLANL
STAGE BETWEEN MISSOURI
AND CALIFORNIA

ALSO DROVE ON FIRST OVERLAND
STAGE BETWEEN MISSOURI
AND CALIFORNIA
The autobiography Of Alexander
Toponce, who came to Montana in
1853, . work completed on his S0th
birthday but not published until after
his death. should strike the fancy Of
every lover Of western history.
He dedicates the book to "the miners,
gold diggers. pocket hunters. COW
punchers. mule SINNERS, horse wrang-
lers, freighters, packers, trappers. hum
tTs, scouts, stage drivers. shotgun
messengers, station keepers. home
steaders, road graders. bridge build
Ws. track layers, lumberjacks, tie
cutters, canal diggers. sheep herders.
bull whackers, Injun fighters. pros
pectors and all the rough and ready
tribe Of pioneers, who Travelled with me
the long trails, faced with me the
billiards of the mountain passes, or
endured with me the scorching desert
winds, who each and all play chosen
part IN winning the great west.
ITO you, good old boys. dead or hv-
ing, dedicate this, my first, last and
only book. Selah!"
Comprehensive as is the dedication,
1t IS doubtful whether there is one Of
the classes mentioned, who would not
enjoy this record Of a mans life. It Is
readable from beginning to end, and
while in some places suspicion may
arise that the writer has drawn the
long bow" this can be easily overlooked
In an old stage driver.
The author wastes no time in pre-
facing his subject, but plunges right
in. With no preliminary apology for
placing himself in the limelight, he
announces:
MY name is Alexander Toponce, I
was born in Belfort, France, Nov. 10.
1899, so I am Just 80 years old. can
still speak some French, but in France
I never went to school. In fact never
attended school day In my life.
Came to America at Z
At the age of he came to America
with his father and mother, and well
remembered their journey from Paris
to New York. 1t was on this trip that
he first manifested his financial
shrewdness. The water given them on
the ship made the whole family sick.
He stole tobacco from his father, and
traded 1t to the sailors for good water,
receiving gallon for a good chew"
and from these same sailors he learned
his first English.
Serving an apprenticeship In lum-
Der camp. on farm, and as a team
ster, Toponce came west and increased
his accomplishments in several direc-
lions on becoming a 'bullwhacker"
for Majors and Russell who had the
government contract for hauling all
the government freight west Of the
Mississippi river.
The drivers for this company signed
4 contract that II they failed to obey
the rules given them, they would be
discharged without pay. One OF these
rules demanded that the men should
conduct themselves as gentlemen, and
not get drunk, gamble, show cruelty
to animals, or use profane language.
As each driver had to yoke from six
to ten steers every morning, 1t Is not
necessary to state occasionally strong
language was used, although every
man had been given a Bible before
starting, to read on the road.
The next business in which Toponce
engaged was stage driving on the first
overland stage line operated between
Missouri and California: the Butter
field line that ran from Upton,
Missouri, via Texas and New Mexico,
until it was changed to the Salt Lake
route, from the termination OF the
railroad at West Port, near Kansas
City.
It took eight days to reach Sante
Fe, and this was the way the journey
was made.
I'VE would start out of West Port
with six mules and three men. One
man would ride horse alongside the
mules and keep touching them up with
a blacksnake whip. He was called the
"side whipper".
1.-THE third man sat on the "dickey
seat" on top of the stage facing the
rear. He had a field glass and kept an
eye out for Indians after we got away
from the settlements. We all had the
latest makes of rifles. We would drive
these six mules so miles, stopping
once to feed and water, then changed
teams and drive another so miles"
Amusing Incident
On one of these trips an amusing
incident occurred The owner of the
line warned the three men composing
the "crew", that they must be careful
not to dump any mail matter out onto
the prairie, as U. S. official was
going with them, and the rules were
very strict regarding the carrying of
mail matter. The sacks Of first class
mail were fastened with copper pad
locks; the second class with iron pad
locks; and the third class mailsacks
were tied with a string. In this third
class were tracts and Bibles for the
'heathen in California" and guam
tity of patent office reports, about
400 pounds to a sack.
The driver said that with the aid
Of gallon jug of whisky he thought
he could manage. This, be it well re-
was long before prohibition
was dreamt of. The stage was "jerky"
with only two seats, and these faced
each other. With the utmost Difference
the driver asked the general. colonel,
or something" which seat he preferred.
He haughtily replied "the back seat"
Reserving the back seat for the Of
f{cia1 the front seat WAS filled with