FULTON COUNTY NEWS.
STAGE-COACH DAYS.
Published Every Thursday.
13. W. PliCK, Editor.
McCONNELLSBURG, PA.
Thursday, Jan. 25, 1900.
How the Bedford Stage-Driver Managed
! the Judge,
i .
FROM THE PEN OF JUDGE HALL.
I
Published Weekly. 1.00 per
Annum in Advance.
Prompt attention will be
given to applications for ad
vertising rates.
Job Printing of every des
cription executed with prompt
ness, in a workfnanlike manner
and at consistent prices.
A MISTAKE.
It costs nothing to bo ordinar
ily polite, even under adverse cir
cumstances, and it generally
pays. A passenger in a sleeping
car, who was tired and sleepy and
wanted to go to bed, called to a
man who had just entered the
coach and was hurrying through
it:
"Say, isn't it about time to
have these berths made up?"
"What do you take me for?"
angrily replied the other, stop
ping and coming back. "Do I
look like a sleeping-car conduct
or?"
"No," rejoined the tired pas,
senger, looking up at him, wear
ily. "You do not. I beg your
pardon. My observation is that
a sleeping-car conductor is al
ways a gentleman. "
IIKIKSTO A lilCi ESTATE.
The heirs of James McCaffrey
the Chicago millionaire, and an
old ex-boatman on the Chesa
peake and Ohio canal, are expect
ing to receive their share of the
estate shortly. Mrs. Margaret
Shipley, a daughter of McCaff
rey and a widow, who lives in the
country near William sport, Md.,
on a small farm of her own, is
one of the heirs. Attorney Beale,
of Washington, who has had
charge of the settlement of the
estate so far as the local heirs are
concerned, visited Mrs. Shipley
at her home the other day and in
formed her that the division of
the McCaffrey wealth will be
made between this and April 1.
Mrs. Shapley 's share will amount
to about f0,000. McCaffrey at
one time lived at Hancock, one of
his daughters was raised by Mrs.
James Coudy, and he married
there Miss Nancy Ganoe, a re
spected maiden lady, but soon
deserted her after getting all her
money.
The call for experienced plains
men and irregular fighters, who
are able to meet the Boers on
their own ground and with their
own tactics, has gone out through
England and her colonies, and'is
being responded to with some
alacrity, but in rather discourag
ingly small numbers, consider
ing the amount of work there is
for this kind of troops, while the
fact that they are only being
raised now, and cannot bo put in
to the field for months to come,
argues badly for a quick endiug
of the war
KNOBSVILLE.
TIiIm witx lutemlud for lust wuek'H puper but
cume lu u titty too lute. M.
Mr. and Mrs. Truax, of Pleas
ant Kidge, were visiting their
cousin, Miss Julia Mellott.
The U. B. Revival is still in pro
gress. There have been twelve
converted, three are yet seeking,
and nine have joined the church.
Brothers Roberts and Kelso have
been untiring in the good work.
There has been good attendance,
and good conduct.
John Tice has his sawmill in op
eration on John Fore's laud.
Mrs. William Polk lias beeu
very sick but is improving.
Misses Mary aud Maggie Hum
il and Mamie Fore spent Tuesday
with Enoch Kerlin's family.
Miss Etta Wagner and Elmer
Glunt spent Sunday with Grunt
Baker's family.
Miss Carrie Harnil is visiting
Georgo Fox's family.
Mrs. Laura Radler and daugh
ter, of Elmira, N. Y., is visiting
her father, Willliam Greer, Sr.
Erne Parson is living with
Thomas PattoYMon, of McConnols
burg.
Mrs. Amos ClouserNtnd Mrs.
Amos Sipes spent Wednd
with Mrs. Grant 1 faker,
A Thrilling Adventure of Judge Jeremiah
Black With a Bedford Stage-Driver
Forty Years Ago.
lay
The following interesting arti
cle is from the pen of the late
Judge Wm. M. Hall who presided
over the courts of Fulton county
during the seventies. It was
first published in the Bedford
Inquirer about a dozen years ago.
Who remembers anything of
the stage-coach drivers of Mc
Counellsburg? Editor.
"Modern methodsof locomotion
have worked great changes in
many respects. The old con
cord stage-coach, with its nine
passengers inside and two out
side, has almost entirely disap
peared, and the professional
stage-driver of the last genera
tion, who was so marked a char
acter, has disappeared with it.
When he was mounted on his box,
with the hues drawn taut over
his four lively horses, glistening
in coats of well brushed hair,
with manes and tails flowing free,
and the harness black and burn
ished, and bright rosettes at the
horses' ears, with his little hickory-handled
whip and Its long
buckskin lash, ho was the king of
the occasion. He was conductor,
brakesman engineer and fireman,
all in one. He could drive fast or
slow, as he pleased, and be sulky
and crabbed, and profane to pas
sengers as he wished. As he
bowled along, from his high seat
he could look down on pedestri
ans and slow moving wagons and
pass them by with a crack of
contempt. Passengers were
wont to propitiate his highness
with a cigar or invitation to drink,
and .endeavored to win his favor
by pleasant remarks and a deffer
ential manner. For the time be
ing, he was a man of consequence
and importance, and felt it fully.
The forty years which have in
tervened since railroads have
superseded turnpikes have sent
nearly all of these old fellows on
the long journey from which no
traveller returns; but here and
there one remains, a tottering
old man, living in his recollections
of the past. I met one to-day.
He walks slowly with a cane but
his eye is bright and clear, and
his memory good, and as he
squirts his tobacco juice half a
rod or more with the precision of
a marksman proud of his skill he
delights to talk of times long
gone, and of the fine teams he
drew the ribbons on, of the inci
dents of his early life. The old
man I introduce you to is Samuel
Bagley, of Bedford, Pa.
Born in 1810, he started as a
stage-driver about 18:28, and for
forty years drove stage in and
out of Bedford. Many a mem
ber of Congress from the West
and many a judge and merchant
traveled with him, aud was glad
of the honor of a place beside
him on the driver's box on clear,
bright days, when the diversified
scenery of mountain and valley
made an outside seat so enjoyable.
General Cass and Henry Clay
rode behind him, and Edwiu For
rest, the actor, and "Tariff Andy"
Andy Stewart, and Chas. Ogle,
and many another man of note.
The old drivers all chewed to
bacco and drunk whiskey "not
to excess," quoth my friend,
"four or five drinks a day, may
be," good, regular, methodical
steady drinking, that did no man
harm, according to the notions of
that time, but aided digestion aud
made life rosy, to say nothing of
noses; and their conversation was
rendered pointed aud emphatic
by oaths well laid iu with capiio
uistic skill at proper intervals,
like the casual pauses in blank
verse, an oath for every ten or
twenty words just for rhythm.
As ho recalls the past, my an
cient frieud grows elqouent iu his
praises of the grand old time of
stage-couching and the excellent
meals of fried chicken and waf
lles and hot coffee at the wayside
mn, wnero tno arrival oi tne
stage was the great event of the
day. He describes with zest the
dignified appearance of the an
cient landlord and his courteous
demeanor as ho somewhat proin
pously received the tired travel
ers and ushered thein, iu winter,
into his best room, with its huge,
crackling, cheerful hickory-wood
fire in the open Franklin stove.
lie remembers the aroma of the
oily old rye whiskey which the
landlord was wont tojproduce for
the delectation of his quests to
revive their tired bodies and give
! tone to the appetite. "Why, you
could smell the blossom of the
rye-field," quoth he; and he re
counts the conversational pleas
antries and bon mots and socia
bility which the meals and wins
ey engendered, aud sighs for the
past the good old days when he
was young and vigorous, before
the country was ruined by rail
roads. "Yes, I was born in 1810, aud
Judge Black was born the same
year. Well, he's dead now three
or four years and I must soon
follow. We must all go. It
comes sooner or later to all. The
Judge and I were born just thir
ty miles apart, and in the same
year he, in the glades of Somer
set, a farmer boy, and I in a lit
tle old log house at the western
eud of Bedford. Yes, this is the
first place I ever came to. I
stopped here when I came, just
seventy-eight years ago. We
both started pretty low down.
He cot to be a great judge, and I
was only a stage driver. But I'd
rather bo a stage driver than a
judge. It suited me bettor.
Well, I'll tell you how my team
.run off, and how I came near lick
ing Judge Black. I remember it
well. It was the first time I ever
met him; but I didn't know him
then.
"I was driving a four-horse
coach on the Glade Pike from
the White Horse Tavern, on the
to) of the Allegheny, to Bedford.
1 1 had a double route; drove two
teams; changed at Metzgar's on
Dry Ridge. It was in lN42,wheu
the Judge came to Bedford to
hold court for the first time. I
had a full load nine inside. A
big man was on the front boot be
side me. We had no conversa
tion until the run-away of my
team that I'm going to tell you
about. As I came along by Sam
uel Stuckey's place, about uine
o'clock at night, a sudden thun
der storm came. I never had but
two teams to run away one at
night and one in daylight; in
the forty years I drove. There
was a Hash and a crash that seem
ed to split the sky, and the hors
es jumped and started, quick as
the lightning all but. It was a
mighty good team. I was always
ready for them two grays at
the lead and two appaluchees at
the wheels. The team belonged
to Jake Peters. They had hard
ly jumped till I had a strong pull
on them. It was a beautiful star
light night till the storm came
up; very dark then; a heavy rain
for half an hour. I could only
see the road when the lightning
Hashed. When they started, the
man beside me grabbed for the
lines. I told him with an oath
I could curse in them days if
he touched a line I would knock
him off the box with the wrench
that was in the boot. He never
spoke a word. I kept cursing
him and he kept grabbing at the
lines; but I didn't let him get
hold of them. I told him if he
caught a line he would run me off
the road and upset me and kill
the passengers. By that time we
came to George Stuckey's yard.
That was one mile they had run.
There it lightened and I saw the
house, aud I pulled the leaders
up so that they ran against the
porch and it knocked them both
down. The wheel horses ran on
to them with their front feet, and
then we stopped. The big man
got down and went into the house
in a hurry, and I saw no more of
him till I was ready to start, and
that was in half an hour."
"He didn't offer to help you,
then?"
"Oh no! In fact, they all ran
into the house as quick as they
could get out of the coach.
"There was always a lot of tin
lanterns witli tallow candles in
them about old taverns in them
days, and soon several men were
there to help mc. The leaders
were a good while coming to. We i
threw cold water on them. Fi
nally wo were ready to start
nothiug broken nobody hurt.
I hollered hurrah! .for my pas
sengers. The big man got up
beside me. I told him with an
oath or two, that I was going to
drive that team to Bedford and
lick it like h l.and if he touch-'
eduliuel" would knock h 1
out of him with that wrench. He
didu't say a word sung dumb
behaved like a gentleman from
thew to town uever offered to
touch a line. I licked them up
and took on a full run all the way
to Bedford. I tell you I had them
as hot as griddle cukes when I
got them there.
The next day, after I had my
team fixed and my work done I
strolled dowu to the Washington
Hotel. Col. Joe Ottinger kept it
then. He was in the bar-room
and a big man sitting there talk
ing to him no one else there. I
didn't know the big man was the
man that had rid with me.
"The Colonel sad to me, 'Sam,
you had bad luck last night.'
"1 replied: 'No. sir: 1 had no
bad luck I had a run-off, but I
had no bad luck nobody killed
aud nobody hurt. The only
trouble I had was to manage a
d d fool who sat beside me
aud kept grabbing at the lines
when the team was running, and
I kept cursing him and threaten
ed to knock him overboard with
the wrench. I told him if he
didn't quit he would upset the
coach and kill the passengers.
"Well, after that, Ottinger in
troduced me to the man, and call
ed him Judge Black, and the
Judge said to me:
" 'Sir, you would make one of
the best evidences in the world
in a critical case your narration
is exact and correct. I am the
man wht sat beside you. You
did exactly light. I was excited.
You were calm. You did your
duty aud did it well. You man
aged your team and you managed
me. '
"After that he and I were al
ways sociable as long us he lived.
When I drovo street cars in
Washington City, in 1803, I often
saw him walking along the Ave
nue, and he would take off his
high plug hat and raise it over
his head and call to me: "How
are you, old Dry Ridge?"
"Yes, he was a pleasant socia
ble man; but he never forgot that
ride iu the thunder-storm with
the run away team. Nor did I.
I made a Judge behave himself
that time. He sat as mute as a
whipped school boy; but I didn't
know him then. I guess if I had
known him, I wouldn't have done
it.
"Yes, the Judge was a great
man. Ho knew how to sit ou a
high seat and manage a set of
lawyers aud run a court; but he
didu't know how to manage four
frightened horses running off
after night in a thunder storm.
Wm. M. Hall,
Bedford, Pa., March 31, 1888.
Harry Stell, while on his way
to Huntingdon last week with a
load of lumber, made a narrow
escape from possible fatal injury.
When approaching Snyder's
crossing, several miles east of
that place, he found the way
blocked by a freight train. The
traiumen cut the train to allow
several teams at that point to
cross, and before the first end of
the train had ceased to move Mr.
Stell started to drive across.
Just as ho was on the ciossing
the moving slack of the train
caught his wagon in the center,
completely demolishing it. Mr.
Stell was standing on top of the
load, but by a quick jump saved
himself from injury. He borrow
ed another wagon and eventually
landed the remaiuder of his load
in Huntingdon.
The ease with which, in Chica
go, the Gordian knot of marri
age is severed leads frequently
to a legal race between the hus
band aud wife, but even in that
city an actual race is compara
tively rare. One happened the
other day, however, David G lick
man quarreled with his wife,
who declared that she would at
once roiwiir to the nearest police
statiou for a divorce. Glickinan
said he would get one, too, aud
get it lirst. They dashed out of
the houses and along the streets.
They were pretty evenly match
ed, and, keeping neck aud neck,
continued their quarrel as they
went along. Arrived at the sta
tion house, they embraced the
house sergeant and deafened him
with their appeals. The officer
was unable to convince them that
ho had no authority to relieve
them, aud so solved the problem
by locking up both. Whereupon,
as was to bo expected, they dis
covered that they still loved each
other, and so will probably live
happy ever after until the next
time.
TROLLEY LINKS EAST AM)
WEST.
Lock up that new diary and you
can keep it easily for a year.
What u Western Trolley Would
Do For Fulton County.
Last week we published an ar
ticle from Public Opinion, Cham
bersburg, relative to trolley lines,
and from the same paper this
week wo give another. The
Chambersburg people are thor
oughly alive to the importance of
the subject. If the matter of en
couraging the building of trolley
roads in a county that has already
three railroads, it ought to be
worth considering by a county
that does not have any.
We have become so thoroughly
disgusted with the efforts that
have been made to give us steam
roads that we feel like training a
shot gun ou any man that talks
railroads.
The trolley line fever broke out
among our people a few years
ago and money was subscribed
and an engineer employed who
made an estimate of the cost of a
road from McConnellsburg to
Mercersburg.
The estimate made was so out
landishly high as to make it be
yond the probability of paying as
an investment. It was afterward
learned that the estimate was
much beyond the figures that
should havo been given.
Mail may leave Philadelphia so
as to reach Mercersburg at 8.10
in the morning, as our morning
papers now do, and witih a trolley
line wo should have our eastern
mail before ten, and Webster
lills, Big Cove Tannery, Harri
sonville, Saluvia, Knobsville and
Fort Littleton should all be serv
ed by noon.
Itwill.be remembered how slow
our people wore to invest any
money in the telephone, and to
day we should think it a real
calamity to be deprived of its ser
vice. Haven't we some Fulton
county men with sufficient enter
prise to move in the direction of
the trolley? Editor.
"A westward trolley line from
Chambersburg to Bedford would
open up populous and productive
region of vast extent that is now
almost without outlet. When
completed, with its natural
branches, it would be a line with
feeders from all the valleys and
coves of the Blue Mountains.
.West of St. Thomas it would con
nect with the Bedford and Mer
cersburg branch. From Fort
Loudon it would penetrate Path
Valley. This line would extend
to Richmond, Carrick Furnace,
Fannettsburg, Spring Run, Dry
Run, Doylesburg and Concord.
From McConnellsburg there
would be alineuorthward through
the Tuscarora Valley to Burnt
Cabins and Shade Gap, and
southward to Webster Mills and
Big Cove Tannery. Can any one
imagine tho travel and transpor
tation that would thus come once
more over the old mountain road,
once a double line of Conestoga
wagons, but for many years al
most deserted? An era of pros
perity unknown before would
come to the hitherto unpenetra
ble vales of Fulton, Huntingdon
and Bedford counties and the
Tuscarora valleys would take on
a new life and new beauties.
"If at first the lino only extend
ed to McConnellsburg westward
and Fannettsburg northward
from Fort Loudon it would be a
great gain to the Cumberland
Valley and all tho railroads that
centre iu Chambersburg. Path
Valley is one of the most fertile
and beautiful of the entire Kit-
tochtinny range. It formed
part of the famous Tuscarora
Path in tho days of the Indian
trade. Before the enoch of rail
roads it was known to every
traveler who went westward
from the Susquehanna to tho
Allegheny. When Upper Stras
burg was a town of more import
ance than Chambersburg tho
people of Path Valley found a
ready market for their prodnco
and products. If the villages of
the valley havo beeu almost at a
standstill in recent years it has
been because they are without an
outlet. A trolley line to Fort
Loudon aud from Fort Loudon to
Chambersburg would soon make
Fannettsburg one of the most
thriving and enterprising towns
in the county. It would do more
it would bring Upper Path Val
ley, and Amber son's and Horse
Vallies into contact with the out
side world. In 1750 Secretary
of tho provinces, Richard Peters,
attended by the juntices of tho
0
?5 V TTT V
sii. w.Keisner flr
-r - -. W
0.
.0
1st
out
Of i
lizn
nei
let
gas
ate
inj
on
are determined to close out all tliei,evo
winter, stuffs, and it will be dollarsmp
in your pocket to make your1"01
purchases there, m
Woolen
Dress Goods?:!
that to-day could not be bought un-pno
der 20 cents, they will sell you a;;
16 simply as example of whatjp
you can do there.
They have a few very nice
LADIES'
JACKETS
yet that you can buy very cheap-;
good styles and qualities. Wha'iRf
they say of one article, or one lij0 j
will apply all through the store. ou
a il
Remember that in order to keepibbo
full stock of everything that pertain.
to a large general merchandising
business, they are receiving
New Goods fh
)ur
Almost Daily,!"',
so that you always, have the latest
and best to select from. There iW
iks
always odds and ends, incident toajks
large trade that must go at a great!
bargain. u
p o ?or
yl y jfr
Please Call and Sec. ;be
th
L W. REISNER A
f je ii
tr 0000000000 n,,por
mvw 0 0?0?W00tK0p tx'(ot
GEO
now county of Cumberland
found the squatters iu the valley
and evicted them. We will wa
ger a big apple, round and red,
that the recent Secretary of the
Commonwealth, Dave Martin,
never heard of the genuine set
tlers of their descendants. A
trolley line up the valley ' will
give outsiders an opportunity to
discover one of the most beauti
ful valleys in the State and en
able the people of the valley
whim they feel like it to get out
of sight of their own mountains.
"The westward trolley and its
branches that we are advocating
would naturally form a connect
ing link with the great trolley
system in Southern Pennsylvania
that is now in the process of for
mation. Only a few days ago, it
was announced that Capt. W. II.
Lanius, of York, had secured an
option on a majority of the York
Street Railway Company stock,
and, it is said, will now make ap
plication for a charter for a trac
tion company. This company
will control the York Street Rail
way in the form of a lease, and
its tracks will bo extended to Do
ver, Dallastown, Wrightsville,
Red Lion and Yoeborough. Work
on these extensions will be begun
just as soon as the company gets
its charter. They also propose
to connect with the Gettysburg
Railway. '
"It takes no prophet to foresee
that in the near future Gettys
burg will be a radiating centre
for trolley roads. Tho projected
lino from Washington is sure to
come. Tho Lanius scheme will
connect Gettysburg with the
Susquehanna towns and Lancas
ter. All this shows the import
ance of a line frym Chambers
burg to Gettysburg. Should tho
Cumberland Valley R. R. paral
lel its tracks with a trolley line
as the "Pennsy" is doing it would
be a good thing, but tho trolley
from Chambersburg to Gettys
burg is sure to come, and tho
westward line to McConnellsburg
and into Pjith Valley is some
thing that'we cannot do without.
" In xmnection with this trolley
proWem the question arises
"Wfiat shall be done with our
turjipikesr" The experience of
theWoplo of Shelby county, Ken-
r t
ic
.e l
re
T , nt
tucky, seems to iiii-e
tion iu part. At ues,
of tho Shelby Fi!
county bought abo jflu
turnpike at prices Lp
$7") to $i."0 a iiiile,jjrp
Record says tin? cL
pracucany acquuv
of real value exceii
surprisingly reib
It was less than '
ago that it was dec,
roaus. j storm o:fc u
as soon as the aim go,
made. Taxpayers g
county would be vi
the pikes would i't
fc.r0,000 and ((',i'E j
turnpike owners Lh
property would I fail
On the contrary, foui
worked to the siiti 8t
erybody. The pjgh
been made at extrL. (
ablo prices, H'Oinilfn t
bought and donatt'ife y,
ijUH.tiOL', and at the i
owners of the roai tv
shown that their rial
ing considered. .y.
25 cents voted tpse
pikes will yield fcyt"
nearly $1,000 left vie u
H cents repair levy S
10,000 to keep thjko.
pair this year. lel.
miles of county ttfuw
and tho Record be'fu!)
a mile should be s'jRO 1
repair work. fno
"With us the fraii Or
ley lines would f,'0
ward providing s r c
purchase of tho tjtioi
the taxpayers couf tin
the extra outlay tl-jtlu
nuisil inn of ii. free 'fee
About nine mon'
Nearhoof, fanner,
mark valley, hud a
bitten by a dog. 1
last week tho nt'bct
well developed
At the time tho sk
ed by the dog st'
mals (dot's and lf
ui'iuuiu mini
samo dog. All of I
hydrophobia, the .
velopiug within
after the assault,
committed the 1)11
strange one and
killed.