The Old Pike: A History of the National Road, with Incidents, Accidents, and Anecdotes ThereonSearight, Thomas B. (Thomas Brownfield)
History
The Old Pike: A History of the National Road, with Incidents, Accidents, and Anecdotes Thereon
Searight, Thomas B. (Thomas Brownfield)
Cumberland Road; Pennsylvania -- Biography
William Whaley, a soldier of the war between the States, and a son of
Capt. James Whaley, a soldier of 1812, was an old stage driver. He was
born in Connellsville, but spent the prime of his life in Uniontown, and
on the road. He used to tell the boys that one of the horses of his team
died coming down Laurel Hill, but that he held him up until he reached
the McClelland house in Uniontown. Whaley drove for a time on the
Morgantown route from Uniontown, and died in the latter place twenty
years and more ago.
James Turner, a Somerset county man, an old stage driver, also
volunteered as a soldier in the Mexican war, and started out a member of
Co. H, above mentioned. In crossing the Gulf he fell down a hatchway of
the vessel and was killed, and the mortal remains of the old driver were
buried in the deep sea.
James Gordon, a well remembered old stage driver, went with Co. H to
Mexico, and died in the capital city of that Republic. He was the
father-in-law of Peter Heck, a former postmaster of Uniontown.
Samuel Sibley, probably a brother of David, before mentioned, was a
well-known driver. He was small in stature, but alert in movement. It
was he who drove the coach that upset on a stone pile in the main street
of Uniontown with Henry Clay as a passenger, the details of which have
elsewhere been given.
Ben Showalter is remembered as an old driver, who sang little songs and
performed little tricks of legerdemain for the amusement of the boys. He
went to the war between the States as a private in Major West's cavalry
of Uniontown, and died in the service.
[Illustration: REDDING BUNTING.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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