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Stagecoach Makes Appearance In The West

A shotgun messenger often sat next to the driver.

As successful as the wagons were for the movement of freight, they were not the total answer for a new demand from the growing West: the more comfortable and convenient transportation of passengers. Heavy migrations to the Oregon country during the r84o's and the great influx of Argonauts into California during and after 1849 had created a need for overland passenger service. Ultimately, of course, the West would be satisfied with nothing less than transcontinental railroads. But until the rails could be laid, stagecoach passenger service was a necessity to the Pacific Coast population.

The "coach and four" had emerged in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and had come to the American colonies late in the seventeenth century. By the end of the colonial period, all thirteen colonies were enjoying a measure of coaching service, and this service began to move westward with the advancing frontier.

By 1820 the stagecoach had made its appearance west of the Mississippi River and offered regular passenger service both to and from St. Louis, Missouri. In less than twenty years, similar operations were established in Iowa and, by mid-century, monthly service was extended from Independence to Santa Fe, New Mexico. By then, the coach was serving the Willamette Valley of Oregon and the bustling state of California; even Texas boasted a number of independent stage lines.

As a vehicle, the stagecoach had been nearly perfected in its two centuries of use in America. There were many types: the Troy coach, the mud wagon, various coaches of local manufacture and the Concord coach. The last was the most famous of all such vehicles in commercial use.

The Concord, of course, received its name from its place of manufacture - Concord, New Hampshire. It was produced by Abbot-Downing and Company of that New England town, who took pains throughout, from running gear of the sturdiest of woods to the finishing coat of paint. It was designed with two thoughts in mind: to provide comfort for the passenger and to withstand the abuse it had to take on the rough western roads: Thoroughbraces-two thick, strong leather straps, one on each side - held the graceful, egg-shaped body slung between the axles. Thus suspended the sturdy body had a rolling motion far more pleasant to its occupants than the jolting of a wagon. Besides front, rear and middle drop seats inside, there was a driver's seat protruding in the front, a baggage boot extending from the rear, and a strong roof where excess passengers and baggage could be carried. The coach was usually painted to suit the purchaser, and as its crowning glory, portraits, usually of beautiful women, were painted on the door panels. It weighed approximately a ton and was pulled by four, and sometimes as many as six, horses. So widely used was the Concord that in the West its name became almost synonymous with the word stagecoach.

The key figure in stagecoach transportation was the driver. Although variously characterized in the literature of the day as taciturn, loquacious, sober, dependable and all the rest, he had to be, first of all, a master at the reins. His fingers controlled the activities of spirited mustangs that usually took the road at a goodly gallop. He was responsible as well for the comfort and safety of his passengers and had to be able to drive over roads so convulsed with curves that, as was said, "the horses could eat from the baggage boot." In addition it was up to the driver to collect the passenger tickets and try to hold, insofar as possible, to a fixed schedule from one station to the next, usually a distance of ten to twenty miles.

Stagecoach drivers were known by the sobriquets "Knight" or "Knight of the Lash", "Whip", "sagebrush navigator", or the biblical "Jehu." Jehu was often reserved for a driver who drove at a very fast pace, seeming reckless to his passengers. But, no stage driver kept his job for long if his recklessness endangered his passengers, or if he was a regular drinker. Drivers were a hardy lot representing a cross section of the nation's citizenry. Many chewed, smoked, or cussed mercilessly, but others were kind and gentle, especially toward the ladies riding in their coaches.

The stagecoach driver was captain of his vessel. He commanded all who boarded and was always respected, usually appreciated, and often admired. Not every man could handle the ribbons of a four-up or six-up, so the stagecoach driver was quite a peculiar sort. Many times it was only his iron will and bravado which brought the coach through bad weather, across swollen rivers, over treacherous roads, with poor stock, while surviving attacks by highwaymen or Indians.

A home station was usually located in a town's leading hotel. Travel schedules called for early-morning departures, and passengers had to be awakened in time for breakfast before boarding the coach. The most distinguished passenger was usually given a place of honor on the driver's seat unless the nature of the load required the services of a "shotgun messenger," or guard, in which event the important personage was given his choice of inside seats.

Out on the road the pace was customarily a moderate gallop except where hills and curves might slow the pace to a walk or a gentle trot. The average speed was about five miles an hour. Passengers on long runs, such as the cross-country trek from the Missouri River to the Pacific Coast, tried to save time by traveling day and night. There were many stops, of course, because teams had to be changed at every station and drivers relieved at the end of the day. The journey was a tiring one for many passengers, and those who wished to break up the trip could find lodgings of a sort at some of the wayside stations. It was quite common for passengers reaching their destinations to take a good bath, get a full night's sleep and have nothing more to do with stagecoaches - at least for a while.

Regular and commonplace as stagecoach travel grew to be, it was neither free from accident nor devoid of adventure. Runaway teams caused upsets or breakdowns. When a coach got stuck in the mud, the passengers were expected to get out to lighten the load and often lend a push through the boggy spot. Many western drivers on the central route reported Indian attacks during the mid-i86o's. Stagecoach holdups were most frequent in the Rocky Mountain, Black Hills, and Pacific Coast areas; these were the regions where the mines were located and where passengers usually carried large sums of money. Rough hills or thick timber enabled highwaymen to surprise a coach and concealed their escape.

Each stagecoach line of importance, was plagued by "road agents" who worked singly or in gangs. Most of them wore masks, and their standard procedure was to appear suddenly from the wayside brush before an oncoming coach, command the driver to halt, throw down the treasure box which rode beneath his seat and, if there were reasons for believing that the passengers were well laden with cash, to have everyone step out and "reach for the sky." The most famous of these outlaws were C. E. Bolton, alias "Black Bart," in California and Henry Plummer in Montana, whose careers are described elsewhere in this book. In New Mexico, on the Alamoso-Del Norte Stage Line, Henry W. White demonstrated his ingenuity by rigging white dummies in the roadside bush which helped convey the impression of a gang. As the stage approached his "set," White gave the customary command, ordered the frightened driver to get down, blindfolded him, and ordered his "dummies" to cover him. He repeated this act with each passenger and, having done this, relieved them of all their money and made his getaway. As a career, however, the evidence shows that stagecoach robbery did not pay. Sooner or later the culprits were caught and either landed in jail or swung into eternity at the end of a rope.

Between 1875 and 1903 there were one hundred twenty-nine stagecoach robberies in the Arizona Territory. Five robberies involved two coaches each, bringing the total number of stagecoaches robbed to one hundred thirty-four. More than half the robberies remained unsolved.

Passengers William Thomas, Peter Roerig and two unnamed Chinese passengers were killed during robberies. Drivers Budd Philpott and F. M. Peterson and messengers Chavis and Johnny Collins were killed, while drivers Nathan Powell and John Henry and messenger William Blankenship were wounded.

More than two hundred men and one woman engaged in the business of robbing stagecoaches. Most road agents remained unknown but seventy-nine men and the only female stagecoach bandit in the Arizona Territory were identified. Most were tried, convicted and sentenced to prison. One sentenced prisoner escaped and one prisoner died during an escape attempt while en route to their new home at the Territorial prison. One stagecoach robber, the accomplice of the female bandit, escaped from the Territorial prison and, as with the one who escaped en route, was never recaptured.

Five road agents were killed while resisting arrest. One man was executed and another was lynched for murders committed during a stagecoach robbery. No man was ever lynched or legally hanged in the Arizona Territory for robbing a stagecoach. Convicted stagecoach robbers received prison sentences, but never served an entire term as they received credit for good time as required by law, or they were granted an early pardon. Most of the stagecoach robbers who served their sentence were granted pardons to restore citizenship, particularly their right to vote.

Jay Monaghan, (Editor). The Book of the American West. Simon & Schuster. 1963.

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