A Fatal Smash. 37 



heavy sentences were passed upon them. Yes 

 those were the days when ^' justice " was not 

 ladled out gently with a silver teaspoon. 



Sometimes it happened that there was 

 rivalry and jealousy between the drivers and 

 guards of the up and down coaches running 

 on the same mails contract, and, if my memory 

 serves me correctly, that was the case with the 

 up and down London to Lincoln Mails. Well, 

 they met one day, as usual both of them quite 

 up to their scheduled time, and they would 

 have passed at their accustomed place if all 

 had been well. Our famous whip, Tom, was 

 driving the up mail that day, and the driver 

 of the down coach saw him coming along at 

 a terrific pace, galloping his team for all they 

 could do, right up the middle of the road. 

 It was said by witnesses that the driver of the 

 down mail pulled his team out on to the grass 

 by the roadside, as far as he possibly could, 

 in order to avoid the collision which seemed 

 almost inevitable. And it came ! The hubs 

 of the front wheels caught, there was a 

 dreadful smash, poor old Tom was shot off his 



