COACH PROPRIETORS 109 



brought up all the horses at a certain stage, so that next 

 day the rival coach was brought to an ignominious stop 

 there, while his own coach raced gaily by, shouting 

 derision after the manner of opposition coaches. 



Edward Sherman, another London coach proprietor, 

 built up a large business by his own energy and per- 

 severance, for being under the prevailing impression 

 that London streets were paved with gold he came to 

 town on foot, and thought himself lucky to earn 12s. a 

 week. He saved his money and invested it wisely, but 

 owed his success to another species of speculation no less 

 worldly-wise, for he married three wealthy old ladies in 

 succession. After being left thrice a widower, he possessed 

 a substantial fortune and rebuilt the Bull and Mouth Inn. 

 He was the first to introduce the fast, long distance day 

 coaches, of which the most famous were the Shrewsbury 

 Wonder, and the Manchester Telegraph, which did 

 actually accomplish its 186 miles in one day by starting 

 from London at five o'clock in the morning, and reaching 

 Manchester at eleven at night. 



Sherman shut his eyes resolutely to the fafl that the 

 railways would destroy the coaches. Other and wiser 

 proprietors took their coaches off the roads as the rail- 

 ways advanced to completion, but Sherman fought them 

 stubbornly and lost several thousand pounds before he 

 gave up the unequal contest. 



Thomas Fagg, another coach proprietor and landlord 

 of the Bell and Crown, was an immense admirer of the 

 Duke of Wellington, and indeed thought of changing the 

 name of his hotel to ^he Wellington. He confided this 



