Jehu

Stagecoach drivers were often referred to as "Jehus". The name is derived from the often reckless behavior of the drivers combined with the Bible verse in Second Kings 9:20 "And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not again: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously." (Emphasis added.)

The illustration above is from a 19th century lithograph showing a Barlow, Sanderson & Co. Overland Mail Company stagecoach racing at breakneck speed with a "Jehu" handling the lines.

Courtesy The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. BANC PIC 1963.002:1401--FR