St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1904-04-02
The Bicycle. Isa aspeloaas a. s.

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wardness OF the warbling front, on
ly few could manipulate it
with any degree of satisfaction,
there being constant incli-
nation on its part akin to that Of
the broncho which tilts up behind
and lands the rider on his face and
the ground in front. But so many
have been the silnpliffcations in
the construction of this little ma
chine, that it is now not only OF
unique proportions but is a very
swift and extremity shifty one in
the hands of tse reasonably expert
rider, enabling him to "cut letter
Ss," or for that matter, almost any
other OF the alphabet, with APP
parent ease. However, the first of
the last named grade which we re-
member Of having seen on our
streets was brought here and ridden
by Jesse Duson, then resid-
ing at Crowley, who was re-
markably apt scholar at the busi-
ness-in fact so swift that he was
unable to avoid the catastrophe in
running around Ealer's corner OF
coming in collision with short
bodied giraff-looking colored wo-
man and landing still with both
arms around her waist, looking
around dispairingly for the means
to extracate himself; but, modest
Jesse succeeded In getting out OF
his entanglement and hummed
away without even taking side
glance at this lnotly female spec
linen of African descent. But
to the present editor of the Ope-
lousas Courier, we will have to
in part ascribe the ownership Of
the first vehicle of this kind ever
brought to Opelousas, he having
procured ons for his son Allen,
the terms being one-part cash and
the other in advertising. Having
been apprised of its arrival, and
probably overestimating the agility
of one of his years, he proceeded to
the depot, and paying the express
charges, took it home, where
we learn that after unsuccessfully
experimenting in his spacious yard
enclosure, he repaired to an open
but secluded spot In his twelve-
acre pasture, where be wonld pos
sess the two-fold advantage of
being unseen and OF occasionally
resting from his efforts while stirv-
ing to be first in successfully rid
ing a modern bicycle here. But,
10 and behold, there he found no
shrubbery to catch on to, and con.
sequsnly fell and refell until the
grass even looked like it had been
struck by cyclone while his
Joints had been ratified to the ex-
tent of being scarcely able to reach
The house that night. His arrival
at the top step of his Office with
hand ON each knee was late next
day, and when asked by the writer
what was the matter, he sighed
and regretfully remarked "Oh,
have broke myself up trying to
brake in that d--d bicyie that
was bought for Allen" There's
no telling anyway what man will
do who Is owner of an opera house,
and before marriage once bid
SIT 80 on a steamboat fog-horn try
ing to silence the operate sing
ers OF his neigborhood.
After this initial step had been
taken, with such disastrous re-
suits, dealers had q hard time try
ing to bring the "wheeP into gem
eral use. Finally, after organizing
bicycle companies, with repair
shops and a corps of skilled work
men such as Morgan Sandoz. with
his aluminaries" ON, he as one of
the industrious proprietors got up
a reasonable boom in its use-but
even this was spoiled through the
fascination of the "coon" for sail
ing around; because, by paying
the highest price, most OF the ve-
hicles were necessarily rented.
OF course, after the negro's loose
change gave out, there was imme-
diately a curtaiIment OF style in
the air on the part OF participants.
The use of the bicycle for awhi Q
e:ame comparatively obselafe
but as is usually the case WI ere