Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-24
OFF At THE CRACK O. Dawn
TWO MORE OFFICERS
MERELY RIDE AWAY.
In the Lead Is Gen. Duvall; in the
Rear-Well, Never
Mind

Headed by Maj. Gen. William P. DuvalI.
thirty-two officers on duty in the War
Department and the War College. most
of whom agitate the scales at rather nifty
f1gures. left Fort Myer this morning on
the first relay of the ninety mile horse
manshlp test, which they are permitted to
take by courtesy of President Roosevelt.
Thirty miles-just thirty, count them
are to be made each day, and camp will
be pitched both nights the officers are
out at Fairfax Court House, Va. Gen.
Duvall is not required to make the test
ride but insisted on going along just for
pleasure.
Pleasure seems TO be the main idea of
TINS trip. Any one at Fort Myer this
morning when the gallant thirty-tWo
mounted and ratified off into the swirling,
aL-ooScur1ng fog could have told with
nan an eye that there was not a man of
them all but that looked forward to the
Joys OF the next three days with sweetest,
richest anticipation
before the order to mount was given
the 1at colonies and corpulent majors and
well rounded captains stood in little
groups and said laudatory things about
the President.
One Morning Carol.
~" 90 iONe the morning mist.
caroied four hundred pound colonel as
he cut couple of pigeon wings and then
expanded his chest to take in a gallon
or two OF wet gray air How / do love
10 rise with the buzz-the lark-and.
dashng down the front steps, throw my
self on the back of me noble steed to
ride and ride and ride-for ninety miles.
Abs me. had our President not had this
inspiration | fear. | greatly fear. l should
have been compelled to resign
And l. too. feel that way" cried a
acknowledgement colonel, as he lightly
vaulted his horse a couple of times to
pass away the moments of waiting for
| know nothing that compares with the
JOY OF mad ride in full uniform with
lot of war harness hitched to your belt.
Here l have been doing post duty and
desk work for years. melancholy with tn
satisfied longing for little jaunt sWe t
little excursion like this. How happy.
how very very happy I am today"
And so it went. Even the blooded and
branded army horses seemed to partake
of the general jollity of the occasion as
they gazed tenderly at their mastodonic
masters and thought with anticipation
cleaning In their gentle equine eyes, of
the ninety merry miles ahead. One of
them got so frivolous and excited with joy
thar he let out with his off hind foot and
nearly rang a bull'S-eye on a circular
uniform front.
Such Thoughtless Horse.
But that was a thoughtless horse. Just
supposed that he had landed That col
onel wouldn't have been able to ride.
Finally. Gen. Duvall gave the order to
mount. and with quip and song and mer-
ry jest the fortunate thirty-two swung
the aid of block and tackle and gallop-
ed grandly away And long after the
curtain of fog had lowered behind them
those folks at the post who stayed be-
hind could hear the pound of the horses
flying feet, the clink and rattle Of saber
and canteen and the merry, merry
laughter of the happy care free thirty
two-oh. honestly. they could
Here are the lucky thirty-two:
Col. Montgomery NJ. Macomb. general
Lieut.. Col. James 3. Hickey, adjutant
general.
Lieut.. Col. Robert X. Evans. general
staff.
Lieut. Col. Charles st. J. chubb. ID In
fantry.
Lieut. Col. Thaddeus ". Jones, general
staff.
Lieut. Col Frederic V. Abbot. Corps Of
Engineers.
Lieut.. Col. Frank A. Edwards, 18th Cav
airy.
Lieut.. Col. Alfred Todd, general staff.
Lieut.. Col. Harry L. Rogers. pay de-
partment
Maj. John 3. Porter. judge advocate.
Maj Hoel S. Bishop. 9TH Cavalry
Maj. William 2. Rochester jr, paw
master.
Maj. Eben Swift. general staff
Maj. John T. knight. general staff.
Mai. Daniel II. Boughton. general staff
Maj. Merritte w. Ireland, Medical Corps
Maj. Moses G.. Zainski, quartermaster.
Mai. Henry c. Hodges, jr., LIST In
fantry.
Mai. Charles Nick saltzman. Signal
Corps.
Mai. Jay E. Hoffer. ordnance depart.
ment.
Mai. Parker W. West. 14th Cavalry.
Mai. William Fl. Johnston, 10th In
tantry.
Mai. John X. Cree general STAFF.
Mai. Alfred NJ Hunter, Coast Artillery
Corps.
Mai. Spencer Cosby. Corps of Engineers.
Mai. William G. Ham, Coast Artillery
Corps.
Mai. John H. Rice, ordnance depart
ment.
Ma. Henry D. Todd, jr, Coast Artillery
Corps.
Mai. James B. Cavanaugh, Corps of En-
Sineers.
Mai. Andre w. Brewster, 10Th Infantry.
Mai. William E. Horton. quartermaster
Mai. George c. Bailey, quartermaster
NAL Clint Z. Hearn, Coast Artillery
Corps.
Mai. Frank Mcintyre, infantry.
Mai. Carl r. Darnall, Medical Corps
This ride was under the leadership of
Gen: w. p. Duvall assistant chief of