The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1917-11-30
GEN. PERSHING Waits
FOR MONTANA BOYS
Needs Men Who Can Bust
BronchOs and Are Not
Afraid to Hustle.

Pershing, commanding general of the
American expeditionary army, looks
forward to the coming of the Montana
troops with glee.
He has so written to Colonel j. J..
McGuinness, commander of the 163rd
infantry formerly the Second Mon
tana), now located at Camp Greene.
Colonel McGuinness himself is a dis
tinguished veteran of the war between
the states.
Colonel McGuinness, a Helena pion-
err, years ago knew the American
commander-in-chief when he was
plain "John ]. Pershing," a shave
tail" at Fort Assiniboine, Montana.
Never mind just how long it was.
Perhaps the censor might not want the
kaiser to know the age of the silent
soldier leading the American hosts
against the Hun.
But, in his smooth-face days, PERISH
ing was very well known in Montana
social circles. He is remembered as
a reserved, ever diffident, but up
standing chap-as handsome as he
was courteous, and cold.
Pershing wants the Montana boys
to hurry over, for he foresees great
deeds accomplished by them. When
Colonel McGuinness received this
pleasant little letter from Pershing
and told the boys of 163rd about it
there were cheers and a quickened de-
sire to get aboard for over seas.
The 163rd United States Infantry is
a regiment any commander would d.
rect with pride. 1t claims to be the
tallest regiment in the service. There
is one company which actually aver
ages more than six feet. It's sergeants
are vertically a platoon of monsters.
This company is Company B. from
Roundup, commanded by Captain M.
S. Bruce, himself a man over six feet
in height. While stationed at Fort
William Henry Harrison last spring,
Captain Bruce selected from the re-
cruits arriving at this post all the tall
ones and assigned them to his com
pany. Throughout the other compa-
MES, the average is over five feet,
eleven inches throughout the whole
regiment, having a strength of 2,062.
Moreover this regiment is the cream
of the state. 1t is of course COM
posed entirely of volunteers. The per-
cent of college men is large; among
them, many professional men for in
stance. 1t is said there are more than
sixty news writer's on the roster and
at least that number of lawyers.
1t is, nevertheless, a mixture well
representative of the state. Should
Pershing want a mine driven? Three
hundred Montana miners-will spring
from the 163rd infantry. Should he
want a forest felled? The regiment
possesses scores of woodsmen. And
rifle shots-just watch Montana.
Company l. is composed entirely of
crack shots, and seventy-five per
cent of the enlisted personnel of this
company are expert riflemen, wear
ing the medals of this grade. In
Company C. there also is a particu-
larly high percentage of fine marks
men. The entire front rank of this
company is composed of man who
wear the expert rifleman's medal
Colonel McGuinness is one of the fin.
est shots in Montana, and should he
wear at n time all the medals he
has won in rifle matches, the whole
front of his blouse would be covered
by them.
There is a tidy handful of men
from the Rocky Mountain Rifle Clut
of Butte, that can shoot with any pla.
toon in the world. This club was
twice American champion, and has
furnished men for Americas team ir
world events for many years.
Should Pershing want horses brok.
en-the eastern Montana men are
largely cowboys. There also arc
scores of plainsmen in the ranks
Company E, called "the Powder Riv.
er Bunch" halls from Miles City, one
of the biggest horse centers of the
west. Last year, over 5000 horses
were auctioned off there, and Fort
Keogh, one of the largest remount sta.
tions in the west, is located there
Company E is recruited largely from
the ranks of men who have lived fo1
years on the cattle ranches, and ever,
man of this outfit is a broncho buster
Down on the Mexican border last year
New Jersey guardsmen brought to this
company fifteen head of bad horses
which had been given to them anc
which they had been unable to handle
The captain, willing to do all he coulo
for the fasteners, called for volun.
teers to ride and break these ponies
and every mar in the company step.
ped forward, eager for the chance.