Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-04-25
(By JOHN X.


NHIRTY-TWO years ago a young
army officer stationed at Fort Mis-
! SOula sat down with his pen, and,
with a high vision before him, wrote
SOlemnly.
Not many years ago the bicycle was
looked upon as q mere toy, a kind of
dandy horse and the riders were re-
garded as tit subjects for pity. That
time, however, is a thing of the past.
the bicycle OF today is a very important
factor in our social and commercial life,
and bids fair to figure conspicuously
in the warfare of the future. France,
Austria, Switzerland, England, Ger
many and other European powers. :"
He is now Brigadier General James
A. Moss, U. S.. A., retired, and living in
Washington, d. C. But thirty-two
years ago he was Second Lieutenant
j. A. Moss, 25th Infantry, fresh from
West Point, and with a scheme Of add
ing to the United States army a new
corps to stand side by side with the
cavalry and the infantry.
Upon the recommendation and APP
prevail of General Miles," the young Of
ficer continued-he was preparing an
article for The Missoulian-''the Sec
rotary OF Wal has granted authority
for the 25th U. S. Infantry Bicycle
COlPo W lIlihC q tIlP 4lOlll IOll NlS-
SOula, Mont, to St. Louis, Mo, and re-
turn, a total distance of about $500
miles"
Perhaps 0 you do remember hav-
ing heard of that trip of the colored
regiments bicycle corps, but the recol-
lection is probably dim. So, too, are
the galley proofs of that journey as
they appeared everywhere in the Unit
ed States, written by a young reporter
who signed himself "Edw. H. Boos,
Official Reporter OF TWenty-Fifth In
fantry, U. S. A, Bicycle Corps" Mr.
Boos is now advertising manager of
the Missoula Mercantile company.
From San Francisco to New York his
columns were printed gladly because
the nation was watching the progress
of that party Of % men who were car
rying out the sensational theory that
perhaps, under certain conditions, BIZ
cycles were faster and cheaper than
cavalry!
A Serious Proposition
OF course, there were doubters, but
the trip was made. every inch of the
1902 miles, and in just 40 days land
often nights Of the kind Of travelling
that only they knew who followed the
prairie trains to the coast in the old.
old times. Across Montana, then south
east beside The Burlington through
Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska and
Missouri until the squadron reached
jefferson Barracks, Mo. Snow. Knee
deep water. Indian trails for roads.
Unbridged rivers. Alkali water. FULL
MARCHING. EQUIPMENT.
Mr.. Boos smiles now as he recalls
it. So, very likely, does Brigadier Cen
eral Moss, in his day the deepest
scholar of the art of bicycling in the
country" Well, it was an adventure.
1t still would be, all Lindberghs to one
side. The Missoula mar was a young
ster then, ripe for such a trip. Young
Lieutenant Moss was extremely serious
about it, however. He drew up argu-
ments for and against the bicycle, pre-
faced by such announcements as "the
question which confronts us is" and
he found the majority of factors fav-
orable to making the bicycle "invalu-
able for courier work, scouting duty,
road patroling," etc. In the summer
of 1896 he had taken a choice squad
on an 80O-mile trip through Yellow
stone park with huge success. Then
he chose the trip to st. Louis deliber-
ately because it offered the hardest