Earliest known mention in the press

Over four years ago I found what was, at that time, the earliest known reference to the Sousaphone in the press. But I just stumbled upon another reference that is over a month earlier, from that same 1896 Sousa Band tour. It's from a detailed article on page 8 in the February 11, 1896 edition of The Helena [MT] Independent:

Here are the title and subtitles of the article:

And here's the relevant section of the article itself:

That "double B flat helicon trooper who was six feet five inches tall" was none other than Herman Conrad, who was indeed "a former member of Gilmore's band," from 1888, shortly after he immigrated to America from Germany, until early 1893, when he joined Sousa's Band a handful of months after Gilmore's death.

The article claims that the new instrument, "known to the profession now as a sousaphone," was created based on "a model furnished by Mr. Sousa himself." This is not quite accurate, from what we know, as Sousa himself recounted years later that he had simply suggested the idea for the modified helicon to J. W. Pepper back in 1895, and Pepper finally produced the new horn for the great bandmaster in 1895.

One curiosity that remains (for me, anyway!) is why I have only been able to find two references to the new instrument in newspapers that reported on that three month cross-country tour of Sousa's peerless band. Granted, it was merely a modified helicon bass, and helicon's were pretty common in those days (including in Sousa's Band for the first few years), but sporting the name "Sousaphone," you would think, would have sparked more interest than it seems to have received on that tour. Hmm.

UPDATE - July 22, 2024: Click here for another reference to Pepper's Sousaphone in 1896.