Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1902-11-19
PRESIDENT AFTER BEARS
Plunges in Mississippi Cane Brakes
on Trail Of Big Game.
DRESSES IN FRlNGED BUCKSKIN

Bears tho Marks OF Many Fierce Bat
ties I'm His Old Ranching Days-Huut-
ing Camp inaccessible ON Foot-One
Bear Taken by the Party.
Smedes. Miss.-President Roosevelt
and his party arrived here Mt $40 r.
m. Thursday and started for the camp.
about fifteen miles distant. .>-.
The President had been joined at
Memphis by President Stuyvesant
Fish of the Illinois Central: General
Counsel Dickinson. of the same road;
John NJ. Parker, of New Orleans. La;
John MrElhenny. formerly Lieutenant
in the Rough Riders; Major q. NJ.
Holm, W. w. Mangum and II. l.
Foote
The latter three are big Mississippi
planters and well-known bear hunters
in this country. Mr.. Foote is consid-
cred one of the best shots in the State.
MI Parker has had charge OF the
preparations for the hunt. and the
President appears TO be greatly pleased
with the arrangements.
The camp is located on the banks of
the Little Sunhower River. in Il prac-
tically unbrokcn wilderness. The oak.
ash and cypress forest is choked with
ar underground of bud vine, but Il
tran has been cut, the camp and horses
have been provided for tho members of
the party. The camp itself consists OF
three sleeping tents and one cook tent
Hoke Collier. n negro, who was Il
scout in the Confederate Army during
the Civil War has charge of the
hounds. Among them Is the best bear
dog in the country. the property of
Mr. Fnotc. This is his last hunt Col
Her, MIR. Parker said, was credited
with having been in at the death of
1000 bears
1T would be practically Impossible
Tor anyone to reach camp on foot, and
arrangements have been made to pre-
vent any one from obtaining horse
or mule at Smedes without n permit
In this way the managers of the hunt
believe that privacy has been assured.
The President has with him the hunt
ing outfit used by him for many years
in his hunting trips after big game in
the neighborhood of his ranch on the
Little Missouri, in Dakota, and in the
mountains of Idaho, Montana and Colo
rado. 1t includes Il fringed buckskin.
worn by the old wilderness hunter.
and his favorite Winchester 4O-90. This
weapon bears the interesting scars of
one OF his battles with a mountain lion
in Colorado. In closing with Il
wounded cat. the President thrust the
stock into his mouth. 1t shows the
teeth marks of the enraGed animal and
the place where small piece was lit
orally bitten away. His cartridge belt
has hunting knife attached.
y lean black bear. weighing 30
pounds. was hung UP in President
hooseveits camp on the Little Sun
Hover. hut the first trophy of the hunt
did not fan to the Presidents rifle.
Tie bears trail was struck by the
hounds soon after the party started.
ana as soon rs the dogs gave tongue
the President and his guides plunged
through the dense underbruSh in Dur-
suit. To save the President needless
hard riding through the brush. Holt
Collier directed Mr.. Foote TO take the
PRESIDENT along the trail to n certain
cuton, where he thought the hear
would come out.
Mr.. Roosevelt and Mr.. Foote waited
Tor several hours. The trail of the
bear carried the yelping hounds out of
hearing. and soon after noon Mr. Foote
abandoned hope that the quarry would
come back their way, and he and the
PRESIDENT returned to camp for lunch.
Had they remained the President
with the dog ut its heels. crossed at al
most the exact spot which Collier had
Indicated
About n mile beyond this point the
bear. exhausted by his long race. ran
INTO water hole and turned upon the
dogs They were all over him in IN in
stant. The beast was too exhausted
to make much OF n fight and Mr.. Col
1ler jumped from his horse and Knocked
the game over with Il blow on the head
from his rife.
Then Collier blew his horn. indicat
ing that the quarry had been brought
10 bay. y messenger was SEM bacl,
for the President. and Collier Toned the
near ana tied him to Il tree. When the
President arrived he would neither
shoot ii nor permit 1t to be shot
Put it out of its misery" said Mr..
Roosevelt to Mr.. Parker. and the latter
ended its life with his knife
On the way back 10 camp the dogs
struck fresh trail. and the President
Mr.. Foote, Mr.. Mangum. Secretary
Cortelyou and DIR. Lung followed it.