New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-11-15
PRESIDENT LOST HIS SHOT.
RETURNED To CAMP FOR LUNCHEON,
AND DOGS CAUGHT THE BEAR.

: Smedes Miss Nov. IA lean black bear,
which weighs 235 pounds. is hanging up at the
Presidents camp the Little Sunfower; but.
TO the regret Of the entire party. the first trophy
of the hunt did not fall by the Presidents rifle.
The bears trail was struck by the hounds soon
after the party started this morning. The mem
bers Of the party except the President, Mr..
Foote, Mr.. Parker and Holt Collier, had been
stationed at the various crossings. and as soon
as the dogs gave tongue the President and his
guides plunged through the dense underbrush in
pursuit
Within few minutes the dogs showed the
direction the quarry was taking. and Holt Col
lier with the instinct of an old bear hunter,
Immediately made up his mind where the ami
NAL would come out. To save the President
needless hard riding through the brush he dt-
rected Mr. Foote to take the President along the
trail TO a certain cut off. This was done and
for several hours they waited there.
The trail of the bear carried the yelping
hounds out OF hearing and, shortly after noon,
Mr. Foote abandoning hope that the quarry
would come their way, he and the President re-
turned to camp for luncheon. Had they re-
NAMED the President would have had shot,
as the bear with the pack at its heels. crossed
at almost the exact spot which Collier had in
dicated.
About a mile beyond this point. the animal.
exhausted by his long race, into water
hole and turned on the dogs. They were all
over him in an instant. The poor beast was too
exhausted to make much of a fight, but he
grabbed one of the hounds by the neck and
crushed its spine killing it instantly. AS the
bear was making a sweep with it's paw at an
other dog Collier jumped from his horse and
knocked him over with a blow on the head.
Then he blew his horn, indicating that the
quarry had been brought 10 bay. messenger
was sent back for the President. Meantime
Collier roped the bear and tied him to a tree.
When the President arrived he would neither
shoot it nor permit il to be shot.
Put it out Of it's misery" he said to Mr..
Parker, and the latter ended the animals life
with his knife.
On the way back to camp with the dead bear
the dogs struck fresh trail. which the Presi-
dent Mr. Foote, Mr. Mangum, Secretary CorteI
you and DR.. Lung followed AS Holt Collier,
with the bear sung across his horses launches
descended the river bank opposite the camp he
said: IF the colonel had stayed whar put him
he would 'er done got this yere one
Mr.. Fish and Mr.. Parker also returned TO
camp, but at dark there sign of the
President. and some anxiety manifested
lest in his enthusiasm he would get too far
away and be forced to sleep on the trail.
None Of the small army of newspaper men and
photographers WHO IoiloWeu Ine PRESIDENT SouIil
succeeded in reaching camp to-day. The only
newspaper men allowed there were the repre-
sentatives OF the press associations who came
with the party. All kinds of expedients were at
tempted by the others to get to the camp, but
without avail Every trail was guarded. and no
negro could be found who cared to risk making
an attempt TO guide visitors in.
Bob" Bobo telegraphed from Bobo station to-
day that he could not bring his pack OF dogs
here. he was engaged with party of Chi
cago hunters.