The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-11-14
Leave Railroad for a l5-Mile
Ride to Camp.
BEGINS TODAY.
Bear Signs Are Plentiful in the
Vicinity.
People of Vicksburg Wanted to
Run an Excursion
But President Fish Wouldn't
Give Them a Train.

Smedes, Miss, Nov. 14.-President
Roosevelt and his party arrived here
shortly before o'clock yesterday after
noon and in their hunting togs started
soon afterward for the camp on the Lit
tie Sunfower river. AS the distance Is
a good is miles and the trail is rough
and bad. the chances are that ii was
after dark before they reached the camp.
Smedes is simply siding on the va
zoo & Mississippi Valley railway where
cotton is loaded from the big Smedes
plantations. A plantation store and the
residence of one of the managers are
the only structures except negro cabins
within sight. Work on the neighhoring
plantations was suspended, and several
hundred negroes were at the siding
when the train stopped. Most of the
men sat on cotton bales, but the black
mammieS and the pickaninnieS stood
along the track They showed their
white teeth in hard grins, but made no
other demonstration as the president
stepped from the train. He was clad in
Hunting costume, khaki riding trousers
heavy leather .leggins. blue flannel shirt
and corduroy coat, and wore on his mead
a brown slouch hat. Around his waist
was buckled his cartridge belt and at
his side hung his ivory handled hunting
knife. The other members of the party
also wore hunting suits. While the
guns, blankets and other small baggage
were being LOADER into. a four mule
wagon, the president chatted with the
manager of the Smedes estate and two
ladies who were great admirers of him
and who had come especially to greet
hirn.
When all was in readiness the mem
bers. of the party. except Mr.. Fish and
Mr.. Dickinson. mounted small, wiry,
tough looking horses and dashed away
for the woods at a break neck canteR.
The presidents mount was a black
horse He did not look spirited. but it
was explained that be was Just the sort
of animal needed to force a way through
the dense -underbrush. The others fol-
lowed in blackboard drawn by two
mules.
Two disappointments met the presi-
dent here. The first one was that Mr.
Mangum. who had much to do with ar
ranging the hunt. was too i'll to pro-
ceed to camp last night, and the other
was the story which came back from
camp that in trying the pack of hounds
half the dogs had gone off after a deer,
which was bumped while Hoke Collier
was on the trail of bear. AS there are
only % dogs the split is very disQuiet-
ing. Mr.. Mangum as soon as he heard
of this accident put himself in commu-
nication with Bobo, famous bear
hunter. who has a fine pack of 45 dogs
on his place about 100 miles north of
here at Bobo station If this pack can
be secured there will be a great suffi-
cheney of dogs. In place of Mr.. Man
gum it has been arranged that Hugh
Foote and Hoke Collier will hunt with
the president. Paths have been cut
through the underbrush to be used as
cutoffs to the river crossing, and on this
station the members of the party except
the president will be stationed The
president and his guides will follow the
hounds through the underground, in or
der to be at hand if a bear is brought
to bay.
1T will be powerful hard" said Mr..
Mangum, "and 1 predict the president
will lose at least five pounds in the
next five days. 1 rode through there a
few days ago. and when I got got out
my clothes were almost torn oft Of me.
I looked if I had been in 4 railroad
wreck
Mr. Mangum says the black bears
herea bouts weigh from 800 to 900