The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-11-14
Hunting Party Arrives at Swamp and NH Start Out Early
 This Morning
OLD HUNTERS PREDICT
 SOME GREAT SPORT
Negro Who VIII Accompany the Pres ident in Following the Dogs Has
 Been at the Killing of 1600 Bears.

Smedes, Miss. November 13.-President Roosevelt and his party arrived here shortly before o'clock this afternoon, and in their hunting togs started for the camp on the Little Sun Flower river. As the distance Is about fifteen miles and the trail is rough and bad, the chances are that 1t will be after dark before they reach the camp.
 Smedes is simply siding on the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley railroad where cot ton is loaded from the big Smede planta- tions. A plantation store and the resi- dence of one of the managers are the only structures except negro cabins, within sight. Work on the neighboring planta- tions was suspended this afternoon and several hundred negroes were at the sid ing when the train stopped. Most of the men sat on the 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. Kakaline riding trousers, heavy leather leggins, blue flannel shirt, cordu- roy coat and wore on his head brown
 
 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 loaded into four-mule wagon, the President chatted with the manager of the Smede estate and two ladies. who were great admirers of him, and who had come especially to greet him.
 Rode Small Horses.
 When all was in readiness tn, members oI the party, except Mir. Fish and Mir. Dickinson, mounted small, wiry, tough looking horses and dashed away for the woods at breakneck canter. The Presi- idents' mount was black horse. He did not look spirited but it was explained that he was just the sort of animal need- ed to force a way through the dense un- dergrowth MT. Fish and A-r. Dickinson were too heavy to ride horseback and fol- lowed the others in a blackboard, drawn by two mules.
 Two Accomplishments met the President here, the first one was that Mir. Mingum. who had had much to do with arranging the hunt, was too i'll to proceed to camp tonight and the other was the story which came back from camp that in try ing the pack of hounds today half of the dogs had gone off after a deer which was jumped while Hoke Collier was on the trail of bear. As there are only 9 dogs in the pack, the split is very disquieting MT Mingum as soon as he heard of this accident put himself in communication with Bobo, a famous bear hunter who has a fine pack of forty-five dogs of his place about 100 miles north of here, at Bobo station. If his pack can be secured. there will be a great suffciency of dogs.
 1.aes lAAwa ranged that Hugh Foote and Hoke Col Her will hunt with the President They will start out at daylight tomorrow morn ing. Paths have been cut through the undergrowth to be used as cut-offs to the river crossing and on these stations the members of the party, except the President, will be stationed.
 VIII Follow the Hounds.
 The President and his guides will follow the hounds through the turf of under growth. Tt will be powerful hard" said MT. Mingum, 'and predict the President will lose at least five pounds in the next five days I rode through there few days ago and when I got out my clothes were almost torn off of me. looked as if I had been in a railroad wreck.
 Mr.1 Mipgum says the black bears here abouts weigh from 300 to 600 pounds. We haA noo3 Qsscales at the camp he said, .an,e' fstfo NsfF bfUiT be weighed when they d b. '2 Tin. Snt nsdt
 The signs pear in the IcinitS' of the camp are plentiful and MT Parker prom ises the President shot before omorrow evening. In a water hole Hoke Collier on Monday found the foot prints of nine.
 The Presidents train Is on the side track here and telegraph station mas been rigged up on boxcar on the sldlns The arrangements made here to prevent crowd of curious people from spolling the Presidents fun were admirably car ried out. The people of Vicksburg want ed to run an excursion up here this art ernoon to allow them to see the President start on his hunt, but President Fish of the Illinois Central would not per init it.
 The Camp.
 The camp is located fifteen miles east of Smedes on the bank of the Little Sunf1ower river in a practically unbroken wilderness. There are no settlers for miles in any direction. The oak, ash and cypress forest is choked with an under growth of bud vines as thick, MT. Parker said, as the hair on dogs back. A trail has been cut to the camp and horses have been provisioned for the members of the camp The camp itself consists of three sleeping tents and one cook ten, Hook Collier negro who was scout in the Confederate army during the civil war. and who afterward acted as guide for Gen. Wade Hampton. has charge of the pack of hounds, which has been at the camp for a week. Among them is the most celebrated bear dog in this country. He is now the property of Mi Foote This is his last hunt, MT. Parker told the President, and he is old ana deceitfuI, but he has one more hunt III him, and when he opens his mouth it means bear. Collier. MT. Parker said, was credited with having been in at the death of 1900 bears. He IS safd to have killed near 150 in a single season.
 Bear Meat for Sunday Dinner.
 'It will be rough work, said Mr. Parker.
 That is exactly what I want" replied