The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-11-15
The President Waited at a Cut Off for Bruins Appear-
 dnCG
WHILE AT LUNCH
 THE BEAR APPEARED
Roosevelt and Party the Chief Attrao ton for Inhabitants in Smedes. Newspaper Men Stopped by
 Negroes With Guns.

Smedes. Miss. November l4.-A lean black bear, which weighs 2S5 pounds is hanging up at the Presidents camp on the little Sun Flower. but to the regret of all the members of the party the first trophy of the hunt did not fall to the Presidents Winchester. The bears trail was struck by the hounds soon after the party started this morning.
 The members of the party except the President, MT. Foote MT. Parker and Holt Collier, had been stationed at the various crossings. As soon as the dogs gave tongue the President and his guides plunged through the dense underbrush in pursuit. Within a few minutes the dogs showed the direction the quarry was taking and Holt Collier, with the in- stinct of an old bear hunter, immediately made up his mind where the animal would come out. To save the President needless hard riding through the brush he directed Mir Foote to take the Presl- dent along the trail to certain cutoff This was done and the President and MT. Foote rode to the assigned station. On their way several swamp deer were jump ed up but no effort was made to get a shot at them. Then for several hours the President and MT Foote waited The trail of the bear carried the yelping hounds out of hearing and shortly after noon MT 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 would have had shot as the bear, with the pack at it's heels, crossed at almost the exact spot which Holt had indicated. About mile beyond this point bruin, ex- hausted by his long race, ran Into water hole and turned upon the dogs They were all over him in an instant The poor beast was too much exhausted to make much of fight but he grabbed one of the hounds by the neck and crushed through It's spne. killing it in- stantly. As the bear was making a swipe with its paw at another dog. Holt Collier jumped from his horse and. clutching his rifle, knocked MT. Bear over with blow on the head, then he blew his horn in token that the quarry had been brought to bay A messenger was sent back for the President. Meantime Holt roped the bear and tied him to tree When the Presiuent arrived he would neither shoot it nor permit 1t to be shot.
 Stabbed With Knife.
 Put it out of its misery" said he to MT Parker, and the latter ended Its life with his knife.
 On the way back to camp with the dead bear, the dogs struck a fresh trail and the President MT. Foote, MT. Mangum. Secretary Cortelyou and Dr. Lung fol- lowed it.
 The Associated Press correspondent ar rived in camp just as Holt Collier, with the bear slung across the horses launches, descended the river bank op- posite.
 ''If the colonel had stayed whar I put i'm" said the aggrieved Holt, The would 'er dun got this CT one"
 MT. Fish and Parker also returned to camp, but at dark, when the Associated Press correspondent left, there was no sign of the President and some anxiety was manifested lest the President in his enthusiasm would get too far away and be forced to sleep on the trail.
 The camp is admirably located under some big oaks. on the edge of the Sun Flower The brush has been cleared away and three sleeping and one cook tents have been put up. The President e1- pressed his satisfaction over the sim plicity of the arrangements. His tent contains four cots. which were occupied last night by himself, MT. Fish, MT. DICK inson and Secretary Cortelyou.
 The negroes slept on blankets under an oner tent fly. None of the small army of newspaper men and photographers wno followed the President here, succeeded in reaching camp today. The only news paper men allowed there were the three press association representatives who came with the party. All kinds or ex- pedients were attempted by the others to get to camp, but without avail. Every trail leading into the woods was guarded and no negro could be found who cared to risk making an attempt to guide vtsi- tors in. Two outside newspaper men did, however, succeeded in getting within haif mile of camp. They procured horses and followed blazed trail until they were stopped by two negro guards with guns.
 sYou have no legal right to stop us, declared the correspondents.
 sThis is the only law we know, re- piled the negro, tapping his shotgun.
 The newspaper men started back and tried the ruse of riding around the guards, but the latter, who had mules. knew the woods better and cut them off almost in sight of camp This time Freedman Wallace. one of the guards, turned the discomforted correspondents back at the point of his shotgun.
 The correspondents left with vague threats of legal proceedings against Wal lace, but as the camp and country for miles around Is the private property or the Illinois Central. It Is not probable that a legal action would stick. Besides MT. Mangum. who fs managing the hunt, is the magistrate before whom the case would be tried.
 Some of the negroes of the surround- ing plantations have knocked off work at cotton picking since the presidential party arrived and are spending their time hanging around the telegraph office m the boxcar on the siding That and ths special cars are the only attractions. It is decidedly dull, but they do not so re- gard it. When one of the plantation man. agers remonstrated with one of them he replied, Deed, Marsa, can't work till dis excitement is over.''
 Bob Bobo telesraphed from Bobo sta- tion that he could not bring his pack of dogs hare. e he was engaged with a}