Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-03-14
THE PRESIDENTS TRIP.
Features Of tho Wild Region In Texas
Where He Will Hunt.

Where He Will Hunt.
The big thicket," into which the
Texas friends of President Roosevelt
are arranging to take him on bear
hunt some time during his coming WIS.,
1t to Texas on the occasion of the
rough riders reunion at San Antonio
probably is the biggest and queerest
streak OF forest country in the United
States, says a special dispatch from
Orange, Texas, to the Chicago Tri-
bune. Although 1t lies In one Of the
most thickly settled sections Of the
state, 1t has no population save bears
wildcats, wolves and other wild beasts
and winged and creeping creatures.
The big thicket is from five to fifteen
miles wide and seventy miles long. 1t
extends from the Sabine river, the
boundary between Texas and Louisi-
ana, twelve miles north of Orange to
the Trinity river region, almost west.
u is the line OF demarcation between
two great pine timber belts.
With the exception Of scattered
dwarfed pines, red oaks, gums and
other varieties Of trees that have Sc
cured root room In the density OF the
thickets prevailing undergrowth, there
is no timber in the big thicket. The
black hsw, the wild peach and the
wild plum trees give food to the sweets
loving bear. Wild grape vines, the
rattan vine. the scrambling briers and
other growths cling to a variety OF
oak that stands almost as thick as
cane in a brake and grows but little
larger. The bottom Of the thicket Is
soft and In the rainy season is covered
in many places with deep water.
Hunters or others without guides
who venture into the thicket beyond
the hearing of companions on the out
side do so at the risk Of being lost. The
only way. bear can be hunted success
fully In the big thicket Is with trained
dogs. The dogs can make their way
through the dense growths Of the
thicket faster than the bear and soon
bring 1t to bay. The hunters drag and
squeeze and cut their way to the spot
where the bear has made Its stand,
sometimes with its back against tree
sometimes in the tree. II against the
tree, 1t Is likely the hunters will find
a dog or two lying dead among the
briers. A rifle bullet usually ends the
hunt.
The bears Of the big thicket are said
to be large and fierce. Jim Simpson,
an Orange county hunter, killed ten
bears In the thicket In the last year.
The wildcats in the great waste are
bigger than prairie wildcats and are
aggressive. oliver Clark Of Orange
county killed the biggest wildcat on
record recently. The cat attacked him
after he had thrown a lighted pine
knot at It. The beast leaped upon the
hunter. It bit into Clarks left arm,
and the hunter drew his knife from
his belt and, thrusting 1t under his
arm, won the fight. He could not use
ms arm lot weeks.
The Orange and Northwestern rail-
road and the Kansas City Southern
cross the big thicket. In the waters OF
the great swamp fish Of many va
rieties abound. During the summer
the alligator, the moccasin snake. the
rattler and other cheerful representa-
tives of reptile and insect life abound
In the thicket.
Upon miles and miles Of the big
thicket's area no man ever has set
foot. Ten feet in from either edge OF
the thicket a person Is lost to view.
During the civil war the thicket was
the refuge Of many deserters from the
Confederate army. Some deserters re-
mained hidden there until the end OF
the war, and many feuds resulted
from the resentment they felt toward
provost marshals for their efforts to
capture them.
One instance cited Is that Of prom
inent citizen who was two years In
hiding in the woods. The war no
sooner was over than this deserter at
once set out to hunt the man who had
hunted him. He found his man, but
himself was killed.