Evening journal., 1905-03-18
THE PRESIDENTS TRIP
Festures of the Wild Region In
Texas Where He VIII Hunt
LARGE BEARS Is BIG TH1OKET."

Forest In fntoA<ly Settled Part of
the State IL Queer streak of couA-
try-Denss Underbrush Makes II
Hard Travelling For Hunters-Fine
Lurking Places For Beasts-PlAns
,EOr Hunting In Colorado.
The big thicket," into which the
Texas friends Of President Roosevelt
are arranging to take him on a bear
hunt some time during bis coming visit
to Texas on the occasion Of the rough
riders reunion at San Antonio, prob
ably is the biggest and queerest streak
Of forest country IN the United States,
says a special dispatch from Orange,
Tex. TO the Chicago Tribune. Although
It lies in one of the most thickly settled
sections Of the state. 1t has no popula-
ton save bears, wildcats, wolves and
other wild beasts and winged and
creeping creatures.
The big thlcket is from i've 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.
1t is the line Of demarcation between
two great pine timber belts.
With the exception Of scattered
dwarfed pines. red oaks, gums and 9TH
er varieties Of trees that have secured
root room in the densitysof the thick
cts prevailing underground, there is no
timber in the big thicket. The black
haw. 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 variety Of oak that
stands almost as thick as cane in a
brake and grows but little larger. The
bottom Of the thlcket is soft and in
the rainy season is covered In many
places with deep water.
Hunters OF 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 thieket is with trained
dogs. The dogs can make their way
through the dense growths Of the thick
ct faster than the bear and soon bring
It 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. It Is likely the hunters will find q
dog or two lying dead among the bri
ers. A rife 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 ter
bears in the thicllet in the last year
The wildcats in the great waste ar'
bigger than prairie wildcats and arr
aggressive. Oliver Clark Of Orang'
county killed the biggest wildcat OF
record recently. The cat attacked hin
after he had thrown a lighted pine kno
at II. The beast leaped upon the hunt
er. It bit into Clark's left arm, and th'
hunter drew his knife from his bel
and. thrusting It under his arm, woI
the hght. He could not use his arm
for weeks
The Orange and Northwestern rail
road and the Kansas City SoutherI
cross the big thicket In the waters o
the great swamp fish Of many va
rieties abound During the summe
the alligator, the moccasin snake, thl
rattler and other cheerful representa-
tives OF reptile and insect life aboun.
IN the thieket.
Upon miles and miles Of the bil
thicket's aren no man ever has set foot
Ten feet IN from either edge Of thl
thicket a person is lost TO view Dur
ing the civil war the thicket was tn
refuge Of many deserters from the Con
federate army. Some deserters remain
ed hidden there until the end OF tn
war, and many feuds resulted iron
the resentment they felt toward pro
vost marshals for their efforts to cap
ture them.
One instance cited is that OF a promi
nent citizen who was two years in hid
ing in the woods. The war no soone
was over than this deserter at once sc
out to hunt the man who had hunte
him. He found bis man, but himsel
was killed.
President Roosevelt is In daily re
ceipt Of urgent requests from prom
nent men In various towns of the Yves
who wish to entertain him on his tri
to Texas and Colorado, says a Wash
ington dispatch to the New York Trit
IT. ..Fa .T-