The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-09-28
HOMER DAVENPORT
IS LOCATED
FAMOUS FUNNY MAN IS IN FAR
AWAY SYRIA. INDUCING HIS
PET FAD OF BUYING ARABIAN
HoRSEs-ENJoYING HIMSELF.

The Morning Astorian takes pleas.
are in reproducing the letter below,
knowing the widespread interest its
readers have in oregons famous car.
toonist, Homer Davenport, OF whose
whereabouts for the past several months
there has been more or less conjecture:
"rhe following very interesting 10. .
ter has just been received by l.. II.
Geer, from his nephew, Homer Daven.
port, the world famed cartoonist, who
went to the great desert In search OF
Arabian horses Of the purest strain.
Nearly all Statesman readers know
that Mr.. Davenport is Marion county
boy and raised In the Waldo hills near
Silyerton. lie is bringing over twenty
odd horses, and he has accomplished
what no other man ever did--has gone
from an alien land to the desert tribes
and secured horses and brought them
away with the consent OF the tribes
that love their horses even as their own
children. Following is the letter:
"ALEPPO, Syria. Aug Is, 1906. My
Dear Uncle Bye: write to say that !
have just returned from the interior OF
the desert; that while thin and ragged
am well. The heat ran about ll3 to
lls in the shade, but we stood ii. |
am tired from the saddle, but have ms
reward the pick Of all the desert tribes.
seems TO guide me, as on
meeting Akmut Hairez. the ruler Of all
The tribes, he went personally with me,
and when the governor OF Aleppo asked
me how many soldiers | wanted. |
told him none. So Ifafrez says that |
brought smiles instead Of soldiers to
The Bedowen. Thus | won their hearts
md got horses and mares that no money
,oud have bought. To this big hearted
nan | could not speak word, still
when / told him the stories Of SilveIton
md Of my mother and father, he told /
ne things that show me that maps
,nly show the divisions Of land and wa.
,er-that the brotherhood Of man runs
through all the races the world over
We rode nights over the desert even
Without a moon and they killed sheep |
md we ate all day.
II am anxious to get out Of this old
.ity. The filth is awful. The streets
IRE just wide enough to let one car
iage down street, so when they meet
someone has to back to the closest cross
treet. We are hoping to escape the
Aleppo button sore that comes on
he face Of every one. Nothing can cure
and no medical study has revealed
is cause. 1t lasts about year, then
disappears, leaving white scar that
8 called the 'Aleppo button
"Hope to start the horses and mares
omorrow night for Beirut, 200 miles,
nd once there | will ship to Naples;
hence to America.
"Of course | haven't had any news
rom any part of Europe for month.
here are no newspapers published
ere, though it is place of two hun
red and fifty thousand people.
"I notice lots of gazelles-pets in
acant lots-and the hyenas come to
he very edge of the town to dig into
raves; camel graves in particular.
"The governor Of Aleppo has just
Iade me another present; a 2-year-old
,ud colt the finest / have seen, He
lme from the Gornusa tribe. lie is
ny, nearly fifteen hands high now.
"The heat is making me pant in this
ouse they call hotel, and I'll quit
Il I get to America.
"Give my love to everybody in the
lis. HOMER DAVENPORT"
Salem Statesman.