Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-15
HAAS TAKES own LIFE TWAS A REAL DINNER
AssaIant of District Attorney Guests at White House Tell
Heney Suicide. All About Africa.
SHOOTS HIMSELF IN HEAD PRESIDENT KEEN LISTENER
Trial Ruef Rights Maj Mearns and Percy Madeira
Not Preudiced. Headiner
SAFEGUARD AGAINST TROUBLE OTHERS NOT NAMED
Wounded
Bullet-Posibility Of
Of Operation Tropical Jungle.
Guests at White House Tell
All About Africa.
PRESIDENT KEEN LISTENER
Maj. Mearns and Percy Madeira the
Headliners.
OTHERS INVITED NOT NAMED
Party, in Fancy, Passes Through the
Dense Labyrinth of
Tropical Jungle.

There was a real dinner at the White
House last night. Maj Edward A.
Mearns of the Army Medical Corps. who
is bang up ornthologist and who will
accompany President Roosevelt into
darkest Africa to stuff the things shot
by the Presen and Percy Madeira.
prominent society man of Philadelphia
and big game hunter who would rath-
er follow a lions spoor than drink 3
o'clock tea with lemond in It, were the
headliners among the guests. The rest
OF them are lost to posterity. There
was no list of the invited given out.
But after all. it doesn't make much
difference. Mearns and Madeira furnish
ed the excitement. In his Philadelphia
home Mr.. Madeira has a couple Of rooms
all cluttered up with wild things that
he has killed at the ends of the earth
one room is devoted to African speci-
mems. There are lions and tigers and
elephants and camels and ant eaters and
springbrok and cows and leopards and
chickens and snakes and goats and all
varieties of wild things stuffed just as
natural as life. So, OF course. he was
a welcome guest. Between the SOUP and
the nuts he led the President into the
dense labyrinth OF a tropical Jungle
Sweat s,reamed from the human brow
and the dark-skinned beaters of the bush
pursued the monarch of the forest into
his loathsome. bone-strewed lair. There
was quick work by knife and gun, death
followed the swat OF the dumdum and
the assembled company bathed their
hands in gore. Mr.. Madeira can tell
President was as interested as could be.
He Said so.
'Tis No Joke About Madeira.
There is no joke about this Mr.. Ma
deira is even better known as a famous
hunter and traveller than as member OF
the smart push. Recently he and Mrs. Ma
deira made an extended trip through
Africa. Mrs Madeira was Miss Elizabeth
Campbell, a daughter of Alexander Z.
Campbell, for many years the law part
ner and solicitor for Dhe Tate-F'ranklin
B. Gowen Company, both before ana
after he was president OF the keading
Railroad Company. She has nerve to
burn, and was the first white woman
ever to set foot in the MBas district OF
Africa. With her husband she. walked
SIX hundred miles and they brought back
to the United States many specimens OF
African game and other mementos OF
the trip. as well as vast store of knowl-
edge, geographical, Typographical, pho
tosraphical, orthoeraphical and other
wise.
While the President was taking it easy
AT oyster Bay during the past summer
Mr.: Madeira blew in. and the things ne
had to say about his most recent African
proWl got Mr.. Roosevelt a whole lot in
terested. Last nights dinner was the re-
suit. The President invited Mr. Madeira
down and told him to cut loose, which he
did. What the President doesn't know
about the possibilities of assorted slaugh-
ter in Africa isn't worth knowing. Mr..
Madeira told him every blamed thing
from how to skin Nubian lion with
pocketknife to the most approved method
of making a Scotch highball without ice
while travelling minus baggage in the In
terror on the trail of peevish pachyderm.
Mai Mearns chined in at the critical
points TO say that he would serve quinine
in the fever belt and stuff recently ex-
terminated animals between times. AL
together the dinner was decided success.
Mearns a Lucky Dog.
Maj. Mearns is lucky dog Recently
he was before an examining board in
Washington and fell down. So now
he'll be retired with the rank of lieu
tenant colonel and can chase around with
the President as much he pleases
without exciting adverse comment. He
is now stationed at Fort Totten, n. ".
but soon, when he gets the boost in rank
and salary. he Will ne footloose and as
free as air. He will be the medical adj
visor of the party, in addition TO of
Mr.. Madeira isn't a pot hunter. He
made that plain in his chat with the
President last evening. He frowns on the
gatling gun a gentlemans weapon and
favors the express rife type and smooth
bore elephant gun carrying four balls 10
the pound smokeleSs powder driven Nor
does he kill indiscriminately. Some of the
specimens in his private collection of per-
sonally assassinated animals have been
much sought after by the Academy of
Natural Sciences In Philadelphia and he
has some others that any museum would
be glad to get it's clutches on.
Reason for Invitation.
For this reason, together with the fact
that Mr.. and Mrs. Madeira recently re-
turned to the Quaker city from a long
trip in the dark continent President
Roosevelt considers him an authority on
African travel and adventure and was
mighty anxious to get his advice. That's
why he invited him to dinner
The President and Maj. Mearns. who
has been sleeping with maps of Africa
ever since the President invited him to
go along on this coming hunting trip.
were keenly interested in Mr. Madeira'S
"reminiscences. They hung his words
and were in at the death every time.
1t was a real dinner and everybody
had a good time.