The Topeka state journal., 1909-03-22
HIS LAST WORD.
Col. Roosevelt Says He VIII Not Make
Another Statement.

oyster Bay, March 22.-Happy IN
the prospect of his departure Tues
day morning for his long planned
| African ''safari," or hunting trip, ex-
| President Roosevelt was the soul of
good humor Sunday at his home in
| Sycamore Hill, where the members
| union before the long journey to a
! jungles The ex-president took a
| lively interest in the final preparations
| for shipping his personal baggage to
Hamburg. w. Emlen Roosevelt and
his family, cousins of the ex-president
and ex-Secretary Garfield called.
Mr.. Roosevelt was up with the sun
| miles away accompanied by his wife,
Quentin, Archie and Ethel. The Rev.
Henry Washburn, rector of the church
incorporated a special prayer for Mr.
Roosevelt's safe return in the regular
prayer.
Mr.. Roosevelt and his wife made the
long trip back to Sycamore Hill and
seemed not to mind the clouds of
dust raised by the passing vehicles.
To Inspect Quarters.
81 am going to New York in the
morning" said Mr.. Roosevelt, ''and
will go to the steamer to inspect my
quarters and see that my personal
baggage is safely cared for. 1 shall
take with me my wearing apparel,
rifles, ammunition, one tent from here,
mCnts.'
Mr.. Roosevelt was shown a dis
patch stating that gentleman from
the west would join the expedition
here as an additional member.
"I don't know anything about it,,
said Mr.. Roosevelt. "If any one else is
going I don't know it. If they try, 1
think there will be some way to stop
them. There is a story that man
went to Texas with p caliber
revolver and a cowboy said to the new
conner, Stranger if you shoot me with
that thing and I find it out, I'll kick
you out of Texas Well, if I find any
one trying to follow me 1 may think
of the cowboy story
To the correspondents who called
on him, Mr.. Roosevelt said:
''I want to say now that I did not
intend to make another statement and
will not make any statement regarding
my African trip or on any other sub
ject here, at Naples, or Mombasa, so
that any appearing as coming from
me will be false on its face"
Surprised at Crowds.
Mr. Roosevelt seemed surprised
when informed that several delega-
tions. from various parts of the
country. would be at the dock and
several thousand people would be on
hand to give him a parting cheer as
the steamship goes out.
Gracious me-" said Mr. Roosevelt,
French am mbassador, M. Jusserand,
wrote me that he would be at the
dock If a big crowd is coming I will
write the company to see that he has
no trouble in getting through the
crowd. y L '>kt5T
"I will leave here carly Tuesday
and may go by the tube to Hoboken
from New York. which of course de-
pends on the weather. There will be
no speeches or statements from me
at the steamer.
The intelligence that many pack
ages had been received at the pier
from various friends containing every
thing from an assortment of pills to
cure all the evils that flesh is heir to
in the jungle. to ammunition and guns,
caused Mr.. Roosevelt to exclaim:
''I might say now that I have en-
gagged all my equipment and I won't
take them. I won't take them. I
won't even look at them. It's no use
to send these things to me-"
Mr.. Roosevelt said he was a private
citizen and as such he was entitled to
private citizens rights and would de-
cline to make any statements on
American political affairs. The mem
bers of the Roosevelt family at the
reunion besides Mr.. Roosevelt and his
wife, were Mrs. Nicholas Longworth, |
Ethel Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, |
jr, and Archie, Kermit and Quentin
Roosevelt.