Norwich bulletin., 1909-10-25

Little Rock Ark, Oct 24.-Presf-
 dent Taft left Texas this afternoon after spending nine days in that state and is speeding tonight towards St Louis, where he will arrive tomorrow | morning.
 Trip Down the Mississippi.
 With a formal breakfast, a speech in the St, Louis Auditorium, and the ! dedication of a government building 1 in East St. Louis before him, the pres ident will have every moment of his | time occupied up tomorrow evening. | Then. on the steamer Oleander. he will lead a procession of boats containing l governors, senators and representa- | tiyes down the Mississippi river to New Orleans to attend the convention ofthe Lakes-to- the-Gulf Deep Water ways association.
 One of Final Stages of the Trip.
 The river trip will mark one of the f1nal stages of MT. Tafts travels. When he reaches St. Louis tomorrow l morning he will have covered 9.7O6 of the l3,OOO miles in his itinerary. The river journey will consume 1,165 more and when the president leaves New Orleans on November 1 he will be within easy distance of home. He is scheduled to reach Washington the night of November 10.
 III fACaAAAy, IlOWHNeT, the presidents travels in 1909 will not end until No vember 21. for he has engagements at Middletown, Conn.,, on November 12 at New Haven on November 15 at Norfolk Va, on November 19 and at Hampton, Va. on November 20
 MF, Tafts voice this morning show ed no Improvement and after he had made few short addresses in Texas and Arkansas it was almost gone
 The presidents physician is at work on the executives vocal chords in hopes of having them in some sort of shape for the Auditorium speech in St. Louis tomorrow There is little hope for permanent improvement, however. short of three or four days.
 Presidents 'Possum Disappeared.
 The presidents train had a mystery today. Railroad detectives, special policemen and secret service officers to the contrary notwithstanding somebody stole the presidents opos- sum. It happened at Dallas. where there were scores of policemen, spe- cial officers, deputies and militiamen on guard.
 A fat opossum was put aboard the train yesterday at Hampstead, Texas. It occupied half of an orange crate. l while in the other half was a mess" of sweet potatoes, intended to be serv-
 
 potatoes we're safely slowed away in the presidential baggage car With | memories of the opossum dinner in 1 Atlanta last winter still fresh in his | mind, the president suggested this morning that the Hampstead gift | should have the place of honor among 1 the viands at dinner on the Mayflower | this evening.
 Took Sweet Potatoes With 1t.
 Then came the news that the opos- sum had disappeared. The man in | charge of the baggage car set the crate on the platform last night in Dallas; and despite the fact that the train was surrounded by bluecoats throughout the darkness. the morning light revealed that the opossum ap- pareDtly revived and fled, taking the sweet potatoes with it. By some psy- biological phenomenon news of the presidents desires and the woeful loss 1t Dallas travelled ahead of the train md when it arrived at Long View at loon today, another opossum, all iressed for cooking, was put aboard. the opossum dinner on he Mayflower was not postponed.