The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1931-12-24
AN INTERESTING LETTER
FROM HOME OF THE HIPPO
Experiences of Man Who Writes
of Life in African Jungle

The following is a letter written
} to Mrs. S. G. Devore, of Akron, by
her son, Elliott, who is in Africa in
the interests of the Goodrich Rubber
Company.
The writer is nephew of Mrs. E..
L. Winchell, of Mt. Lake Park.
The letter follows:
Jinja, Uganda, Africa.
October 8.
Dearest Mother:
Have just returned from total of
5000 miles by car in northern Ugan-
da. 1t is a real tropical country and
1 wish you could see it. / can look
out the window and see the Hippo's
in Lake Victoria.
We have no business whatsoever
in this territory and all dealings are
with the crooked Indians. It's a
tough job to get things started here
but give me time and full cooperation
of a distributor and we will get Good
rich going. Depression is very bad
and no money in this country. Only
800 white people in the whole terri
tory. And it's big country. You
would enjoy the beautiful tropical
scenery and the African natives
who by the way wear no clothes.
Now, I'll attempt to relate about
the one hunting trip I had and the
leopard skin that we secured, and I
have sent it to London to be mounted,
cured and forwarded on to you as 1
have previously advised you. 1t was
a real thrill-now don't worry as I
was safe and sound.
There were five of US and eight
native guides. We all had high cali
bre rifles and the natives had spears.
Our object was an elephant. Loca-
ton 35 miles north of Masini in the
jungle lands, forests and elephant
grass, thick and eight to twelve feet
high. We had tramped about one
half day and finally spotted herd
of elephants in a thick part of forest.
The wind was blowing our way so
Mr.. Jumbo could not smell us. They
cannot see far, only about so yards,
but their scent is more delicate than
a bloodhound. The elephant could
not see US as we approached for the
large trees and jungle but they heard
us and started to run-all except one
One of our party got within 20 yards
of him and fired three shots into his
head. The lead bullets are 81 inches
long but Mr.. Jumbo is a tough baby
with hide IL inches thick. The three
bullets made him mad, he raised his
trunk and roared the loudest trumpet
ing earthquake of noise have ever
heard. He spotted the man that fired,
trumpeted again and charged right
for him. What a noise, and as he
ran with his head down, the trees
began to topple over. l am brave at
times but this happened to be the
wrong time, so another man and my
self ran to huge tree fully six feet
in diameter and we did not lose a
second getting there. The man doing
the shooting, fired rapidly eight more
bullets into his head, then he ran for
large tree. By this time Jumbo was
really mad, and how he did trumpet,
until honestly the whole forest shook.
I would have sold my soul for a
nickel. Was I scared mo, JUST
PARALYZED. Jumbo started plough
ing up trees again and as leopards
sleep in big trees, one happened to
be in tree that was knocked over.
The leopard sprang at Jumbo and
nearly knocked him over but Mr..
Elephant, with his trunk, picked up
the leopard and threw him at least
100 feet as fast as any bullet ever
Travelled. How that leopard missed
the many trees that were between
Jumbo and the one he finally landed
at, 1 will never be able to tell. Any
way, the blow dazed the leopard and
three of the native guides that We're
very close speared it to death as he
was getting up. The skin from this
leopard is the one that I have sent
you. Jumbo by this time was still
going strong but he was almost blind
and the man fired five more bullets
into his head just behind the ear, he
ran head-on into tree at least eight
feet in diameter-bellowed a trumpet
that again shook the forest, went
down on his front knees and finally
down on his side and died in about 80
minutes. (Sixteen shots in all.)
The natives secured the Ivory tusks
by working the rest of that day and
all the next nay. One weighed 80
pounds and the other 81 pounds. They
are worth about $4,000. Not bad.
Why didn't l shoot? In the first
place didn't have a license to shooe
elephants and one can only be secured
in Nairobi, 1000 miles away, at a
cost of $4,000 per elephant; in the