The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1877-03-14
DOM PIATT sHADOwED.
His Interview with Detective on the
Subject of His MurderOus Plans.
Letter to the Cincinnati Enquirer.l


was sitting in my Office last night cor
recting the proofs of an inaugural address
that the readers of the Capital expect when
ever president takes the oath of Office in
advance of its delivery, when a gentleman
entered ia that smiling, familiar way that
indicates the detective.
Excuse me, colonel" he said, helping
himself TO a chair. and drawing quite close
to me, Il am friend of yours. although on
the force, and come to give you some intel
ligence that may be of use."
l thanked him for his kind intentions and
begged the friendly gentleman to proceed.
"Well, detail has been made to shadow
you tomorrow, and as thought this would
not be agreeable, 1 came to inform you.'
"Can you give me, my dear sir, the reason
for this shadowing, as you call it?''
mo; / only know that such orders came
from headquarters; l suppose they originate
in this talk of assassination"
81 am really much obliged to you" said,
"and you can place me under additional OBJ
legation if you will say to headquarters, in
my name, that they are an internal set of
scoundrels to puE any such insult upon me-"
81 am sure, colonel, you can not blame
u.s.
Certainly not. 1 am much obliged to YOU
You only obey orders. But if they fear that
their fraud of a president will suffer as our
government has suffered-get killed. think
the better way would be to put guard
about him"
THAT has been done, colonel; relays of
police, in citizens clothes, watch his house
day and night, and he goes nowhere without
guard"
"St6p moment" | said as the man rose
to leave; 'this shadowing of me to prevent
my killing somebody will also intervene in
case any body attempts my life.
Certainly, sir'
agUar,v nell ,bar lat fba sbodorrs 1ooDoD
for my life is in more danger than Ruther-
ford BIS. The people who elected Mr.. Til
den president of the United States are not
here; and the rascals who swindled them
out of their choice are; and as they have
been convicted of every other crime but
murder, | see no reason why they should
not commit that. get q pile of anony-
nous letters by every mail threatening my
life; so give me shadows"
My confidential friend hauled off and l
took comfort. When the late Horace
Greedy was imprisoned for debt in Paris he
said he took grim satisfaction in the bars
from the fact that while he was locked in
in the bores were locked out. 1t depends
much on ones standpoint, as the philoso-
pher G. f. was wont to say, This shadowy
creation, looked at as police to prevent our
killing some one, was disagreeable. Con-
sidered as a bodyguard to protect one from
the miscreants who now crowd the national
capital, cowardly and ravenous as wolves, it
is pleasant.
But upon what times have we fallenl All
the disposabe force of the army is here-no
end of volunteer companies, infantry, cav
airy and artillery, to protect these villains
from the vengeance Of an outraged people.
1t reminds me of the day in Paris when
Louis Napoleon wiped out the republic with
the military and set up the empire. He
had then the same marching and drum
ming, the same armed interference between
the usurpers and the people. Louis Napo-
leon held his place through mock elections
for 20 years. How long will these fellows
continue?
How different all this would have been
had the peoples choice been inaugurated---
no police, no military-no fear, no threats,
but the same quiet, hearty, peaceable, free
forms that for nearly century have marked
the opening of each administration.