The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1883-03-30
CAPITAL CRANkS.
A Man Who Says He is Guiteau the Second
Appears at the White
House.
Three Other Lunatics Loose-An Want to
See the President on Important
Business

Special Correspondence of the Evening Light.
WASHINGTON, March 24.-The crank sea-
son seems to have fairly opened at the White
house. Yesterday no less than four put in
an appearance, demanding to see the Presi-
dent on various topics. Some wanted APP
Pointments, others had special mission to
perform. One OF the latter class gave his
name as John Meehan. He announced him
self as "Guiteau H." elbow is that ?" asked
the doorkeeper, to whom he thus presented his
intrusting credentials.
swell, that's what they call me-" he an
swered, sand l want to see the President"
"What do you want of the President ?"
swell" he answered slowly, 81 want to
tell him about Secretary Stanton. You see
the fact is Stanton was murdered. He never
committed suicide, as was supposed. He
was killed, and know the names of his muir
derers. want to talk with the President
about it'-and he made break across the
vestibule and had nearly succeeded in enter
ing the hallway leading to the Presidents
dining room before he could be stopped and
brought back.
Suppose you wait little and let us see
whether the President can see you now" said
the doorkeeper,
swell, think ought to see him, for it is
an important NATTER" he pleaded, sand the
memory of good man like Stanton ought to
be cleared up OF such charge as suicide"
He carried large family Bible under one
arm and an old blank book filled with &C
| counts under the other. He was tall and
| lank and unshaven. His clothes showed that
he was painter by occupation. The blank
book was partly filled with rude sketches of
half-man, half-ghost.
things" he said. "Don't you see it is writ
ten here just what they told me. And here
have the Bible with me to prove it by, too"
The doorkeeper good naturally argued for
some time with him on the subject, showing
him that 1t would scarcely be opportune to see
| the President now, and that he had better
write to him than attempt to see him in per-
| son.
81 think in an important matter like this I
ought to see the President myself" he said :,
in dissatisfied way, as he finally With
drew. This is too important matter to
write about"
While he was yet talking a well-dressed
woman came to the door. "She's another
crank" said one of the doorkeepers, as
another went to meet her and 'head her off,"
| =
rooms. She wanted office. She brought
with her paper giving statement OF dates
at which she had called upon the President,
Secretary Foger, Assistant Secretary New and
others, and the dates at which she had been
promised a position and by whom. 1t closed
with an appeal for the fufllment of some of
these promises, stating that she was in Great
want and her baggage held for board
| "This is the second time she has been here
to-day" said the doorkeeper. "There have
been at least four here to-day, and only tit
tleover half the day gone yet
| As rule, the callers Of this sort are HARM
less, and easily managed. The doorkeepers,
experienced men as they are, easily put them
of with promises TO lay their case before the
President, or by advising them to write a
statement and send it to him. Occasionally
one OF them is inclined to be demonstratve,
but the doorkeepers and their assistants soon
quiet them and get them out of the way. As
| a rule, these visitors and their visits are made
a subject for Jest, and are not looked upon as
a serious matter; yet the rapid increase of
this class, and the difficulty Of guarding the
President and other high officers from them at
all times, makes the subject very serious one.
The increase OF insanity in the past few years,
as shown by recent publications of the Census
Bureau, appears TO be very great. Accord
ing to this statement the number of insane
persons per thousand population in the Unied
States has doubled in the past 10 years.
This statement is probably somewhat in ex-
cess of the real facts, as the inquiries in the
last census were much more searching than
on former occasions, but at best it seems that
the percentage of insane persons in the popu-
laton ofthis country must have increased very
materially 1t is a startling fact that out Of
our 10000, 900 OF people over one-half mil
ton, or per cent. of the population, are
either insane, idiots, deaf mutes or blind, are
suffering imprisonment for crimes committed.
or are inmates ofreformatories or poor houses
| AJAX.