Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-02-19
Keeping Cranks Out Of the White
!. .s... u. B! House. u.


81 IA Telegram. u. =
Visitors to the White House could
not fail to have noticed 8 large, hand
some man, with brown hair and mus
tache and pleasant, twinkling blue
eyes, who stands at the main en-
trance. He is Sergeant Dinsmore,
the chief usher at the Executive Man
sion. The Sergeant has but two pas
sions in life. One is to keep cranks
out OF the White House and the other
is to make the bridal couples happy,
who invariably make the Presidents
house their objective point when they
reach washington. The Telegram
correspondent was at the White House
the other day when an elderly appear
ing gentleman approached and made
some ordinary observation to the Ser
geant. He gave his interlocutor q
swift glance and in an instant he took
him aside and began to question him.
A few moments later he led him to
the door and the stranger then disap-
pea1ed. Returning the Sergeant said,
"Another crank. We have to keep q
lookout for these fellows. How can (
tell one? Well, I don't know, but lean
tell all the same. I suppose it is from
incessant practice. We are always on
the watch, and the slightest popularity
on the part of any individual in the
crowd that is here pretty much all the
time makes us investigate and find
! out whether he or she is crazy or not.
Now. that fellow just put out IS prob
ably harmless enough, but l can not
take amy chances. He had some sort
of curious scheme worked out from
the Bible, with maps and charts to
prove his theory. He was evidently
an educated man, but had gone DAFT.
We generally know who gets upstairs
to see the President. OF course, the
ushers up there keep e. strict watch,
but it isn't once.in a thousand times
that u man gets by us who isn't want
ed on the President S floor. AS I said
before, we can not afford to take any
chances with these people. The RULES
to put them out OF the building. If
they look to be dangerous or show
that they are not in condition to take
care ofthemselves, we call the patrol
wagon and have them taken to the
police headquarters. Next to the
cranks the men and women who are
relic-hunters gives us the most trouble.
l don't see what gets into some
people. Many visitors wonder why
the East room looks so bare, and ask
why the President doesn't have
bric-a- brac around. The reason is
that it wouldn't last a week We
have trouble enough now to keep the
furniture and curtains intact. Both
men and women are relic-hunters, but
think that when women gets the
craze she is the harder to manage.
Excuse me q moment. see that that
little demure-lookigg woman in the
corner has a pair OF scissors in her
hands. She wants q piece OF that cur
tain, but she will have to do without
it," The Sergeant walked quickly up
to the woman and engaged her in con-
versa ton. He casually mentioned
the fact that relic hunters were giving
the officials of TIE Presidents house
hold a great deal of trouble and that
it was necessary to hand all such par
ties over to the police. The scissors
disappeared, and in a few moments
the. demure little woman went out of
the door as white as a sheet. The Ser
geant smiled, and a moment or two
later he was in charge OF q bride and
groom. The smile enlarged, and grew
until it looked as though the Sergeant
would have to go out on the lawn to
have it out, but he succeeded in keep
ing it within bounds, ard as the Tele-
gram correspondent went out of the
door he heard the Sergeant say that
the President would shake hands with
them if they would only wait little
while.