Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-14

Greenwault, of Lancaster, Pa. She came to
Washington especially to see. the Presi-
dent" It was her desire to have him recon-
mend and see to the passage of law that
would prevent the ungodly and unrighteous
people of her community from forming a
conspiracy to overthrow the Evangelical
Church. In her humble opinion the con-
spiracy had been in operation for several
years, and, as the authorities .in Lancaster
would not intercede, she intended to prevail
upon the Chief Executive of the country to
have an end put to it. Miss Greenwault,
after brief stay, was induced to return to
her home in Lancaster.
Controlled by the Spirits.
Another helpless character who eventually
went to an insane asylum, Charles Cobourn,
found his way to-, the White House from
Montgomery county, Md. Cobourn repre-
sented that he was the sole owner of the
Chieftain Manual styled the "Vain Gospel,
which came to him one morning in spring
over the meadows. The power of the spirit
of the ocean talked with him. 1t made him
strong, and he was commanded by the spirit
to go to the ocean to get free understanding
of it.
The sun spoke. to him and said, "Be
good" all for the benefit of America. Co.
bourn called at the Executive Mansion, but
failed to obtain an interview with the Presi-
dent, from whom he expected to obtain
money allowance.
The Lord was to sweep the world, and
Priscilla johnson had been informed to that
effect by the spirits. Priscilla was deter
mined to have chat with the President,
and no one could stop her. She stated that
permission had been granted her to inter-
view the Executive. but that she had been
Al 49, H. D., r.,
and had been anointed. Her latest in
formation was that all preachers would be
wiped off the face Of the earth. The Lord
had sent her to tell the President that all
the people looked to him as king of the
world.
Not long afterward a Kansas farmer,
named John Manion, whose years were
about three score, made call at the
mansion, expecting to see the President and
his wife. The applicant vouched that the
latter had sent for him to come to Washing
ton 'to obtain chair for being known"
Some months before he arrived Kansas
BILE chair by calling at the White House.
Given Trip Abroad.
"Contagion Billy" was among the uniden-
titled cranks who called at the mansion to
see the President. He labored under the
not very strange impulse that any man who
had no home or employment belonged to the
Government, and he wanted assistance from
the head of it. BILLY" was given trip
abroad upon the Recommendation of the au-
thorities.
1t was a strange dream that Lowell Y.
McMinn, of Ulster county, N. Y, said he
experienced. 1t was some time prior to the
shooting of the lamented President Garfield.
In the dream he saw the President, the rail-
way station and the man who did the shoot
ing. 1t was not long after this dream that
he wrote the President and constrained him
to keep his guards out and told him about
the time the shooting would occur.
Rose Whipple, from the same county,
put in an appearance not long afterward to
obtain valuable pin which the President
had granted her. Rose did not know who
had the pin, but was confident of its ex-
istence in Washington. 1t was also her in
tention to make detective of herself. Be-
fore departing from home she notified the
Governor of New York that she was going
to leave the State, but he did not reply to
her communication. Rose left the Capitol
of her own accord for New York on the day
of her arrival.
One of President Harrison's admirers was
Patrick Ruhan, of Haverstraw N. Y, whose
daily dream was that he had penetrated the
I
among other possessions cactus cane, which
was 700 years old and which he claimed to
have gotten during trip over the Dark
Continent. 1t was punctured with innumer-
able holes, through which were run numer-
GUS strips of red, white and blu- ribbon. 1t
was his purpose to call at the Executive
Mansion and present the cane to the coun-
try's chief executive as a mark of the high
appreciation he had for him sad his admin
istrative policy. Patrick was induced to
leave the Capitol, but in few DAYS he came
back and was apprehended while making
second attempt to see the President.
Banished From Washington.
Several visits were made to Washington
by John Theurer, of Hamilton, O., and, al
though he was pronounced sane by the
proper auth horlties, the restoration was but
temporary. When overtaken by the spell
which prompted his seeking out the Presi.
dent and the Secretary of State it was his
desire to have the latter prosecute a claim
in his behalf for injuries received by him at
Lisbon, Portugal. At times Theurer be-
came excited, and threatened the Secretary,
when he was seized and banished from the
seat of government. He was smart enough
to find his way back again, when he was ar
rested second time and placed in an
asylum.
Van Vert county. O., produced. James
Bell, who came to Washington to present
his credentials as President of the United
States, to which office he had been duly
elected by the people. 1t was his desire to
dislodge President Harrison. but, failing to
secure the expected recognition at the White
House and departments, he was induced to
tnrn his face toward home.
Interference with the class of unfortunates
herein enumerated has a tendency to in
crease their unreasonable imaginings land
in some instances their manifestations be-
come alarming. Yet with the many oppor-
tunities for freedom of approach offered by
the average official of state in this country,
no instance of personal assault or interfer-
ence has attracted public attention since the
dastardly and lamentabe assassination of
President Garfield. If it were not for that
politeness and patriotism which controls the
average American on all occasions, the
President and each member of his Cabinet
would require strong guard about their
workshops and an escort in going to and
from their homes.