The morning call., 1893-12-10

has not helped his position in the eyes of
the cranks. and the possibility of Guiteau
or Prendergast hangs like shadow over
the executive mansion.
l have devoted some time this week to
finding out just what safeguards are
placed around the Pres esdent. He is almost
as well watched as any monarch of
Europe. Policemen are stationed about the
White House grounds and the White House
itself. as 1t is pow arranged is almost crank
proof. 1t is. you know. surrounded by acres
Of green grass and trees. 1t is fully 800
feet back from the street, and the grounds
in the rear and at tho sides cover acres.
The trees are large, and there is no dense
shrubbery anywhere. The burglar who
would attempt to pass through il,
either In day or night, could be easily
seen. and il has practically no hiding
places. An iron fence about five feet high
runs around the grounds. This fence is
set firmly in a sandstone basement, and
the bars which compose il are tipped with
sharp points, so that it would be impossi-
Bile TO climb over theln without injury, and
each bar Is about an inch in diameter.
They are so closely placed together that Ii
would require the breaking Of two ur three
of them in order for a mans body to be
gotten through the fence, and the only
access TO the grounds is by the gates.
There are eight gates 10 the park of the
executive mansion. two on the side next
the treasury aud TWO facing the State De-
partment. There are also four gates al the
front facing Pennsylvania avenue. The
gates at the sides are for foot passengers
only, and they are locked every evening
with great iron chains and padlOckS. The
front gates are larger. Two of them are
for carriages and two for foot passengers.
They are of the strongest of wrought iron
and they are locked every night in the
same way as the gates at the sid-.
The police of the city are constantly on
guard on the streets outside of the
grounds. They patrol Pennsylvania ave-
nue. in front of the White House, and they
move up and down between it and the
Treasury and the State Department They
also keep their eyes on the White Lot
which extends behind the White House
Park, and any one paying esI ecial aIten-
tion 10 the building at night is carefully
watched. In addition to this force there
is the White House pOlice proper. and it
will surprise some to know that it requires
the services of thirteen policemen to guard
tie grounds and the house Itself This is
in addition to the messengers and SER
wants of the executive mansion, and these
policemen have their regular watches and
are on guard night and day. During the
day the gates are open and certain parts
of the grounds are practically free to Wis
itors, but no one can move through them
and be for moment out of the
sight IF one of these policemen, and
the city. is under the charge of Private
Secretary Tburber. or more Immediately
of Captain Decker, who may be called the
chief watch dog of President Cleveland
Within the past few years wire fence has
been built around a part of the ground
nearest the White House. Coming into
the great halfmoon drive through the gate
above the treasury you walk mp flag
stone sidewalk until you get near the man.
sion, and you reach this wire fence at
about tw snty feet from the White House
itself. Running parall lei with the Waite
House from the corner to the front steps
this fenre is of great bars of iron about
two inches thick, tipped with gilded arrow
heads and reaching as high as your chest.
There is an area way between the wall
upon which the fence is built and the
White House itself, and looking down this
at the corner you see one of the doors
which lead into the basement This door
is guarded by the policeman at the back OF
the house, and also by the guard who
always stands in the long central corridor
OF the basement. The gate leading from
the drive down TO this door Is kept locked,
and the wire fence which extends from
this gate down TO the treasury entrance be-
gins again at the back OF the White House
and shuts off this side yard and this door
from visitors. 1t runs around to the back
of the White House TO the bark steps, and
on the other SIDE of these steps shuts off
visitors from access to the house.
A policeman stands at the back steps
night and day. and the basement aud the
first floor entrances are guarded by him.
His position gives MIN view of the
grounds In rear of the mansion, and he is
one of the most important guards of the
force. Should he 60 to sleep or be removed
one of the main entrsnces to the White
House, supp siLg the crank could pass the
guards on the outside, would be by the
hack Rtana and the hlnA rOOm W niah
less carefully guarded than the basement.
Even in this case. however, the burglar
would have TO pick the locks Of the doors
leading into the blue room, and he would