Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-09

" y WI
| Sergeant Loemer.
ridor you see seated at a desk one of the
most trusted servants and best watchnien
| any ruler has ever known. This is Sergt.
Loeffier, the special messenger of the Pres
| ident. He Is a wiry. sharp-eyed man, with
| a gray mustache. No one knows how old
| he is. but his muscles are iron. He was
| fighting the Indians long before the war
began. and for the past twenty years he
| has been one of the confidential employees
| Of the White House. 1t is he who takes
| In the cards that reach the President He
knows all the prominent men Of the coun-
| try and he sometimes detects bad chara c.
tiers who have passed the men below
Private Secretary Thurber has naturally
| a great reverence for the President He
appreciates the dangers which surround
him and one must have indeed good Gre
dentials and an honest face to be admitted
by him into President Cleveland's office
Just across the hall are the Offices Of
another corps of clerks. including Col VIM
Fl. Crook, who has been twenty-eght years
connected with the Executive Mansion and
who was one of President Lincoln's special
body guards when he made his trip to Rich
mon1. All of the employees of the White
House are connected with the President
and the private secretary by electric bells
and the whole army could be called into
the Presidents room by the pressure of a
button.
Night in the White House,
1 have shown that it would be almost
impossible for any one to break into the
White House at night l want to tell now
how easily the man would be caught If he
got in. He would. in the first place, have
TO pass the men on the city police force
climb over the fence and get to the White
House itself. He would have to do this I'M
der blaze of lights for electricity and gas
unite to turn night into day. and the lamps
IN 'front.' OF the mansion always burn. Sup
pose ne got TO the front door and picked
the lock, he would find himself, on enter
ing the vestibule, in the hands of the three
policemen who are always on guard there
after dark. He could in no way break into
the front of the mansion except through
TINS door or the windows at its sides. If
he attempted to enter the basement door
facing the treasury, he would be captured
by the policeman stationed there, and ii
ment. he would find himself in a wide hall
lighted by electricity and patrolled by a
stalwart officer armed to the teeth. II he
could possibly pass him he might get to
the second floor of the house by the stair
way which comes out into the private COR
ridor of the mansion near the conservatory
and thence he could slip up the private
stairs to the second floor and be in the liv-
ing rooms and sleeping rooms of the Presi-
cent. TO do this. however, he would have
TO break locks. and the slightest noise
would be heard by the officers in the vesti-
bule. SO that you see he would have an al
most impossible task. In case he got to
the Presidents bed room. a touch of the
button by Mr.. Cleveland would set the
electric bell ON the lower floor to ringing
and the policemen and the servants would
come rushing in at the sound
a ring at the telephone of the office near
by would call the whole police force of the
city to the White House In a few minutes
and connection could be made with the
armed forces at the barracks so that a
force of soldiers would surround the man
sion and prevent any possible escape
Dangers Outside the White House.
The chief danger lies outside of the White
House. So far no attempt has ever been
made to attack a President in the Executive
Mansion. The risks are too great The at
lacks upon Lincoln, Jackson and Garfield
were all made when they were away from
the house, and the scheme to abduct LINCOLN
included the capturing him while he was on
his way to the Soldiers Home. The guards
winch are now placed about a President
when he is away from office are better than
they have ever been before. and the safety
OF the President Is carefully watched when
he is at his country home. Eight mounted
polceInen patrol the roads of this part OF
the Washington suburbs. and you can hard
ly go into the country now about here with
out meeting policeman on horseback
The police service of the capital has in fact
never been so efficient as it is today. and the
President is seldom away from the ewes of
the police. When he goes to church there
is an officer on the street outside and his
afternoon rides seldom go outside the range
of the mounted police.
The President a Brave Man.
I am told that the President objects 10
the close watch which is kept upon him.
He is a brave man, and he does not like
it. He was once attacked by crank
when he was governor of New York Just
before he was elected President. He was
a.