The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-11-24

TWO SKETCHES OF PRENDERGAsT.
cause SO few, relatively, lave lone things
to attract public attention, DR.. Douglas
does not consider that there is really a crank
epidemic.
An outbreak of cranks similar to the
present one followed the exploit of Crank
Norcross two years ago. when he blew off
his own head in a rash endeavor to nego-
tiate a loan from Russell Sage. There was
talk then, as now, of an epidemic, and q
great deal was said about the necessity for
rigorous rcpressive measures, hut nothing
came Of it, and the excitement gradually
died out. There was a brief revival of the
discussion a few weeks g when Cassius
Beldin fired a fusillade of shots from the
gallery of the Chicago board of trade. But
the warning was unheeded, and the next
crank with a homicidal mania had no diff
Guilty in numbering the mayor of the
Worlds fair city. When next a Prender-
CAST or n Guiteau shall conceive a mission
to remove a mayor, q governor or a pres
ident, he will probably find few serious i'm
pediments in the way of accomplishing his
nefarious purpose.
Two years ago, after the Norcross affair,
Chauncey NJ. Depew was asked for his
opinion on the epidemic" theory. He be-
lieved in it thoroughly and agreed that
prompt and relentless measures should be
taken to check the spread of the infection.
''Twenty years ago." he said, there was
an epidemic of garroting in New York.
Garroting became so successful a method
of rohbing hat every petty thief adopted
it, and lots of roughs. The district attor-
ney of that period and Judge John Hack
EFT ended it. They indicted and tried the
offenders without delay, and Judge Hack
EFT imposed sentences Of the utmost rigor
the law would allow-2O years imprison-
ment. The usual sentence before that had
been three years.
1.-The law of epidemics of crime is 50 we'll
known and SO thoroughly recognized in
Paris that If II man jumps off the Column
Vendome they lock it up for three or four
weeks, fearing that il they don u score of
others will jump Off"
Mr.. Depew was not prepared to say how
he would deal with a crank. Mr.. Depew's
position as railroad president and the fact
that he is an unusually well known man
make him the objective point of an army
of cranks. But they ont reach Mr.. De
pew.
At the outer portals of the presidents Of
flee in the Grand Central station there is a
vigilant array of faithful clerks and attend
ants, and If the crank manages to break
through their lines he has to encount er the
experienced scrutiny OF Lieutenant II. c.
Duval. Mr.. Duval's trained eye can dis
Germ Il crank with unfailing certainty, and
he could write a book On appropriate meth
DDS of dealing with the unwelcome and per-
sistent visitors.
Most millionaires employ private detect
ives, and the president of the United States
is not wholly unguarded. A White House
usher, who was once asked why a person
who was SO disposed could not assassinate
the president at one Of his receptions, said:
Simply for the reason that it would be
very difficult for any individual SO inclined
to reach the presence Of the president.
You don't see why, but that Is because
you have never looked about you when you
have attended a reception at the executive
mansion. How many officers do you sup
pose surveyed you critically while you were
passing into the cloakroOm? Six in all.
Not one Of these men but has had years of
experience in the police service. They are
30 trained-every man of them-that they
can tell at a glance just what sort Of "A per-
son each guest who enters Is. OF course
once in awhile a visitor gets in here who Is
not entirely sane-that Is unavoidable nec-
e~ssarily, but 1t is a very exceptional case.
As an almost invariable rule / car tell .
crank Mt the first glance, and II l do not an
other of the guards will"