Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1894-01-29
WHITE HOUSE DEFENSES.
SAFEGUARDS THAT ARE PLACED
AROUND THE PRESIDENT.
Guarding Him From Cranks and
Other Unpleasant Nisitors-Ohl-
GERS on Duty Both Day and Night.

Other Unpleasant Visitors-Ohl-
GERS on Duty Both Day and Night.
|RANK G. CARPENTER has
n. been finding out just what
safeguards are placed around
c the President. He is almost
as well watched, says Mr.. Carpenter,
as any monarch of Europe. Police
men are stationed about tho White
House grounds, and the White House
itself, as it is now arranged, is almost
crank proof. An iron fence about
five feet high, runs around the
grounds. This fence is set firmly in
u sandstone basement and the bars
which compose it are tipped with
sharp points, so that it would be i'm
possible to climb over them without
injury, and each bar is about an inch
in diameter. There are eight gates to
the park of the Executive Mansion,
two on the side next the Treasury and
two facing the State Department.
There are also four gates Mt the front
facing Pennsylvania avenue. The
gates at the sides are for foot pas
sengers 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 MS the gates at the side.
The police of the city are constantly
on guard on the streets outside of the
grounds. They patrol Pennsylvania
avenue in front of the White House,
and they move up and down between
it and the Treasury and the State De-
partment. They also keep their eyes
on the White Lot, which extends be-
hind the White House Park, and any
one paying especial attention to 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 the grounds and the house it
self. This is i'll addition to the mes
sengers and the servants of the Execu-
tive Mansion, and the policemen have
their regular watches and are on guard
night and day. During the day the
gates are open AMI certain parts of the
grounds are practically free to visitors,
but no one can move through them
and be for moment out of the sight
of one of these policemen, and this
corps of police, though it comes from
the city, is under the charge of Private
Secretary Thurber, or more immedi-
ately of Captain Decker, who may be
called the chief watch dog of Presi-
dent Cleveland.
A policeman stands at the back steps
night and day, AMI the basement and
the first floor entrances are guarded
by him. His position gives him view
OF the grounds in rear of the mansion,
and he is one of the most important
guards of the force. Should he go to
sleep or be removed one of the main
entrances to the White House, suppos-
ing the crank could pass the guards on
the outside, would be by the back
steps and the Blue Room, which are
less carefully guarded than the base
ment. Even in this case, however, the
burglar would have to pick the locks
of the doors leading into the Blue
Room, and he would then have to pass
through number of other doors be-
fore he could get at the Presidents
valuables or his person.
1t was in this way that well-known
young man broke into the White
House not long ago. He got in
through the window of the Rel Room.
but it was found that he was drunk
rather than crazy, and the matter was
hushed up. crank from Idaho
haunted the grounds back of the White
House for some days about the time of
the close of the last session of Con-
gress. He was crazy on the subject of
the silver bill. and probably medi-
tated some injury to the President.
His case was Investigated by the police
and it was found that he had written
threatening letters to the President
He escaped, however, before his true
character was shown.
The police inside the White House
nre the most important of the Presi-
dents watch dogs. Supposing the
crank to have passed the policeman on
the grounds, he enters the White
House by the front door. This has n
massive lock, ali it is never left stand
ing open. 1t admits you to the great
vestibule of the Executive Mansion.
This vestibule always contains from
three to five guards Some of them
are the messengers of the White House
and others are policemen in uniform.
1t is only within the last few months
that police uniforms have been used
in the White House. These policemen
are heavy-set fellows. They are the
pick of the force, aud they are men
who have good detective faculties, as
well as strong muscles and courageous
hearts. They can usually detect n
crank at glance, and every visitor
who comes into the White House has
to pass under their eyes. One of them
usually sits or stands at the right OF
the door as you come in, and If you
pass the doorheeper you are motioned