New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-02-10
Mr.. DEPEW THREATENED.
A MENACE IN LATIN POSTED BY A CRANK
AT HIS DOOR.

AT HIS DUR.
THE PICTURE OF A FIzzLING BOMB ACCOMPANIES
IT-MR. DEPEw UNDTsrUEBED BY THE
DIRE pREDIcrIoNs-A SIMILAR
LETTER FOR MRS. j.
COLEMAN DRAyToN.
The crank has broken loose again. This time
he has chosen for a target none other than the
genial Chauncey NJ. Depew. who Is Just now
placidy walking around under sentence OF
death" This crank differs from most OF ms
predecessors in respect Of knowing Latin. 1t
Is in this classic language that he phrases his
communications. and the circumstance only adds
a new terror to the situation.
Mr. Depew lives in a handsome brownstone
double house at No. 43 West Fifty-fourth-st On
Tuesday he attended the funeral or George W.
Childs in Philadelphia and on "Wednesday was
in Peekslsill, where. in the evening at the Depe"
Opera House, he delivered one OF his CONVERSE
tional lectures on his travels in Italy. Al ABOUT
o'clock that morning Mr.. Depew's butler.
Anthony Eckstrom, opening the front door. be-
came aware of a small neat-looking snip OK
white note paper about three by two inches IN
size affixed to the brownstone pillar OK the
portico near the door bell. Ii was pasted on
firmly. and at the foot of the written inscription
rough drawing of bomb with fuse attached
HOW THE MENACE READS
The inscription in Latin and read:
"Fratres-Reminisce exemplum Valiant glon'
osum. Mors diveti. Hic est homo adjudicatus.
Omnibus none. Imperio Communs Populi.
Translated into workaday English this means
Observation-Disclosures the glorious example OF
Valiant. Death 10 the rich. This man is judged.
Every one beware. BY the command Of the Com
mon People"
When Mr.. Depew returned to his home on
Wednesday night Eckstrom showed him the
placard which he had 'efuliy kept from the
knowledge OF Mrs. Hegeman. Mr. Depews
mother-in-law. Mr. Depew. 4. is said, read the
notice attentively. smiled and said. CONDEMNED
to die. And for nothing. That's the hard part
Of the whole business.
HE is USED TO THEM
Now I do no, object to the anonymous gen.
t,eman leaving death-warrants at my door II
II will relieve the pressure his mind, said
Mr.. Depew last night while he was dressing for
dinner. But / think l have a right to pro-
test when ne pelts me with Latin. This Is
torture before death. 1t Is so long since
looked at Latin primer that feel as lost az
a rudderless ship when am compelled 10 deive
through the mists OF generations ana dls up
plain. everyday New-Yorkese.
"Crarks.'' continued Mr. Depew. II have long
become endeared TO them and they to me.
have cranks to the right Of me, cranks TO the
left OF me. and cranks in front OF me. Tney
have become part and parcel OF my existence.
which would be otherwise blank. When done
meet three in q day | feel quite lonely. L am
sure don't know why they go for me. am not
a multi-millionaire or anything like II. l repre-
sent good deal of money, and that Is as far as
| get But | am never without them. Even
when | go off for a holiday they follow me
across the Atlantic and are waiting FOR me as
step on the pier. After my return from Europe
a few weeks ago said something about Rome
and the Pope which brought down on my un-
happy head the combined wrath of two parties
OF cranks the one arrayed against the other.
one set denounced me because mad SPOKEN SO
handsomely of Leo XIII; the other side attacked
me for the reverse reason.
WHY HE Is INDIFFERENT
What are my sensations on receiving such a
letter as this which threatens me with DEATH:
said Mr.. Depew. There was moments
thought. and his voice had taken graver tone
when he again spoke. MY only feeling IN
such case as this is OF utter Indifference"
he said; but my indifference arises not from
carecssness not from heetessness of the thou
sand such risks which attend any man who oc-
cupes a public position but from belief in q
higher Power. which dominates our actions and
shapes our destinies. was born and bred in
the Presbyterianism Of the ole school. Deep
down In my heart there lies imbedded that sa-
these words: What is TO be. will be-
Ones faith may change. but although am now
In the Episcopaan fold. at the bottom Of my
soul lies the cardinal belief which rises para
mount only when danger threatens. To this
ascribe the absence of fear have been across
the seas In tempest and calm have travelled
over thousands of miles of railroad under cir,
cumstances in which the element Of danger -
always present; have been on board a steamer
when the boiler burst: and all others with me
believed that they were lost. but through all the
old blind unQuestionng faith-which can scarce
~ be called fatalism-uphed me. / suppose Il
is an instinct with which | imbued In the
same way that, at eight years old. 1 could
peat the catechism by heart first forward and
then backward, without understanding one word
Of it,
Mr. Depew is not the only sufferer from the
crank with classic tendencies. John Alton, a.
footman to Mrs J. Coleman Drayton, No. 374
Fifth-ave.. opening the front door early on Thurs.
day morning, found slip OF paper pasted on the
granite side-wall. On the paper written
a Latin Inscription similar In all respects to that
left at Mr.. Depew's house. So far the police
have not been asked to make an investigation
into the matter.