The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-09
cBGNKS IN WASHINGTON.
Dr1rsIONs OF SOME VISITORS AT
THE WHITE HOUSE.

AVigilant Match HAeBt II ~ NS'0
Them From Reaching the Presi-
s.,t-Precautions at Public Recep-
,tons-Cranks Attracted by the
washington Monument.
From the New York Sun.
r-.-bington. Feb. 1.-Two more cranks
= thrown out of the white house this
-, nv the Waterman at the door. One
If them was an old fellow. with an mag
80 Grievance. with whom the officers
had not much difficulty, but the other, an
,ns.ra convict from somewhere up in
pennsylvania, gave the officers tussle
sfter he was put in the patrol wagon.
brt was landed in the station at last.
washington seems to have a peculiar
attraction for these unfortunate creatures.
7rbo come here from all parts of the coun-
,rv with the vain hope of airing their
oriavances before the congress or the Pres
s5ent Public men are getting used to
them. for all have had more or less ex-
,srience with demented and disappointed
oeice-seekers and with the promoters of
useless. schemes and inventions. SO many
are the classes of cranks, so many are the
disappointed office-seeiIers at the end OF
their tether with minds perpetually harp
ing upon one subject, that it is difhcult
- so,, whore the monomaniac ends and
the crank begins. But from the stand
,oint If the doorkeepers and guards of
the public offices, the former are worse
in a wav than the latter. The crazy man,
unless he is violent, can easily be put on.
Not so with the man with one loea. ne
will nersist in spite OF continuous ulsap-
continents and even hunger-not 10 say
thirst-in beseiging the strongholds OF the
administration in the pursuit OF ms raw
TN The guards at the white house are burly
fellows They are the best men IN Iaie
police force of the city, detained LOT 3ilis
especial work because OF thelr peCuILdI
fitness There are six or them, III lhIee
details who keep a continuous guard over
the main entrance of the white mouse
day and night throughout the year 20
long have they acted as dOorkeepers ana
guards of the President that they are
more than ordinarily skilled IN the Iesea-
ing of human character. They have white
house visitors divided up into a nuInpeI
of different groups They profess to
know and be known personally ny tnJ
President and his personal ana oIlcIdl
family, the cabinet officers, ana the nleln
bers of congress. They can lel d Nlslsso5l
from out of town or a newly maIIlsu
couple, forty or fifty of whom VISIT tne
white house every day, a block away
and they know almost every class OF We
hicle in town, from the flunkeyed broug-
ham of the British ambassador TO the
shabby four-Wheeler OF the pennsylvania
All the newspaper men and the subordi-
nate officers of the government, too, are
known to them, so that the sizing up OF
a crank is a matter of very rev MAN.
utes He usually wanderS up to the por-
tico of the white house in shiftys ner-
vous manner gazing Vacantly around ana
betraying his nature to the very watcn-
full ewes of those at the door. When the
door is opened he is closely questioned
as to his business: Unless all the ques55
tons are answered in a straightforward
way he is Immediately turned down. some
times the fellows show fight, When they
are forcibly elected and thrown out INTO
the drive. 1t generally does no. oal fo
more than one of the big Watcnmen 70
accomplish this, except Where the inlI 9ueL
is very violent. The men at the u0or
are most diplomatic. The crank VINO , WINS tISa
in with buster and insists on seeing me
President on the ground that ne Is an
American citizen, and as much entlleu 70
the use of the white mouse as any OiIe;
is quietly but firmly reasoned with, ana
more often than not the guards succeed
in getting him away by peaceIul means
If he makes any warlilSe Representations,
however the touch OF a nnger on az
electric button calls the patrol wagon OF
the Third precinct, where Lieut.. boyle
holds the prisoner until an inquiry can pc
made into his sanity by the physicians
of notice If he is adjudged insane he IS
sent across the river to st: Ehzaoeth
asylum or turned over to his Iflenus, IL
he has any Often, tn S dsLI D y ea+ ont
Of Town the crank obtains his discharge
from custody. 1rvt.t4
The religious cranlks who visit the W nlte
House are many. A short while ago one
of them went there with a large TN po&
under his arm, which he SAID conlal4 11. d
new kind of religion. He wanted the res
ident to see it in order that proclamation
might be issued to the American pupHc
declaring it universal. There was nothins
in the box whatever, and after pelns Sef.-
" reasoned with the crank departed, MS
man stole up the portico, and, opening me
door himself, stuck his head IN ana shouI-
get Quit" and then ran away. lie retuIAeu
after short while and repeated lne per
formance and, much to ms dlSguSl' MaS
hustled off, according TO ms mlIu, vi VI
more Vigor than the occasion DEMANDED
During President HarTiSons admlhlStrd-
ton a religious crank appeared VINO sue
eeeded in seeing Maj. HaNord, tnSn tn9
Presidents private secretary. he cIaIilleu
that he was the advance agent OF uile Mes
siah and was trying to raise enough mon
ey TO erect a shrine or altar IN WasLlnS-
ton, about which all the ChrlSuanS OF tlIS
world, in the days to come, could kheel
and worship
Not often do cranks get past the first
two doorkeepers. If the guards OF TINS
door fail to notice any signs of dementia,
the crank is obliged to pass anOther door
at the foot of the stairs leading up 10 tne
presidential offices, where again tney are
confronted by two messengers ana a DOOR
Keeper before they can see even the Presl-
dents private secretary. No persons ex-
cept the cabinet officers are allowed 10 go
into the cabinet room, adjoining the
Presidents private office, unannounced.
Members of congress all see the private
secretary before visiting the President I'M
less they come by special appointment,
when they are shown in directly. Newly
elected congressman have frequently been
eyed askance by the doorkeepers and mes
sengers, and now new members are usual
E brought to the White House by some
Of their colleagues that unpleasantness
may be avoided. OF course when the faces
Of the new visitors become familiar to the
employees there is no longer any dithculty
ana the business of presentation is con-
Quoted with as little red tape as possible.
Sometime cranks do get into the pres
thce of the President. This happened in
me time of Gen. Grant, when a woman
9y the name of Thurston came with
Veed, elaborately engrossed on parchment,
70 the entire state of Maine. Gen. Grant
aunored her, and finally succeeded with
SSaI violence in getting her out of his Of
NE. In short time she returned, having
cIyEeased her possessions so that they in
00Sqed the whole Of the United States.
NJ nef third visit she included the whole
ss Europe in her deed but she didn't
bsa zen. Grant again. Gen. Harrison had
anI.. ~frrf# "a