The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-02-19
" e-nprossed on parchment. to the

turned, having increased her posses
sions so that they included the whole
of the United States. On her third
visit she included the whole of Europe
in her deed, but she didn't see General
Grant again. General Harrison had
another female visitor who owned
most Of the United States. he asked
her to sit down and they had q talk of
several minutes duration. It appears
that while she owned this property
she desired to perfect her title to the
same by a deed in fee simple from
Benjamin Harrison. General Harri-
son told her he would be very glad to
give her the deed if she would pay the
taxes on it.
Gen. Harrison was sitting out on
the rear portico n evening talking to:
a member of Congress when a man
bounced up over the rail and said he
wanted to see the President. General
Harrison quietly walked with him to
the inside Of the house and there,
touching an electric button, summoned
two doorkeepers, who promptly put
the visitor out, and the man left with
out knowing that he had seen the
President. Forcible entrances to the
White House have been attempted and
made frequently from the rear, but
none Of the intruders had ever pre-
viously succeeded in reaching the
President. Secretary Thurber receives
such visitors, and when he finds that
they are irresponsible he frequently
soothes them getting rid Of them with
out calling on his messenger. Once
Mr.. Thurber became verymuch alarm
ed, so it is said, by a crank to whom
he refused permission to see President
Cleveland. After talking a few min
utes the visitor suddenly reached
around to his hip pocket, but to Mr..
Thurber's infinite relief, pulled out
only a rusty, weather-beaten package
of papers, from which he proceeded.
to discourse at great length upon the
manifold injustices Of our CONSTITUTE
onal Government. More trouble than.
was had from any other visitor raj
caused about q year ago by a big
colored man who thought lie had
lizards, rats and snakes in his boots
and in his skin. It was a disease.
which only the President could cure.
He was arrested before he reached
MI. Thurber, and fought like a mad
man until the police landed him in.
the cell.
It would indeed be difficult for any!
crank to, assasinate the Presidentin the.
White House, for a man. with so des-i
perate purpose could not fail to:
attract the attention of the keepers of
the main door and could never get in
side the house. Lincoln was killed at
a theatre and Garfield at a railroad
station, and as far as is known no at
tempt has been made upon the life Of
a President in the White House. tt
would seem that the Democratic prin-:
ciples which govern the conduct Of
public affairs in this country might.
| give frequent opportunities to cranksi
at the Presidents public receptions,
but even then he is most carefully
guarded. On the nights Of the big
State receptions 6fty-four policemen.
are detailed from the Washington po-i
lice force. There are about twenty
FIVE or thirty of them inside the house
and the remainder are on the outside,
most Of them mounted. It is remarka-.
BE that there have been few or no.
attempts at robbery by thieves on the
nights of these functions. The coats
and wraps are carefully looked after
by the messengers, and although many
diamonds. are worn on these occasions,
so careful is the scrutiny Of the door:
way and at every FIVE or ten feet until
the Presidents reception room is,
reached that no malicious persons
have got so far as the corridor leading
to the Presidents room. Drunken
persons are frequently taken out by
the officers, but so orderly and rapidly
is this business conducted that most
people never know it.
The Washington monument seems to
hold forth alluring possibilities to the
crank. About six months ago Il OF
the watchmen on the monument hill
saw a man leaning up against the base
of the monument looking down, his
hands on his hips, and pushing with
| his legs for dear life. He would push
on n side, then stop and look up in
the air, and then walk around to the
other side, where he renewed his ope-
r~ations. The guard watched him
for a while and then walked over to
him.
O"I beg your pardon" he said, "but
you aren't going to push it over, are
you ?"
"I could if I wanted to-" said the
other. II am a Samson, look at me
and I will show you how to shake it,
and he renewed his efforts until the
veins in his forehead swelled- as if
they were going to burst.
ri wouldn't do it if I were you"
said the guard. ut cost the Govern
ment an awful lot Of money, and it
took fifty or sixty years to build it.
Besides you know you might hurt
somebody if you pushed the thing over
that way. Then you wouldn't be so
mean as to throw all of US fellows
down here out of our jobs. I would
let up a while if I were you
But the other fellow continued to
struggle away, and said:
IT don't believe you think l can do
i. Well, I will just shake it for you,
anyhow. I will push, and you just
look up at the top and see how it
moves"
The Waterman did as requested, and,
sure enough, the clouds scurrying past
the cap showed him what had deluded
the fellow into confidence in his super
human strength.
"Well, / didn't think you could do
it." he said, sand I guess / would
stop if I were you"
After a while, by dint of much
soothing and arguing, the man was led
away. he wandered north into the
city and was never seer again. A wo-
man who visited the monument grounds
believed the shaft was built of the
souls of dead people. Each glistenipg
~ A.