The times., 1899-11-19
GUARDING TIE PRESIDENT
The Police System in Vogue at the
White House.
Nothing Unusual to Indicate That
the Mansion Is Under the surveiI-
lance of wotchfuI Eyes md Per-
fectIy Protected AGainst Inter
Iopers of n Dangerous Character.

fectIy Protected A=ainst later
Iopers of Dangerous Character.
Few persons who visit the National Capt.
tai and in fact not great many residents
are aware of the system in operation
at the White House for the protection Of
/ the President and his household. To the
casual observer there is apparently no
guard system. Those who have visited the
White House and moved throughout its
large grounds have wondered at the appar-
ent laXity They have even enquired why
so much liberty and freedom Of access TO
any portion Of the Presidents private do
main was allowed to all sightseers. Some
persons have remarked that it would be
impossible for the policemen on duty there
to tell by observation whether a visitor
was there as a sightseer or an anarchist
who intended violence toward the President
or some member of his family But at the
same time they have realized the fact that
cranks and others are invariably excluded.
The question with the unnitiated is how
the thing is prevented and where are these
! guards who seem to see and know all that
transpiTes.
AS a matter Of fact there is, compare
lively speaking, no guard at the White
House; that is to say when the armed pro
tectOrs of the crowned heads are taken into
consideration.
When ore considers the methods for pro-
lection employed by the eastern rulers the
contrast with those in vogue here is marked
Here there has never been felt genuine
necessity for an armed guard for the pro
lection of the President and his family
Since the birth Of the Republic it has Wit
messed but two assassinations of Presidents
those Of Lincoln and Garefld, but on Meth
ar occasion was the deed committed at the
White House, On one occasion only did
any person ever gain entrance to the White
House whom it was thought meant harm
10 the President and it developed that the
individual was not responsible for wnat
he did and was simply seeking nOtOrieiy
An investigation proved that the entrance
was gained simply for the purpose OF ere
atiug scene and not with the intention TO
DO any harm. As matter of fact the ex-
pected scene was ayeTted as the miscTcant
was detected and subjued before he had
time 10 intimate the nature Of his visit.
Due PrecauffOn Taken.
While no necessity is felt for strong
guard at the White House there is, never
theless, the due and necessary precaution
to guard against emergencies. Persons who
visit the White House and stroll through
the magnificent grounds are not alive to
the precaution taken, nor do they realize
that there is in effect there one Of the
greatest and most perfect guard systems
in existence. The guard is small, but it
has at its command ali the facilities for
increasing itself sufficiently to cope with
any emergency that might arise in time of
peace.
This guard system is practically an in
novation as it has been in existence but
a little more than a year Previous to its
organization, and, in fact, since the last
military guard was withdrawn from the
White House after the death of President
Garfield, there was always a small force at
the Mansion, but there was not such a
good system. The present system is con-
sidered as nearly perfect as possible, and
moreover. there is no display about it.
To begin with, the White House is sur
rounded by policemen at all hours Of the
day and night Each policeman does duty
for eight hours, and only fifteen policemen
are detailed for the twenty-fOur hours,
which are divided in three watches.
In charge of these policemen are two
sergeants, who do twelve hour tricks of
duty. For instance, five policemen go into
remain until o'clock in the afternoon
when they are relieved by five others, who
continue through until midnight, beng
then relieved by still another quinte,te,
who are in turn relieved by the mel wso
report for duty at o'clock The sergeant
who begins duty with the morning squad
sees them relieved at 4 o'clock. when he
is relieved by the second sergeant. The
latter is not relieved until O'c.ock the
F,1I, ~ts ar1+-
always patrolIing the grounds, though they
never leave them, and can always, when
not in view, be located at the watch house
where the working apparatus of the guard
system is secreted.
In the watch house is detailed a c'erk
and operator who has charge of all records,
answers all telephone calls, and registers
the policemen on guard when they turn in
every hour from their respective beats
This clerk and operator does duty for
twelve hours and is then relieved by a sec
ond man, who performs the service re-
quired.
The Various Beats.
The five policemen who do duty at the
same time are assigned TO five beats which
surround Immediately the White House
and the attached conservatory. The first
beat begins at the iron fence. just east Of
the mansion and extends along the front
to the portico and around to the centre OF
it, The second beat continues from there
to the centre of the conservatory, where it
is met by the third beat which extends
around the conservatory. There the
fourth beat begins, continuing to the
southeast corner Of the mansion, and from
there on to the iron fence il becomes beat
No. ). Thus the entire building is sur
rounded
Each policeman patrols his beat for one
hour after going on duty and then moves
on TO the second beat and to the third,
fourth, and fifth, beginning again at the
starting point, and thus consuming five
hours. In the other three hours he of
course. covers three beats. For instance,
policeman No. ] patrols the first beat from
until o'clock, when he moves to the
second beat, where he remains until 10
o'clock, and then moves on to the third
beat and so on Policeman No. 2 being
on the second beat at O'Clock, at 9 moves
to the third and then at 10 takes up his
position on The fourth beat So it is with
policemen Nos. 3, T. and >. who begin. re
pectivciy, on the third. fourth, and fifth
beats. and move at the rate of one beat an
hour thus making a circuit which they
retraverse to the extent Of three beats. AS
each policeman leaves a beat at the end Of
an hour he communicates that fact to the
operator at the watch-boX by pressing a
small button located at the junction of the
beats. This registers the policeman. and