The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-24
GUARD THE NATIONS HEAD.
Police System in Vogue at the White
House Is Complete.
From the washington Times.


| Few persons who visit The national cap
| ital and, in fact, not a great many resi-
| dents, are aware Of the system In opera
| ton at the While House for the protec-
| ton of the President and his household.
| To the casual observer there is apparent
! ly no guard system. Those who have
! visited the White House and moved
| throughout its large grounds have Won
| dered at the apparent laxity. They have
| even inquired why 50 much liberty and
| freedom of access to any portion of The
| Presidents private domain was allowed 70
| all slghtseers. Some persons have remark
ed that it would be impossible for the po-
! licemen on duty there to tell by obserya-
| ton whether a visitor was there as a
| sightseer of an anarchist who intended vi
! olence toward the President or some men,
Der of his family But at the same time
| they have realized the fact that cranhs
| and others are invariably excluded. The
| question with the uninitiated is how the
| thing is prevented and where are these
| guards who seem to see and know all that
| transpires
AS a matter of fact, there is, compare
| lively speaking, no guard at the White
House; that is TO say, when the armed
| protectors of the crowned heads are taken
into consideration.
When one considers the methods for pro-
| lection employed by the Eastern rulers the
contrast with those in vogue here is mark
genuine necessity for an armed guard for
| the protection of the President and his
| family. Since the birth of the republic
1t has witnessed but two assassinations
| of Presidents, those of Lincoln and Gar
| field, and on neither occasion was the
| deed committed al the White House. On
one occasion only did any person ever
| gain entrance TO the White House who 1t
| was thought meant harm to the Presl-
| dent, and 1t developed that the individual
| was not responsible for what he did and
| was simply seeking notoriety. An inves-
| tigation proved that the entrance was
| gained simply for the purpose of Great
| ing scene and not with the intention to
| do any harm AS a matter of fact, the
| expected scene was averted, as the mis-
| creant was detected and subdued before
! he had time to intimate the nature of his
| visit
VI lille no necessity is felt for a strong
| guard 81 the White House, there is, new
| ertheless, 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
sy stems in existence The guard is small,
but ii has at its command all the facili-
| lies 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 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 small force
at the mansion. but there was not such
| good system The present system is con-
| sidered as nearly perfect as possible, and,
moreover. there is no display about i.
| 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 devided into three watches.
In charge of these policemen are two
| sergeants. who do twelve-hour tricks of
duty. For instance, five policemen go into
service at O'Clock in the morning and
remain until 4 O'Clock in the afternoon,
when they are relieved by five others, who
continue through until midnight, being
then relieved by still another quintet
who are in turn relieved by the men who
report for duty at o'clock. The sergeant
who begins duty with the morning squad
sees them relieved at 4 O'Clock, when ne
is relieved by the second sergeant. The
latter is not relieved until o'clock the
following morning. The sergeants are not
| always patrolling 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 clerk
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
second man, who performs the service re-
quired
The five policemen who do duty ct 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 porIico and around to the cen
ter of ii. The second beat continues from
there 10 the center of the conservatory
where it is met by the third beat, which
extends around the conserva tory. There
the fourth beat begins, continuing to the
southeast corner of the mansion. and from
there to the iron f-nce it becomes heat No
5. Thus the entire building is surrounded
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 ard 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
policemen No. patrols the first beat from
until O'Clock, when he moves to TIE
second beat, where he remains until 10
O'Clock, and then moves on to the third
beat and so on. Policeman No. being on
the second bsat at s O'Clock at 9 60 the third
and then at 10 takes up his position on
the fourth heat. So ii is with policemen
Nos. 5, and ;. who begin respectively on
the third. fourth and NTH beats and move
ct the rate of one beat an hour. thus MAX
ing 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 Matchbox by
pressing a small button located at the
junction of the beats. This registers the
policeman, and he is marked up as on
duty at his proper pest. The little reg
istering buttons are secreted i'm convent
ent places easy of access to the policeman,
hut not so conspicuous as TO attract at
tention
These little buttons however. are NOT