Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-11
STORY NOT CREDITED
ALLEGED PLOT TO ASSASSINATE
THE PRESIDENT.
Nothing known About 1t In Official
Quarters in This City - No
Unusual Precautions.

Nothing is known in any official quarter
here os the alleged plot discovered in New
York 10 assassnate the President. Nor is
the story given any credence. 1t Is as
sumed from the publication that some one
old report the existence of such a plot, and
that an investigation of some sort was
made: but the fact that no one connected
with the Presidents household has been in
formed of it. that the President himself las
not been warned and that the secret service
bureau here has not been Informed. is good
evidence that the matter is not regarded
seriously
1t has been the custom for years 10 send
a secret service man with the President
when he goes away, and this custom was
rot departed from this time. If there were
any serious apprehension this man would
lave at once been put on his guard: but the
secret service has not been notified of any
plot nor has the agent with the President
mentioned a suspicion of the sort in his
daily reports.
Mr.. Dick and Mr.. Odell, having been in
formed by some unknown person that j Plot
such as described existed. might have made
inquiry into It through a private detective
agency before reporting it to the proper
officials at Washington; but if they mad
discovered that the report true it $
hardly conceivable that they could have
failed to notify Chief Wilke of the govern
nent secret service. so that the agent at
Canton, whose duty it is to look out Tor
the Presidents safety, could be warm q.
Chief Wiikie says he has received no word
On the subject from any source, save read
ing the story in the newspapers.
When Mr. Cleveland was President quite
a corps of detectives used to be employed
to protect him all the while. but this has
never been regarded as necessary for Mr..
| Mckinley. The usual custom Of sending
one man with him when away from Wash
ington has alone been adhered to. Presi-
dent Mckinley is not aware even of this.
What most puts the mark of discredit upon
the story, except as the expression of the
fancy of perhaps some one crank, is that
there Is exciting cause to arouse such
| thoughts in the minds Of even irresponsible
cranks. Even cranks must have something
unusual to excite them to ideas of assas-
sination, and there can be motive
signed for a plot against Mckinley. The
country is not in unusual state Of eX-
element over anything dom estic, and there
is nothing III connection with our relations
with Cuba thai Should excite a desire TOR
revenge or a false patriotic fervor on the
part of Cuban Spanard.
1t is regarded unfortunate that such a
story should have been published.
The Printed story.
The story which was printed in the New
York World today a special dispatch
from Canton, Ohio. says:
A little over three weeks ago 4 member
Of the national committee received a let
ter from man in New York stating that
he had discovered the existence of a plot
formed by certain Spanards and Cubans in
New York cit" t. assassinate President
Mckinley. The writer apparently was not
a crank, made no demand for money, but
only urged that he be protected in every
possible way, his life would. he said
pay the forfeit if he were disclosed in the
matter.
This letter was at once turned over to
Secretary Charles Dick of the national
committee. While he was not at first in
clined to take the matter seriously, he de-
clded to write to Chairman OdciI of the
New York state committee, to whom the
whole matter was forthwith referred.
Chairman Cdell hired detective, who got
almost Immediate veriication of at least
part of the charges made in the letter of
warning. He located the man and learned
that there had been talk of plot to do
the President harm.
Within forty-eght hours Mr.. Od2ll sent
| a long report to Colonel Dick, stating the
results Of his invt stisation ami advising
that the President be warned to be very
careful Mr.. Odell also advised Chairman
Hanna on the same lines
Mr.. Odell was asked to continue his in
vestigation, and his detective is still work
ing on the New York lines