The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-09-14
WArcHNe A susREcr.

WATCHING A SUSPECT.
Few persons realize how vital E sub
ject at the White House the possibility
OF presidential assassination always has
been said an old clerical employee there
TO a New York correspondent Tuesday.
of course, nothing of this discussion
gets out except when a shot IS actually
fired or some other overt act IS committed
which startles the country. OF the larger
number OF seemingly suspicious eases
that, whether alarming or not. are nipped
in the bud, little is ever known.
"A very peculiar case came under ny
observation ar the opening OF the second
Cleveland administration" he continued.
In those days. as IN the early part OF
every new presidents term. the crush OF
applicants for Offices was JTculelc 1-iS-
One of this pressing throng had desired
10 speak more conddentialiy and az
greater length than was possible with
the president s private secretary. and SO
he was turned over to me. Not infre-
Quently / was ASSIGNED at such times 10
the not always agreeable task OF listening
TO what Ofice-seekers had 70 say Tor
themselves. This man was told that he
might trust me fully and pour his con-
fidential story into my ears. Accordingly
he asked for q chance to talk where he
would not be heard. This was arranged.
He then said he had been holding
small 1880 office since 1877, because OF
distinguished service which he had done
the country, and that he naturally de-
sired 10 be retained by the new Demo
cratic administration. as IL seems he had
been by the earlier Cleveland administra
ton. According 10 the story. he had
saved President Hayes rom assassina-
ton at his inauguration. A party of fire
eating partisans from the southwest, in
famed by the counting out Of Mr.. Til
Hayes; they found need Of the assist
ance of some one who was familiar
with the ropes locally, and so by a series
of Incidents which, as my guest related
them. would rival any detective story.
ne became their assistant They finally
made hin. their confederate and trusted
him fully At the critical moment when
al was ready he turned them over 10 the
police and broke up the plot but IN such
a way as to leave little evidence against
them. and so at the request Of those
higher up, the police were advised TO drop
the matter and let the culprits fee as
best they could. This man who had un-
earthed TIE plot was accol dinghy put into
a government sinecure as & reward,
which he had since held.
This. az least. was his story. and he
brought quite a number Of letters from
strange and distinguished service; but
the popularity was that these people
all seemed to have heard Of the service
from him. To me, 1T least he submitted
no first-hand evidence that his story was
true, nor was I ever able 10 get from
the few persons who seemed to know
him more than that he claimed 70 have
saved President Hayes life. But the
important part of the story IS yet TO
come.
He seems not to have impressed the
cabinet minister under whom his sine
cure came with this story, and so made
q n appeal over his head 70 the White
House. In fact ne insisted that TO re-
tain him IN office was q courtesy which
one president owed 70 another, and that
1t would be undiguined for him 20 hawk
his story through the departments, as
his recognition shcaid be direct and un-
questioned, from the chief executive him
self. I accordingly reported this to the
private secretary. who made only that
superficial examination which in the rush
"a those days was possible, and came 20
the conclusion that the mans claims We're
unsubstartiai. that he had been using
this story for years to hold an office, by
what resembled an ingenious system or
trading checks. He would tell one man
the story, and get from him a letter TO
another man abiding 70 il; this next
man would speak little more freely, as
If he knew il. and by the time the
rounds were made the claimant had what
would have impressed q superficial OBJ
server as evidence of his mastery work.
At all events. presidential assassinauons
was the one theme that ran IN his head.
When he found that the Cleveland ad-
ministration was not likely 70 do any
thing for him. he began to talk 10 me Of
the chance that Mr.. Cleveland stood OF
assassination. He became violently
abusive. saying that he supposed the only
reason that Gir. Cleveland would not rec
ognize his services was that he probably
wished that Hayes had actually been as
sassinated. and all sorts Of wild things
OF this kind.