The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-09-10
M'KINLEY'S BODYGuARD.
SKETCH OF MAN WHO FIRST SEIZED
HIS ASSAlLANT.
Recollections of the Detective Told by
Walter B. Stevens, Who Has
Often Observed Him at Work.

St Louis Globe Democrat.
Mr. Walter II. stevens secretary OF the
Louisiana Purchase Exposition company, is
well acquainted with Detective Ireland the
man who has been engaged for years in
guarding the safety OF President Mckinley
and who was the first to seize the man
who shot the president yesterday.
"lle is the last man in hlg crowd that
you would suspect of being secret service
man or an official Of any kind" said Mr..
stevens. There is nothing Of the slcuth
in his appearance op manner He has al
ways been quiet and transformations. appar-
entity unobscrvant. lie appears quietly
dressed citizen, with nothing to distinguish
him from others except his unusual
strength. Wherever the president went
especially ON his trips away from Washing
ton, ne followed, unknown TO every one ok
Cept the president and his party-perhapS
lew of the latter. If the president paused,
ms attendant move quietly about him,
Keeping MS near as possible without at.
tracing notice. or he followed or led the
way through crowds as any citizen might.
q! remember one occasion which exem.
plihcs his methods. It was at Canton.
ONO shortly after the presidents nomina-
ton The latter was expected to attend a
certain church one Sunday, ana small
n
u gllhpse OF MIN as he passed. was
among those who watched and as the
shihoflng increased noticed that a strong
looking man who appeared to know nonodv
Sauntcrcd up. He edged his WAY into no
outSkirts Of the crowd. as If with slunlc
SSe e ro a, and when the president arrived
ana ana watched him hurrirdly enter thc
place Of worship Mr.. Mckinley was yisl-
n ,s only 2 minute; lifting his hat rs he
iusSeu, Ihe crow dispersed, having accom-
Pushed their purpose llalt an hour Inter
When the services were over, the same
dulel man quietly appeared near tho church
at Peoria on another OCCASION no nut
IN end to an incident that might have
proved slightly disagreeable If handled by
Il less skllltu man. II was on the orcnslou
OF the unveling of the soldiers monument
Il, mat place. The president was making
Sp"Cch, when n man ia the crowd became
U'HluhhtfhilNe, in good-naturpd way He
WAS known by many Of the bvstanOery Ds
Il harmless simpleton, who PLAYED with the
chlluren and otherwise demonstrated his
ineEtal unsoundnesS, hut had never been
Known 10 become violent. While the presi-
aepi was speaking he climbed to the plnt-
i%Lrn an ana slapped the president on the
inc president simply smiled hut there was
| instantly strong personality pcrsuadlng
me siinpieton not To- disturb the speaker,
away II was the same big man who ali.
| pe'red at tine church ut Canton
lie Is, perhaps, the most transformations
man IN the employ of the treasury depart
mcnt. which has jurisdiction over the secret
| service. He has never had his Photograph
published and never even GIGS his name
I" casual acquaintanccs. His principal at
tcntion Is turned to the mentally unsound
lrnn whom the greatest danger Is antfCi-
pated. He calls them bugs aud has come,
through long years Of experience to rccog-
riIe them In crowd, long before any one
else h3tices anything out OF the way. lie
VIII klance over group Of persons gath.
e,cd about the White House gates, or
Within the grounds and, occasionally
slightly noddlng toward some persons
whose fingers witch or whose eyes glance
with abnormal quickness and suspicion, or
who talks little ont of the way, will say
quietly I I 'bgTF. Nor does he ever mistake
chance, ana when they ask for nforma-
J ton Or enter into lncoherent conversations
| he VIII quietly persuade them to move
| aNay. He does not compel. ms a rule. He
! accnmpll shes his results by giving friendly
! Hdvice, MS If he were a prjva'< citizen.
| those who are familiar with tne scene
| never week passes without the appear-
| Hncc Of some unbalanced person, who
| wants to see the president They come
| with grievances to relate - him, or claims
| % nake which others viii not listen TO-
The big man deals with LiIse with tact
! worthy Of a diplomat Of highr station. lie
! always removes them, and there Is never a
| display of yiulenSe or the appearance of n
! Patfdl wagon He directs them to some
! other department for the Information they
/ SccL. OF for letter Of Introduction to tho
! president. The result Is that none Of them
! return second time. When II Is necessary
/ Tor the president 10 appear AT ceremony
| of a public character, he Is on hand to
! facilitate matters. If a way through the
/ crowd has to be opened. he suggests to
! hystaEaers:, Let MS assist in making n
! way through the crowd for the president y
! There are always volunteers who do not
! suspect that they are cooperating with an
! Official.
at is remarkable fact that in all his
public career President Mckinley has never
before been the Victim OF an attack, and
so far as / know, no conspiracy has ever
been planned against him The nearest to
anything OF that kind | ever heard of was
! Just previous to the Spaulsh-A American war,
after the Maine had been blown up, but
| before the diplomatic relations between
! Spain and the United States had been
| broken on During a time Of great eX-
| element, ! received a telegram from u
| well known person In which the statement
! was made that mn effort was being made
! 10 iniure the president and that the blow
| would be struck through a member Of his
| household, The person who sent the mos
! sage or warming was known 10 me as be-
lever In Spiritualsm, and had reason
| To believe that the message had been sug-
gested through a medium. Nevertheless, |
| banded II 10 the secretary OF state. lie
| did not manifest any interest In the mes
sage, showing neither credence nor dlsbe-
! lief He asked me II ] knew the person
| who had written II. ana ! responded that
| II was a reputable person who would not
have written such a message unless he had
entertained genuine apnrehenslons. That
was the end Of the matter for several
months 6nd then, 10 certain extent. the
| message was proven iustihable. One az the
servants OF the presidents household was
approached secretly. and an effort made
| TO secure certain state secrets. That Is as
| near as ] know Of any conspiracy ever hav-
! ing been planned against the president and
that was not against him personally. lie
| has long been noted for the confidence with
1 uflt f.i, No himkNlf Durlnn his nd
ministratlon sentry boxes about the White