The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-22
President Closely Natched.

Attempts to murder the president are
always made when he is away from
home. AT the White house he is prac-
tically safe. thanks to a police system
not easily evaded by crank or criminal
and the cunning assassin waits for
better chance that will surely arrive
somewhere else. No harm has ever
come to any of our nchief magistrates
In or about the executive mansion Lin
coin was murdered at the theater; Gar
field received his fatal wound at a rail-
road station, and Mckinley was attack
ed at a. reception in a. idistant city. The
chosen weapon seems invariably to be
the bullet. f
Mr.. Mckinley, though doubtless reaiiz-
ing that, like all other potentates and
monarchs, he was more or less liable TO
assassination, never had the slightest
fear of such a fateoi During all the
furry and excitementicof othe war with
Spain, when emissarfes3 of the enemy
were supposed to be thick in Washing
ton; he used to go OUT wa king on Penn
Sylvania avenue quite frequently Seem
| ingly he had the feeling that is common
among old soldiers, to the effect that he
would not die until the appointed hour
arrived and that there was no use try
ing to dodge a bullet, if he was destined
to be fired at
Mr.. Mckinley never worried about any
thing. All his life he had cultivated a
tranquility of mind which was one of
his most remarkable traits He never
permitted himself to be annoyed, hurried
or excited. When he was shot in Buff
falo the other day, according to the tes-
timonyi of observers, he was decidedly
the coolest person present, and even re-
fused to believe that he was seriously
wounded. szG So
His immediate predecessor, Mr. Cleve-
land, was, on the other hand, very much
afraid of assassination always. He new
er walked abroad, and when he went
driving he was invariably accompanied
by guards. Usually a couple of detec-
tives followed at a short distance IN
second carriage, while mounted police
man rode close to his own vehicle. When
he came to Washington for his second
Inauguration he was fairly surrounded
by plain-clothes men, and at the White
house extraordinary precautions were
taken for his personal safety This tim
idity seemed to grow upon him, and was
much more marked during his second
term than in his firstj administration
AT the White house a perpetual watch
is kept for craflks, who seem to make
that establishment their Mecca when
they come to Washington Many of
government, or othersgr grievances, real or
imaginary, and are likely to be danger
GUS One of the tribe screated quite a
scare during Mr.. Clevelan9lss second adj
ADMINISTRATION, but probably he meant no
harm. Even the grounds of the execu-
tive mansion are covered by a network
of wires, with electric buttons in all
sorts of odd places, and any alarm will
bring a dozen policemen together inside
Of half a minute.
AS already stated,S<Eit is away from
home that the president is in danger
Notwithstanding all precautions that can
be taken he must frequently be exposed
to attack by a deadly weapon. Every
minute while he is on a journey, or when
he is the guest at a banquet in a distant
city, or when he is shaking hands with
the multitude at a reception, he is anx-
iously watched, though usually without
being conscious of the fact, by detectives
of the secret service, who are ready at
any moment to seize anybody who may
show the slightest signs of hostile IN
tention. But, unfortunately, a pistol is
easily concealed and strikes instantane-
ously.
On that fatal morning when James A.
Garfield went to his death he was en-
joyfng the very fu1lness of life and
health. How could he, know that a hui
man fend with a pistol, in his pocket
was lurking about, waiting for him, in
the neighborhood of, the Pennsylvania
railroad station, few blocks from the
White house? It was a beautiful day,
and the president was going to the sea-
shore with his two boys, Harry and
James, to see Mrs, Garfield, who was