Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-10-01
WEST LAWN CEMETERY
INCIDENT A MYSTERY.
OFFICERS AND MEN AGREE THAT
DEPREND ACTED IN GOOD
FAITH.
AND WAS NOT INTOXICATED.
THE IDEA THAT PROVIDERS MEANT
HARM TO MKINLEY's TOMB
NOT CREDITED.

officers and men of Company c. of the
Fourteenth United States infantry. on
duty at West Lawn cemetery. guard
ing the resting place of President Me-
kinley, worked diligently to-day inves-
tigating the strange story in which
private Deprend, who was on duty at
the top of the vault. Sunday night,
figured so prominently. The same re-
ticence. imposed by military regula-
tions which prevented the officers and
men from making detailed statements
concerning the incidents last night,
was operative to-day. From inter-
views with the commanding officers,
several non-eommissioned officers and
n number of privates, the following
was gathered:
All the officers and the members of
| the company in general, accepted fully
| the story related by private Deprend
| last night. and really believed that the
| providers were about the vault with no
good purpose. To-day only one of tho
| command officers adhered to the be-
lief that an attempt had been made
| upon the sentinel for ghoulish pur-
| poses. He said:
| ut was the real thing. II was
| prompted by the pure cussedness or
| some people. who thought to bring re-
| proach upon the nation by doing dam
age to the resting place of the dead
| President"
| All the men who were seen express
| ed the belief that private Deprend act
| ed in good faith, and that he related
| only what he believed to be the real
facts. With the captain and others.
| he went over the details of the whole
| affair at least a dozen times and, 1t Is
said he did not vary in matter OK
| importance. Particular inquiry was
made as to his sobriety at the time,
and IL Is said that 1t Ia established be-
yond all reasonable doubt that he mad
| not been drinking and that he was In
| bis normal condition. The most COM
mon belief is that the sentinel was
| oyerwrought by the loneliness OF his
position, that his nerves were over
taxed and that imagination contributed
| some of the details related In good
faith The post was regarded by all
as particularly isolated and depressing
| to the man guarding it at night and 1T
is understood that more sentinels Will
he stationed at the point in the future.
Captain Biddle thanked the report
ers for what he called the fair man
ner in which the incident had been
| described in the morning papers, say
ing they gave full statement of facts,
so far as revealed last night. He was
fully convinced last night of the story
az related. but after investigation en-
tertained doubts, not OF the insincer-
ity of private Deprend, but as to the
correctness of the conclusions. Cap
tain Biddle authorized this statement:
Il think that the sentinel deceived
himself as to the occurrence. | do not
think an actual attack, as related by
him. occurred When daylight came
no evidence OF struggle was found
The matter has been reported in full
to General Otis at Chicago, command
ing the department to which the guard
Is attached. Whether there will be
formal inquiry into the matter remains
for General Otis to determine. Officers
at the cemetery expressed the hope
that inasmuch as no actual harm had
been done, no formal action would be
taken.
Sergeant Cook, who Is also known
as Sergeant Koch, through the mis-
spelling of his name on one OF the
rolls. and who was reported to have
heard remarks Sunday afternoon
among visitors, further explains as fol-
lows:
81 was on duty at the guard tent
near the vault Sunday afternoon. There
were three funerals at the cemetery
and many people passing all the time
Three men, representative looking men
such as come by the score every day,
spoke to me- One asked how long the
sentfnels in front of the vault gates
were kept on duty, and | told him half
an hour at time. He said he had
read that they were kept there two
hours and thought that was hard serv-
Ice told him that at first they were
kept there two hours, but that the
time had been shortened. He asked IL
there were other guards. | told him
there were several on the hill over the
vault and at other places. The second
man said he did not see the use of all
this fuss; that no one would try to do
any harm now. The third man said
he was mistaken; that there were lots
of people who would like to see the
whole thing blown UP. No, had not
then nor have now any suspicion that
any of these men would have any in
terest in or would sympathize with
any act Of violence. think they were