The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-07-20
SOME WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
THE CRAZY FOLKS WHO WANT TO
SEE THE PRESIDENT.

Cranks Are Always in Evidence at
the National Capital-They Are
From All Parts of the Country.
The Experience which White
House Attendants Have with
Them-Some of Them Have Method
in Their Madness-One From Penn
syIvania Thinks the White House
and Treasury Building Belongs to
Him-Voiumes Might Be Written
About These FOlks-Other Matters
of General Interest.
Washington, July 16.-Now and then
you read an item in the newspapers
concerning the antics of some individ-
ual-"a little off in the upper story" as
the White House guardians say-who
forces his or her way into the EXecu-
tive Mansion and demands a personal
interview with the President. Not the
one-h1ndredth part of those incidents
ever find their way into print. Such
visitors are almost the daily rule,
rather than the exception. They come
rom all parts of the country, on all
manner of imaginary missions, in all
degrees of craziness-from the harm
less crank who merely wants to advise
The President how to adjust the affairs
OIL the nation, to the most dangerous
maniac. Comparatively few of them,
however manage to elude the Gordon
OF police and secret-service men con-
SANITY guarding the premises; and
lever having passed that stern gaunt-
lei, can pass the small army of door
Keepers, ushers ana secretaries who act
as buffers between the public and the
Chlef executive. Ninety-nine times in a
hundred the visitors mental inf1rrnity
Is quickly discovered and he or she is
euetly and pleasantly maneuVered out,
VI taken into custody But the hun
uEedtA man or woman, being crazy
enough to successfully feign sanity
EEas way to the upper story of the
,Nhlte House into the very holy of no.
dent
II is a we'll known fact that draft
Ieople generally look and act saner
man anybody else-until something
carts them on their faVorite hobby.
ne White House attendants have had
So much experience ir dealing with
iiuhatlcs and monomaniacs that they
naNe become adopts in their branch
u me public service, and every one
~ y. tnem, from Col. Bingham down to
s',e ,Dlackest messenger is capable of
su.lliling the duties devolving upon the
1rtpe'Iatendent of an insane asylum.
c ne veteran Billy Crump, who was
W W F1ayes' orderly during the Civil
"a, ana came to the White House
~ ~ nin, was perhaps the most ia
ON - IN that line, being as unerring
w. me scent of a crank as a ferret at
vi -. weasel. These unbalanced per-
GINS GINS themselves, generally give some
49, as to where they come from and
&c ''al are their intentions in the course
80, snort conversation Those who are
t,, -Siuefed dangerous are at once
a. iel over to the police and sent to
on ,r' INSANE asylum; while the harmless
r. ire given transportation to their
is ne at government expense and care
" .9Aeh that they are safely shipped
- mat destination. Such a large num-
r,, nave to be sent every year to st.
a,+11aDeth's, the government insane
= I'm ruiI!, that the propriety of making
thea, 0idI appropriation for conveying
ma 70 the places they hailed from,
oeTh strongly urged as matter of
,noily' because it costs a good deal
70 maintain them here.
me OF the harmless lunatics have
Corr 'ilod IN their madness that be-
tn. nuisance in course of time
far,;j,.c- come so often that their faces are
tba Nc, 70 everybody connected with
rim, hite House, and at each recur-
con6ddissit they turn up smiling, with
Of tLlce unabated in the success
years tancied mission. For many
The al intervals of two months, with
se1ti'esularity of elock-work. an old
9'iian who lived short distance