The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1903-01-30
KEEN EYES
KEPT WATCH
Secret Service Men Were Ever Neal
and About the President
Curing the Evening.
SOLDIERS Also FORMED A GUARD.

A number of Canton citizens who
attended the Mckinley birthday ban
quet last evening received letters
through the mails on Sunday last to
the effect that the Grand opera house
would be destroyed on the night of
the banquet. The letter was dated
Chicago but the postmarks showed
that they were mailed in Canton Sun
day morning. The characters were
printed, the words badly misspelled,
and the letter bore no signature ex-
cept, From a Sufferer" AS soon as
the letters were received the authori-
ties were notified and since Sunday a
close watch has been kept on the
Grand opera house.
Both postal card and letter were
received by the News-Democrat in
which the writer said he did not have
the means to notify each one that
would attend the banquet and he re-
Quested that his letters be printed In
the newspaper The printing appear
ed very much as II 1t was the work
of some young boy and the authorities
at once came to the conclusion that
the affair was Joke" but never
theless, great precautions were taken.
Accompanying the presidential par
ty were some of the best secret SER
vice officials in the employ Of the gov
ernment, including Detectives O'Brian,
and Allen, two of the most expert
enced secret service men in the de.
partment Besides these Chief Sutton,
Of the secret service department, was
in the city on Monday and made an
investigation in regard to the letters
sent out. He did not place much
credence in the statements contained
in the letters. The letters were mail
ed about ten o'clock Sunday morning.
One of the letters stated that Presi-
dent Roosevelt had been warned of
the attempt to destroy the opera
house.
At a special request from the mem
bers of the banquet committee, who
recognized the fact that il the letters
would be made public that 1t would
frighten a good many from attending
the banquet and would give those who
attended a great deal of anxiety the
letters were not printed, although the
story was pretty well circulated
around the city.
The secret service officials accom-
panied the president to the Day resi-
dence where he took luRcheon last
evening, were present at the reception
given at the-hotel and were with the
chief executive in the banquet hall.
Special Detective Foster, who was
McKinley's guard during his stay in
the city while president, did not ac-
company the party.
The secret service officials were as
sisted by a number of the members OF
the police force and Marshal Bour
A number of the officers were station
ed outside around the opera house
during the banquet.
At the Day residence in the after
noon an officer was stationed at every
corner of the house and no persons
were permitted to enter the yard
The same was true at Westlawn ceme
terry when the president and his party
visited the vault Of the martyred pres
ident. The fact that visit would b'
made to the tomb was kept a secre
as President Roosevelt expressed thu
wish that there should not be large
crowd there.
When the party arrived, the Penn
sylvania depot was patroled by thu
soldiers and they formed a bodyguart
to the president and his party.
In the evening ->about twenty-five
soldiers under command Of Lieutenan
Reese, were stationed about the Nc
KinIey hotel when the president en-
tered for the reception. No one wat
allowed to pass through Eight
street, between Piedmont and Market
until late in the evening after all q
the guests had gone into the banque
hall. The headquarters of the sol
diers were at the police station. Th
soldiers also acted as bodyguart
when the presidential party went t
the depot after the banquet.