Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1903-03-28
GUARD MR.. ROOSEVELT.
Secret Service Plans For the
Presidents Trip.
ELABORATE SYSTEM ARRANGED
Star Detective to Go in Advance and Drill
Police Of Towns to be Visited.

Four or five days before President
Roosevelt starts west n of the stars
of the secret service will set out ahead
of him, says a Washington special TO
tie New York World. He is the pres
ident's advance man. To him Is In
trusted the making of all arrangements
for guarding MIR. Roosevelt at every
stopping place, no matter how large
or how small. His work Is surrounded
with the utmost secrecy, and his iden-
tity is not known outside of the secret
service office.
The advance man" reaches each
place at which the president is to stop
three or four days ahead of the presis
Dental train. He gets the reception
committee and the heads of the police
department together and goes over ev-
cry foot OF ground the president viii
etyer while he is in the city. The
track ON which the presidential train
will arrive is selected, and the route
from his car to the carriages that will
be waiting for him and his party is
mapped out. 1t is known exactly where
the presidential car viii stop and how
many steps he will have to take to
reach his carriage.
The secret service man points out
where ropes are to be stretched to keep
the crowd at the proper distance and
where the policemen are to stand. The
carriages for the reception committee
are placed on the opposite side of the
street from those for Mr.. Roosevelt
and his party. This is done 10 that
the committee may fall in behind and
prevent confusion by a jam of car
riages on one side of the street.
Then the hall in which the president
is to speak, the hotel in which he is to
stay and any other places he is to visit
are similarly gone over and the places
for stretching ropes and s%tationing po-
lice guards assigned.
Then the advance man. takes the
committee and the police officials into
a big room and gives them a heart to
heart talk on how the whole affair is
to be managed. President Roosevelt
dislikes to be hemmed In by policemen
to an extent that will interfere with
his movements or prevent the assem-
bled multitude from getting a good look
at him. Until the plan Of having a Sc
cret service man make all of the ar
rangements was decided on 1t was
found to be the natural inclination of
police in all cities'to crowd around the
president In squads. That is just what
Mr.. Roosevelt does o like. He has
sometimes objected even to the two Sc
cret service men who go with him on
all of his trips and are at his side
wherever he goes. He feels that they
are well alberto look after his safety
and depends on the police only to keep
the crowds from running owe him,
This is all explained to the police chiefs.
and every detail of the arrangements
for the presidents visit is made plain.
With the advance man." while these
arrangements are being made. goes the
secret service operative, whose head
quarters are in that city. One is sent
from the nearest point. On the day the
president is to arrive the local secret
service officer superintends the string
ing of the ropes and the completion of
the other plans. He boards the presi-
dents train outside OF the city and
posts the secret service men on the
train as to the arrangements.
When the train pulls into the depot.
it stops at the place indicated. and the
president finds a path to his carriage
open and guarded, but with no police
men crowding around. There is no
trouble or confusion. and ii is the same
wherever he goes. The local secret
service officer remains In the back
ground and see that the arrangements
are carried out as planned by the lad
man." and the police get the
credit for perfect arrangements"
In the meantime the advance man"
has gone on ahead and made similar
plans all along the line. This SYSTEM
was introduced under President Roose-
welt, and it works so well that there
has never been the slightest hitch in
any of his trips. Every detail operates
like clockwork.
Previously the arrangements were
left in the bands Of the local police Ell
tirely. The result was that there were
different plans IN every town and con
fusion everywhere. In their anxiety
to prevent any accident TO the preSi
dent the police crowded around him So
closely that he was constantly IN 81
jam, and the crowds assembled to s."
the president saw only the full stren@,
of the police force. Since tie arrHugc
ments have been placed in the hnn9
of the secret service they have bee;
reduced to a system that has neyel
failed to work perfectly.