The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-22
UNDER WATCHFUL EYES
VISITORS TO THE WHITE HOUSE ARE CLOSELY sCRUTINIzED.
Force of Forty-five Guards Around the Building and Grounds Cranks Stand Little Chance of Getting Beyond Doors.

The enlargement of the Wnfe rouse has gone far toward solving the crank problem. Easy may rest the heads or all future chief servants of the people
 who may abide within the wails oi tne big white-winged edifce. Tor conp'ei its
 police station is numbered among l.s
 many adjuncts. This new headquartels
 of the finest of the nations finest occu.
 pies the southeast end of the ne" , eaS.
 terrace. It replaces the shabby n..,e .,', frame guard house which formerH
 sheltered the White House squad.
 A new electric service connects direct
 ly with district headquarters. The '" "nite House grounds are divided into iour sup precincts, which are patrolled resuidIy. So strict is the discipline that every step of the patrol must be retraced eacn hsli
 hour. day and night. Distributed througn- out the grounds are electric buttons "nlc1
 drop annunciators at headquarters. And
 if any annunciator falls to annunciate on the minute the copper" on the beat is searched for.
 The Greater White House demands lt-
 teen more policemen than guarded the old mansion z, The total squad now num- bers forty-five, divided into three beats of eight hours. Each beat is In com mand of sergeant, who bobs up unex- pectedly here and .here and keeps ms eagle eye on his charges. A dozen ofncers these are In charge of the chief usher, who receives his instructions from Col onel Bingham, the Presidents military aide These inside men are posted at | the now numerous doors An outside man guards each gate and another pa trols the path in front of the new of 1'e annex. During presidential recep- tions sixty additional policemen guard 1 the house and surrounding streets.
 A detail of secret service men is added to this force. These are all plain clothes" detectives. belonging to the Fed ersl establishment. One of them sits in the reception room of the new executive building and scans each newcomer. Whenever the President walks about the | streets one of these unsuspected guardi- ans strolls behind him at a respectful | distance. If the President drives, se- l cret service man is in an unpretentious | seldom knows of the whereabout of these | protectors. He often resents their espi- onage, but they are under orders from the l silent John E.. Wilkie. their chief.
 | The enlarged White House Is a perfect | trap for that peculiar species of crank or criminal which choose heads of state for their victims. The long corridors of the
 new east terrace where the public now | enters, shape the arriving and departing
 guests during public receptions into long lines, which. after undergoing the inspec- | ton of the uniformed police. pass slowly l in review of secret service men scattered
 along the line of march. In a corner oi the red parlor, just alongside the dool | iCdu1nk IntO tDS Dluo WHSlS Aus
 President receives, Chief Wilkie himselt has posted himself during this winter: receptions. He takes the last look at tht passing throng. but the stranger doe'
 not suspect his purpose. He poses as {
 servant of the household and instruct'
 each guest. Give your name to Colone Bingham"
 Recently a crank did try to worm hi'
 way into a White House reception. H.
 had first come into notice by dogging thu | wHA Af N hA q
 the embassies. It was his purpose either
 to procure work from this diplomat o'
 to do harm. At any rate he donned hi'
 dress suit and attempted to enter thu
 reception as 6 member of the embaSs,
 suite, but was prevented, A day or twt
 later he attempted suicide by jumping
 from one of the bridges spanning thu
 river. He was resuscitated. found to b'
 mentally unbalanced and sent to St. Eliz
 abeth's.
 The legal process of disposlng of Whit House cranks is a quick and sure one ! The Washington authorities now have | ) down to fine points To begin with, Wash , ington's policemen are mostly ex-soldier . mer being preferred. They enter the fore
 by strict civil service examination an' , never feel the influence of ''politica pull"
 sitting process before he can reach tn
 President Through Simmons, the colore . doorkeeper, he first presents his card , Then he obtains an appointment with tn secretary and states to him his bushes : The Presidents office, in the southeas , corner of the new western annex, is aC Q cessibe from the private portion of tn
 White House. The President passes h and from his home by covered wa! which shields him from whosoever ma . be waiting outside. There are now for . doors to the enlarged building Thrt - of them are utiliz d by the chief exec,
 l tive. and no one knows through whic e he will emerge. No stranger can rema It long in the vicinity of any of these en l. rances without explaining his presenc A If he be suspicious he Is held in il new police annex for examination.
 c Down at police headquarters sits '- busy man who Is the medium throul T. which all White House cranks are al n posed Of. His name is John A. Frank al ,t his title is sanitary officer, metropolis ,e police" As soon as a suspicious perst v. is caught in the executive grounds a D U trol wagon is called and the offender to the postoffice. Sanitary officer FraI D. immediately reports the arrest to the ''i
 sane surgeons at headquarters. Tn h put the suspect through a rigid examin A ton and determine whether his disord ' he of mental or physical origin. If III trouble he mental, he is temporarily coI e- mitted to the Government Asylum al In also a temporary asylum signed by { In District Commissioners. He Is thus he ,n until finally disposed of by the Proba
 court. which is petitioned by the polio man making the arrest if the unfortu h. ate be non-resident of the District
 he be a resident. his nearest friend d relative must make the petition. T