Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1908-09-08
A SHOT
WAS FIRED AT
THEPRESIDENT
Secret Service Men. DsCIaTe
There Is Nothing in The Story
That Was Published.
CATCH AN ARMED CROOK
Say a Bullet Grazed the presI-
deRt's Head While He Was Rid
Ins Horseback Last Saturday.


Oyster Bay, l.. l., Sept. 8:-Upon
the departure for New York today Of
Major Wadsworth, the friend OF
President Roosevelt who was riding
with him last Saturday, the bottom
was knocked out of the story that an
attempt had been made to assassin
ate the President. Before leaving
Major Wadsworth declared that
while shot was fred near the road
where the President and himself
were riding, it was not in the direc-
ton of either of them, but was fired
by some target practicers on the
farm of w. e. Roosevelt, the Presi-
dents cousin.
This positive statement, coupled
with an investigation made at Mine
ola of the man suspected of doing
the shooting, completely upset the
theory of the attempt at assassina-
ton. The story took shape yester-
day from the arrest of John Cough
lin, evidently insane, who attempted
to see the President.
Story of Shooting Teld.
One story declares that the would be
assassin, hidden in the bushes at the
roadside, fired at the president with a
revolver, the bullet whizzing over Mr.
Roosevelt's head,
The president, perfectly calm, pulled
up his horse and wished to digmount
and search the bushes. The friend
who was riding with him dissuaded
him, and they rode on.
Camille Weidenfeld, the New York
banker; Mrs. Weidenfeld and Edward
Fisher, who was driving them, heard
the shot. The assassin escaped.
When the president arrived at Saga
more Hill ne described "the incident
as he called it, to Sloan.
Half a dozen secret service men has
tened to the scene Of the shooting and
made careful investigation. They
could find no trace Of any one having
been concealed in the thiclSet at the
roadside Thinking that the shot might
have come from hunters gun, they
made inquiries along that line, but
could not find that any hunter had
been in the neighborhood that day.
The game laws are in strict force,
Crank Caught Near White House.
A crank with an old bulldog re-
volver was caught near the presi-
dents house at Sycamore Hill by the
secret service guards. The man de-
scribed himself as John Coughlin,
detective, and when stopped by the
secret service men presented a card
upon which was inscribed his name
and the word officer" He said that
he had come to ask the president to
order out 10000 troops to catch yegE
men, who had been terrorizing Boston
recently.
Coughlin walked the three miles to
Sycamore Hill from Oyster Bay. One
Of the rules for visitors at Sycamore
Hill is that no one shall come on foot,
SO when Secret Service Agent John
Adams caught sight of Coughlin toll
ing up the hill road he guessed at once
that something was wrong and mo
toned for the man to go back Cough
lin kept right on, but without quick
ening his pace, and Adams at once
ran down the road to meet him. In
response to the secret service mans
demand as to his business Coughlin
produced his card and told his errand
to Sycamore HILL
The secret service man tried to ex-
plain that the president was not see
Ing visitors at the moment, hoping to
get him quietly out of the grounds
Coughlin hesitated a moment, glanced
furtively about and then slid his hand
toward the back pocket of his trous-
ers. Adams took the hint and Crap
pied with his man without further
parley. Coughlin struggled for mo-
ment, but he is slightly built man,
and Adams had no difficulty in hold
ing him until Agent james Sloan, Jr.,
the chief OF the presidents guard,
came to his assistance Sloan search
ed the prisoner and found in his hip
pocket a 80 caliber revolver Of the
bulldog type The weapon was
wrapped up in a wooden bag and, ac-
cording to the secret service men, was
not loaded.
Taken to County jail,
The slight struggle near the tennis
court had not been observed at the
house, and the secret service men,
without alarming the presidents fami-
", called one of the government auto
mobiles and carried Coughlin down to