Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-08
NOT FOR PRESIDENT.
Dangerous Bullet Probably
Meant for a Bird.
NO ATTEMPT AT MURDER
General Belief Entertained at Oyster
Bay.
SECRET SERVICE IS SILENT
Rigid Investigation Being Made,
However-Maj. Wadsworth
Along and Talks.
NO ATTEMPT AT MURDER
SECRET SERVICE IS SILENT

Special Dispatch to The Star.
OYSTER BAY, September S,-Although
the secret service men stationed here to
guard the President during the summer
denied today that any attempt had been
made to shoot Mr. Roosevelt while he
was horseback riding last Saturday, new
ertheless there is ample corroboration of
| the fact that shot was fired just as the
| President turned off the Cove road to
enter the estate Of his cousin, w. Emlin
Roosevelt.
| Whether or not the shot was aimed at
the President in deliberate attempt to
assassinate him is not known. but the
was practicing with gun or shooting at
| a bird and that the bullet, which is said
| TO have whiZZed over the President s
| head, was merely a stray one which hao
been aimed elsewhere sthan at the Pres
! ident
| 1t developed today that Maj. Wads-
worth, cousin of James Wadsworth
the speaker of the assembly, was The
man who was riding with the President
Saturday when the shot was fired
| Maj Wadsworth came here last Thurs
| day and has been guest of the Presl-
| dent at Sycamore Hill until today. when
| he returned to New York city. Almost
every day since he has been here Maj.
| Wadsworth has taken long horseback
| rides with the President over the coun-
try nv roads hereabouts, and the two were
| returning from a ride in the direction OF
| Cold Springs harbor last Saturday and
had almost reached the Presidents
grounds when they heard a shot
Maj. Wadsworth Talks.
Mai. Wadsworth described the incident
this morning before he left for New York
city.
IT was out riding with the President
Saturday. said Mr.. Wadsworth, land
we took a brisk run over to Cold Spring
Harbor and returned. AS we came along
the Cove road and were about to turn
into the road leading through Emlin
Roosevelts estate to Sycamore Hill, /
heard a shot,
.It seemed to be pretty close to us and
the President made some remark about
some one being at target practice. Moth
ing more was thought about the incident
until we went bathing at Cold Spring
Harbor. While the President and l were
swimming we heard other shots and both
of us spoke of them at the time. 1t was
my impression that some one was at tar
get practice.
President Starts Inquiry.
1.-The President must have started an in
| vestigation, for later 1 learned that Jack
Roosevelt, a son of Emlin Roosevelt, had
been shooting at a target back of the
house. Yesterday Secretary Loeb tod
about the armed crank who was caught
near the Presidents house. but did not
connect the fact with the shooting Satur-
day, and do not believe that an attempt
was made to shoot the President"
Camille Weidenfelt. the banker of Al
Wall street, New York, who lives beyond
the Presidents home, and who met the
President and Mai. Wadsworth on the
Ia almost the
time the shot was fired, was very unwill-
ing to talk about the incident when seen
this morning as he boarded the o'clock
train for the city.
Yes I was riding along the Cove road
Saturday with my wife when we met
the President said Mr.. Weidenfelt. but
l do not care to discuss the matter.
do not remember hearing any shot fired" I"
Driver Heard Shot.
Mr. weidenfelt's driver said today that
he plainly heard the shot just as the
President and Maj. Wadsworth passed on
horseback. The fact Of Saturdays shoot
ing was guarded with the utmost secrecy
by the secret service men. but it became
known last night when John Coughlin.
crank was arrested he attempted to
reach the President with revolver.
No one here knows when Coughlin
reached town or how long he has been
prowlng about Sycamore HILL So tar
no one has been found who saw Coughlln
/ here Saturday ard the secret service men
say they have been unable to trace the
cranks movements prior to the time he
appeared so dramatically at Sycamore
Hill late yesterday afternoon.
Chief Wilkie of the secret service came
| here from Washington Sunday and had
/ long conference with Agent Sloan and
/ his assistants, and 1t is said the incident
/ of Saturday was then discussed and the
men here given orders to keep even
! closer watch than ordinarily upon the
| President.
| Loeb Denies Once More.
| Secretary Loeb said today there was
no truth in the story that some one had
! shot at the President
| I'm my opinion" said the secretary,
1.-The story is fake 1t is not an unusual
| thing for people in the vicinity Of Saga
more Hill to shoot at target practice, and
the season for hunting birds and rabbits
is now on. The shot that was fired. If one
was fired, could easily have come from
| this source. Why. over on Center Is
| Ian. where 1 live, some one is shooting
| al the time, and there is just as much
| reason to say that / had been shot at by
| some one over there as there Is to say
that some shot at the President
| The crank who came here yesterday was
| a perfectly harmless one
Even though he had loaded revolver
and was trying to get at the PRESIDENT?
| Mr.. Loeb was asked.
''Why. I understood the gun was not
| loaded" replied the secretary.
Looking for the Shooter.
By Associated Press.
! OYSTER BAY n. ", September S.-A
searching investigation is being made to-
rise to the report that a shot was fired
| from ambush on President Roosevelt last
Saturday. Every foot of ground in the