Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-09-08
DENY PRESIDENT
 WAS FIRED AT.
Nothing In Story, Say Se-
 cret Service Men.
CATCH AN ARMED CRANK

"sS' vvtss sNSvS'NSs F'VScHNVo
 Seeing MT. Roosevelt He Wanted
 Soldiers Sent to Boston to Keep Out
 lsws From Tsrrorixing That City.
 Before Being Taken to County Jail
 hs Admits Confinement In an Insane
 Asylum-Report of Alleged Shooting
 Declares Executive Was In Peril Dur.
 lno Horseback Ride.
 Oyster Bay, N. r., Sept. 8. The news that an armed crank had at. tempted to reach the president at Sag amore Hill started a series of the usual rumors accompanying such an Incident The one most widely circu- lated was to the effect that a shot had been fired at the president while he was out horseback riding last Satur- day. It was said that the president was riding along the Cove road near the house of his cousin, W. Emlen Roosevelt, when he was fired upon by some one concealed in a clump of bushes at the roadside.
 That there was any foundation for the story was denied by those in position to know. James Sloan, Jr., the chief of the presidents guard of secret service men, emphatically de nied the story of the ambush, and his denial was echoed by the other man who was said to have been with the president
 Story of Shooting Told.
 One story declares that the would be assassin, hidden in the bushes at the roadside, fired at the president with revolver, the bullet whizzing over MT. Roosevelt's head.
 The president, perfectly calm, pulled up his horse and wished to dismount 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 he described "the incident" as he called it, to Sloan.
 Half dozen secret service men has, tened to the scene of the shooting and made a careful investigation. They could find no trace of any one having been concealed in the thicket 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 Sagamore Hill by the secret service guards. The man de- scribed himself as John Coughlin, detective, and when stopped by the secret service men presented 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 yegg- men, who had been terrorizing Boston recently.
 Coughlin walked the three miles to Eagamore Hill from Oyster Bay. One of the rules for visitors at Sagamore Hill is that no one shall come on foot, 50 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 Sagamore 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 moment. glanced furtively aboSt and then slid his hand toward the back pocket of his trous- CTS. Adams took the hint and grap- pied with his man without further barley. Coughlin struggled for mo- ment, but he is a 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 32 caliber revolver of the "bulldog'' type. The weapon was wrapped up in wooen 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- ly, called one of the government auto mobiles and carried Coughlin down to the Oyster Bay town hall. where he was arraigned before Justice of the | Peace Franklin on charge of carry | ing concealed weapons. Justice Frank | lin committed Coughlin to the county | jail at Mineola, and he was taken | there at once in the government auto | mobile. During his detention at the | county jail Coughlin will be examined as to his sanity
 According to the secret service men, Coughlin told them that he had been confined for three years in an asylum foy-t tha tra