The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1909-04-02

GROVER CLEVELAND
and VIM MCKINLEY
How Former Received News
Of the Assassination.
He Was Horrifid by the Report
And Unable to Say
Anything.

Kinley was slot at Buffalo, Mr.. CieVe-
land was fishing with a friend In
small lake in the Bershires. Al
about sunset a man was seem rowing
rapidly out toward tie ex-President's
boat.
"Mr. Cleveland" he shouted as he
drew within call, President Mckinley
has bene assassinated."
The ex-President did not start He
simply looked at the stranger, too
much amazed by this bolt out of the
blue to say anything.
The man came nearer. Il tell you,
he repeated painting from his rapid
rowing, President Mckinley has been
shot-killed!"
Mr.. Cleveland scrutinized the strang
err a moment in grave silence, betray-
ing nothing of what ne thought or
felt. Then making sign to show tnat
he had heard and appreciated wnat the
the man wished to say his gaze drop
ped to his line again, though OF course
he was not thinking Of fishing now.
The bearer OF bad tidings looked at
the apparently stolid figure Of the 81
lent fisherman.
You don't seem TO be much excited
about it." he muttered, and putting
about rowed slowly to shore.
MIR. Cleveland waited little while
still in profound silence, then thought
fully reeling in his line he merely said
to his friend: well, l guess We may
as well CO." On the way to shore
he disjointed his rod in his careful,
deliberate manner put 1t IN the case,
saying nothing
At the landing lie was met by the
nearest local correspondent for GER
tain New York newspaper Also quite
excited and not little embarrassed
by his unwelcome assignment.
I'm sorry 10 trouble you, sir" ne
said, but my paper wants me to get
200 words from you on the assassfna-
ton of the President"
Mr.. Cleveland at first shook his
head. Say this" lie finally answered
that in common with all decent pat
riotic American citizens ann so hor-
rified by this report that am unable
TO say anything" Then turning hasti
ly away ne drove off with his friend
and for some time said nothing even
TO him as the carriage jolted over the
billy roads and the sunset faded
Then suddenly as II they lad been
talking all the time, re said aloud:
well 1t may not be true" Present
ly ne added: "Well 1t may be true
that he has been shot; it may not be
true that he has been killed" After
that there was still longer silence
until finally Just before tie end OF th
drive-it was now quite dark-he be-
gan to talk land note toe extraordi-
nary precedence OF the conclusion ne
reached as a result Of his slow, silent
brooding upon tie mOmentous It'd
ings): First of all lie said, If the
report wree true, tie thing could hard
ly nave been done by a disappointed
office seeker as in tie case of poor
Garfield" for the circumstances at
the time We're not such as 10 make that
very probable. Nor he explained, wass
it very likely t1at labor troubles coul
have been the immediate cause; there
were no strikes Of importance on at
the time OTHER possible agencies
were passed in review and cast aside
as possible but hardly probable. So,
he added quietly but with the divina-
tion OF a seer of old, If McKin-
ley mas been shot there is no other ex
PLANTATION than that it has been by
the hand of some foreign Anarchist"
Informed and within a few hours ne
was reliably tnat this precisely was
the case.
Later when Mr.. Mckinley died the
whole world including no doubt, the
stranger In the rowboat, was sur
prised and touche ed at the depth of
feeling shown by this rugged old
statesman IN his public utterance con-
corning the nations great calamity.