The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-05-07

of the nearest police station. 1t va
not until the poor negro was standr,
in front of the sergeants desk that
understood the hoax that had bsa
worked upon him. But his rebellion W,
feeble and pitiable in the extreme
examination showed that he had be-.
an inmate of the government hospf,
for the insane for some while. and
that time was out on parole.
Another crank visited the Win
House to press claim more pract.c,
and lucrative than the old negro
though less modest. He said that
hailed from Ohio and that he had bee
elected by the state legislature to tan
the place of the late Senator Ham.
In some unaceountable manner he in
sisted. his name had been changed h
that Of Charles Dick, b ut he was IN.
able to prove this change. Hence. n
was unable to present his credentiay
as United States senator to the igis
lature. If a certain state official, h
pleaded. had been true to his oath
office he would never nave been place.
Of course, the president had received
his credentials-fOr this same state Of.
fetal had told him to hurry on d
Washington and receive them from nj
less a person than the president nim
self While conducting him from III.
White House grounds the secret ser.
vice man agreed with him that tn
IL g
was absolutely objectionable and
most unfortunate occurrence.
A crank with a strange hobby was
the one who came to the White Hous
with the cOmmendable, but mos
alarming desire, to pay off his crediton
at any price. He was from Pittsburg
he said, and asked that his identity be
kept secret, as he feared the dissem.
ination of the news of his visit TO thu
capital would cause a panic among
his creditors. He owed them the stu.
pendous sum of 500. His one desir
was to pay every creditor to the VERY
last cent. He had evolved a most con.
offering himself to Dr. Harvey Wiley
the government pure food man, as
member of his celebrated ''poisu
squad" upon whom food experiments
were made. His request had been de.
MED so frequently, he stated, that ne
had been compelled to appeal to the
president as a last resort. Investiga.
tions later disclosed the fact that this
remarkably conscientious debtor did
owe small amounts of money to sev.
eral individuals. In his most surpris.
ing eagerness to pay off his debts he
had advertised in several New York
papers for someone to purchase his
.,...'u, Ills skin, or even one of his
limbs at a figure sufficiently large to
relieve him of his annoying obliga
tons.
n merOus other ca>-as If cranks
large and small, American and foreign
white and black, vicious and harm.
less, might be cited. Their hallucina.
tiOns are much the same in prime pix
though their specific forms are varied
The influx of pamphlets, letters and
books from cranks in all parts of the
was large, indeed, during Pres
dent ROOseveit's administration. Among
the great quantity of letters received
every day are found, most always, at
east one or two from people who are
obviously mentally deranged. Most Of
hem are addressed to the president of
the United States. They are written
n all sorts of fantastic fashions, upon
paper of various cOlors and in penman-
ship varying from the absolutely il.
egible to the most finished Spenceria1
style. Most of these are kept on file
and form interesting reading. One
case in particular is worthy of more
than passing notice. 1t was bulky
as long as the average
for three solid years. Every
day the unfortunate had entered in
this diary facts concerning his condi-
ton, his temperature, the action Of
his heart, etc, and additional inform
alton as to what he thought each day
Of current events and their injurious
Or helpful effect upon his illness.
SO far President Taft has not been
materially by unwelcome Wis
tors who insist upon telling him their
troubles. Or. if he has, the instances
nave been suppressed from the public
prints. That he Will escape them en- +.
-irely during his administration is not
20 be expected. But that not a single
visitor will talk personally
% President Taft is an assured fact
Tor the secret service operatives and
he official guards at the White House
are always on their job, ever alert u
shield the chief executive from the poor
who might seek to do hin
harm n the performance of what Their
weakened minds consider a great mis-
sion"