The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1909-03-25

In speaking of the late Groverc Cleveland Characteristic grave queness
thtt this trait of thu great satesnan expressed comment approbatoh re-
proof applause. He continues:
A S IN Illustration of this striking trait and incidentally of how 9s'
~ public otter misunderstood him, the following incident Q. al historic
d % day will serve. On the afternoon that President Mckinley was shot
at Buffalo, Mr., Cleveland vas fishing with a friend in a small lake in The
Berkshires. At about sunset a man was seem rowing rapidly tut oward ne
ex-Prestdents boat. Mr.. Cleveland" he shouted as he drew within cahi
president Mckinley has been assassinatedW
The ex-Preddent did nt start He simply looked at the stranger, toe
much amazed by thisb bolt nut of the blue to say anything.
The man m nearer. Il tell you," he repeated, painting from his rapid
rowing, President Mckinley has beer hot-kledt'
Mr.. Cleveland scrutnized the stranger a moment in grave silence, beray-
ing nothing of what he thought or felt. Then making a sign to show that
he had heard and appreciated what the man wished to say his gaze dropped
to his line again, though, Of course, lie vas 10 thinking of fishing nov
he bearer of bad tdings looked a the apparently stoHd figure OF tn
you don't seem tt b. much excited about it," lie muttTed, and, putting
about. rowed slowly to shore. *
Mr. Cleveland waited a little while, still in profound silence, then
thoughtfuny Keeling in his line he merely said TO his friend, WELL I guess W e
may as well g% On the way to shore h dsiofned his roc in his careful
deliberate manner put it In the cases saying nothing.
At the landing he vas met by the nearest local correspondent fr a GER
tanN w York newspaper, also quite excited and o a little embarrassed by
his unwe1come assignment.
I'm sorry to trouble you, sir" he said, but m Y paper want me to get
zoo words from you m the assassination of the President"
Mr.. Cleveland at first shook his head; Saws this" h e finally nsyered
that In common with III decent patriotic American citizens / am so hori
hd by this report that I al unable to say anything" Then turning hastily
away HI drove off with his friend, and for some time said nothing even to
him as the carriage johed ow he billy roads and the sunset faded. Then
suddenly, as if they had been talking all the time, he said aloud: H"wen, 1t
may not re true Presently he added: "It may be true that he has been
shot it may not be true that he has been killed" After that there a still
a longer silence until finally just before the end Of the drive-t a now,
quite dark-he began to talk 0ad note the extraordinary precedence of the
conclusion he reached IS a result Of his slow, silent brooding uon the no.
mentoust Idngs): First Of i" lie saidI "f the report we're rue the thing
comd hTdy ave been by a disappointed ofhce-seeker, as in the cae
of poor Garfield, for the circumstances at the time were not such al to
make that very probable" Nor, he explained, wa it very likely that labor
roube coud have been the media cause; there were no strikes o i'm
portance OF at the time. Other possib agencies werep passed in reviews and
cast aside IS possible, but hardly probable. so" h e added, quietly. but with
the dlvnnat II a seer of DID," IF Nc kiney las been shot there n o other
explanation thar that it has been by HI hand of some foreign anarchist"
And within a few hours he vas reliably informed that this precisely was
the casei
Later when Mr.. Mckinley died the whole world, including, n o doubt, the
stranger in the rowboat. was surprised an touched 1T the depth Of feeling
shown by this rugged old statesman in his public uttTance concerning the
nations great calamity