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

the capitol Instead it drew up in from.
of the nearest police station. II va.
not until the poor negro was STANDING
in front of the sergeant's desk that h.
understood the hoax that had hoo,
worked upon him. But his rebellion vo.
feeble and pitiable in the extreme A.
examination showed that he had hoo,
an inmate of the government hosnit,1
for the insane for some while. and a.
that time was out on parole
Another crank visited the Wbito
House to press a claim more practical
and lucrative than the old negro,s
though less modest He said taat h.
hailed from Ohio and that he had hsar
elected by the state legislature t. take
the place of the late Senator Hanna
In some understandable manner, he in
sisted, mis- name had been changed to
that of Charles Dick, b ut he was nm
able to prove this change Hence. no
was unable to present his credentials
as United States senator to the Igis
lature. If a certain state official ne
pleaded, had been true to his oath of
office he would never nave been placed
in such an embarrassing predicament
OF course. the president had received
his r6dentialS-fOr this same state Of
fetal had told him to hurry on to
Washington and receive them from no
less person than the president him
self. While conducting him from the
White House grounds the secret ser
vice man agreed with him that the
inexplicable loss of these credentials
was absolutely objectionable and a
most unfortunate occurrence
n crank with a strange hobby was
the one who came To the White House
with the COmmendable, but most
alarming desire, to pay off his creditors
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 the
capital would cause a panic among
his creditors He owed them the stu
pendous sum of $500. His one desire
was to pay every creditor to the very
last cent. He had evolved a most con-
SOling little scheme to earn money by
Offering himself to DR. Harvey Wiley,
the government pure food man, as a
member of his celebrated poison
squad upon whom food experiments
were made. His request had been de-
MED 50 frequently, he stated, that ne
had been compelled to appeal to the
president as a last resort. Investga-
tiOnS later disclosed the fact that this
remarkably conscientious debtor did
owe small amounts of money to sew
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
Dl'D0. his skin. or even one of his
limbs at a figure sufficiently large to
relieve him of his annoying obliga-
tionS.
\ umerOus other ca.-as IF cranks
large and small, American and foreign
white and black, vicious and harm
less. might be cited. Their hallucna-
tons are much the same in prime pie
though their specific forms are varied.
The influx of pamphlets. letters and
books from cranks in all parts of the
country was large, indeed, during Pres
ident RoOSevelt's administration Among
the great quantity of letters received
every day are found, most always 1t
least one or two from people who are
obviously mentally deranged Most of
them are addressed to the president of
the United States. They are written
in all sorts of fanta site fashions, upon
paper of various cOlors and in penman-
ship varying from the absolutely il
legible to the most finished Spencerian
style. Most of theSePare kept" on file
and form interesting reading; One
case in particular IS worthy of more
than passing notice. 1t was a bulky
as long as. the average 81.
for three solid years. Every
day the unfortunate 4had entered in 8.
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
itOrs who insist upon telling him their
troubles. Or, if he has, the instances
have been suppressed from the public
prints. That he will escape them en-
tirely during his adm .nistratiOn is not
to be expected. But that not a single
visitor will talk personally
to President Taft is an assured fact
for the secret service operatives and
the official guards al the White House
are always on their job, ever alert u
shield the chief executive from the poor
who might seek TO do him
harm IN the performance of what their
weakened minds consider a great mis-
sion"