The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-10-19
HARD TO GUARD
U. 5. PRESIDENTS
Protector of Presidents Tells
How Easy an Assassin
Can Work Here.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19.-Major
Richard Sylvester, chief of police of
Washington since the administration
of President Arthur in 1888, has had
nearly thirty years of experience in
the protection of presidents. AS presi-
dent of the Internal Police Association
for several years, all arrangements for
the protection of presidents visiting
other cities have been made through
Major Sylvester and the police depart
ments of practically all cities visited
by presidents have adopted the sug-
gestions made by him.
ut Is true, of course" said Major
Sylvester today that no precautions,
however thorough, can guarantee any
man immunity from assassination. II a
demented person Is bent upon the as
sassination of the President or any
other public man, it is impossible to
prevent him carrying out his design.
But the precautions We take lessen the
opportunities for such dastardly work
and reduce the danger. BY an exercise
the police the chances for such an I'M
fortunate occurrence as that at Mil
waukee can be made materially less.
Here in Washington we have to
deal with great many cranks who
come to the city with imaginary griev-
ances and with Authorizations of all
kinds. During the year 1911 204 cases
of insanity came under the observa-
ton of the Washington police, an in
crease of fifty-six cases over the pre-
vious year OF these, sixty-six were
nonresidents, and it Is safe to assume
that nearly all of these were persons
who came here to collect imaginary
debts owing to them by the govern
ment, to right imaginary wrongs, or
suffering from other hallucination.
cannot say how many of the sixty-six
were arrested at the White House, but
quite a number of them.
I'VE take the greatest precautions
to protect the president, especially dur
ing inauguration. 1t is not known gen.
orally that the Washington police in
quire about every person who rents
room along the line of an inaugural
parade, but that is the fact. We find
out who holds these rooms and wheth-
er they are reliable persons, for We
realize that in this way we can reduce
the chances of an insane man shooting
at the President as he rides to and
from the Capitol. And when the presi-
dent goes to the theater We inspect
the box he is to occupy. We do not per-
NIT anyone to shake hands with the
president or hand him letter or gift
of any kind when he is driving along
the street. The reason for this is read
lily apparent. A most innocent looking
package might turn out to be deadly
1T is we'll known that when Presi-
dent Roosevelt was in the White
House he was very careless of protec-
ticn from cranks and the police receiv-
ed little cooperation from him in their
work But Mrs. Roosevelt was exceed
ingly careful, and she saw to it that
every precaution was taken to protect
her husband from violence. Secretary
Loeb also always was on the alert. and
he, too, made every arrangement to
protect the President. Colonel Roose-
welt was such an active, energetic man
that it was rather difficult to throw
about him the measure of protection
that was warranted, but we managed
to keep up with him.
II do not believe Roosevelt as Presi-
dent attracted the attention Of more
cranks than other presidents. although
he was very emphatic and was frequ-
emily the center of great excitement.
We took the same measures with him
that we did with Mckinley and Cleve-
land and other presidents. Cleveland
always was the source of great worry
for me because of the strenuous times
during his administration and the in
tense feeling that was engendered."