Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-10-25
ROOSEVELT
HARD man
TO PROTECT
WIFE IS ALWAYS WORRIED
Many CGaDkS Arrested at the
White House

the records of the United States secre
service failed to show any mention o
John Schrank, who shot Colonel Roose
yelt in Milwaukee. A list of danger
GUS cranks and anarchists who hat
written threatening letters to or about
the President of the United States o.
any other public officer has been ken
by the secret service for many years
The service also keeps track of person.
or groups suspected of being opposed
to organized government and who
might have designs on the life of the
president.
A man who held official position in
Washington under the Roosevelt ad.
ministration and who was more or less
acquainted with affairs at the White
House in that period said that Mrs
Roosevelt was apprehensive of the
danger to VIII ch Colonel Roosevelt was
exposed when he was president and
worried a good deal about it. To Mrs
Roosevelt's insistence this man attri-
buted the decision of Colonel Roose-
velt not to be candidate for president
in 1908.
1t was well understood in offic al cir
cles here during the Roosevelt admin
istration that the extra precautions
taken to guard the White House and
Sycamore Hill and the person of the
president when he was away from
home was due to the uneasiness Great.
ed by the many threatening letters re-
ceived at the VIII te House while the
Roosevelts lived there. Such letters
have been few since Mr.. Taft became
president.
According to the story current ir
Washington then, and now revived
Mrs. Roosevelt insisted on being in
formed of these letters, and had fire.
quent conferences with w liam Loeb,
.'r., the secretary to the president.
the subject of providing every possible
means to safeguard the life of her hus-
band
Major Richard Sylvester, superin-
tendent of the Washington police, who
has had near'y 80 years experience in
the protection of pres dents of the
United States, said:
1T is well known that when Colonel
Roosevelt was in the White House he
was very careless of protection from
cranks, and the police received little
cooperation from him in Their work,
But Mrs. Roosevelt was exceeding y
careful, and she saw to il that every
precaution was taken to protect her
husband from violence. Secretary Loeb
also was always on the alert and he.
90, made every arrangement to protect
the president Colonel Roosevelt was
such an active, energetic man that il
was rather difficult to throw about him
the measure of protection that was
warranted, but We managed to keep
up with him. / do not think Mr..
Roosevelt as president attracted the
attention of more cranks than other
presidents, although he was very en-
phatic and was frequently the centre
Of great excitement We took the same
measures with him that We did with
and Cleveland and other
presidents. Cleveland was always the
source of great worry for me because
Of the strenuous times during his ad-
and the intense feeling
that was engendered.
Here in Washington we have to
deal with great many cranks who
come to the city with imaginary griev-
ances and ha'lucinations. In 1911 2O4
cases OF insanity came under the OBJ
of the Washington police, an
Increase of Sc cases over the previous
year. OF these 66 were non-residents,
and it is safe to assume that these
came here to collect imaginary debts
owing to them by the government, to
right imaginary wrongs or were suf-
,ering from other hallucinations. Quite
4 number were arrested at the White
House
"We take the greatest precautions to
protect the president, especially dur
ng Inauguration. 1t is not generally
Known that the Washington police in
luire about every person who rents
'oom a'ong the line of the Inaugural
icn parade, but that is the fact When
he president goes to the theatre we
inspect the box he is to occupy. We
10 not permit any one to shake hands
With the president or hand him let
er or gift of any kind when he is
irving along the street"
There was a marked increase in the
number of guards at the White House
IN the seven and half years Colonel
Roosevelt was president Not until HIS
.erm did the employment of secret
service men for that purpose receive
tho sanction OF law. and the present
aurhber was augmented by details from
the police force Of the District of Co
lumbia. =