Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-10-27
FLASH POWDER
HA[TS WILSON
HANDSHAKE
President Gets Real Scare and
Photographer Almost Gets
Smash on law.

\ perplexing query to-day is agi-
tating the minds of the 400 persons
who caught glimpse of President
Wilson in the twenty minutes that he
stopped in Atlanta Sunday afternoon
on his way to the Southern CONNER
cial Congress in Mobile.
Some Of them quite firmly are set
tied in the opinion that a charge OF
fashlight powder, ignited while the
President was shaking hands with his
admirers in the Terminal Station
train sheds, gave him the worst scare
he has received since changing his
official residence from Trenton, n. J.,
10 Washington. D. C.
Others say he took the incident
with characteristic calmness.
Two flashes were taken of the Pres
ident. The first made mo more dis
turbance than the muffled football of
The family cat. There was mo-
1nentary blaze of light that resembled
the harmless playing Of sheet light
ming in the distant skies. The Pres-
dent merely smiled one of his charac-
teristic smiles and kept on shaking
hands with the enthusiastic members
of the crowd gathered about the rear
Of his private car, the Columbia.
Second Blast Shocks.
But there was another photogra-
pher who used more militant brand
of powder. And to thake sure of get
ting a good picture of the President
he put a double charge in his fash
light machine.
When it explo. d, 400 persons
jumped in the air. The charge de-
donated like the explosion of bomb,
or a blast of. nitroglycerine, or a Al
caliber Colt revolver. No one proba-
bly,, ever will know what the Pres!-
dent thought it was, but he jerkei
his hand away from the man to whom
he was saying pleasant word just S
the explosion came, and quickly
leaped upward a step.
He realized an instant later the
cause of the noise, but there was no
smile on his face this time. He gays
a few rapid orders, waving his hand
comprehensively toward the battery
of cameras. Instantly came hustlins
and showing through the crowd a
-green-hatted, red-featured and stock
lily built individual, who seemed bent
on sweeping the cameras onto the
ground.
In a sudden rush of anger, the
photographer was considering with
some degree of pleasurable anticipa
d ,
persons chin would make for we'll
directed blow when he happened to
recognize in him Secret Service Agent
Sloan, who probably holds the long
distance record for elboWing, strong
aiming and manhandling away from
Presidential parties the reporters and
other pestiferouS individuals who are
always present
Transformation is Marvellous.
The transformation in the pho
tographer from a wrathful man to
The mildest hammered person in the
world was miraculous. He cared ford
no encounter with Sloan. who he re-
rnembered as the guard who once had
pushed him from the runningboard
of President Taft's automobile into
an undignified sitting posture under
the heels of mounted policeman's
horse
While Sloan was attending to the
camera men, President Wilson quickly
went up the steps of his car, entered
the door and did not appear again
until the train was pulling out from
the station. He left fully $50 good
right hands mistaken, but he was not
going to take any more chances with
charge of giant powder masking
as flashlight.
all along the line in the Carolinas,
and found a large crowd waiting for
him when the train stopped at the
Terminal Station in Atlanta TO
change engines and pick up the spe-
Cial Mobile car carrying the recep-
ton committee for the President and
Secretary Daniels.
The newspaper men were informed
that no one would be allowed on the
platform when the Presidential spe
cial came in. Every argument was In
vain. No permits would be issued. |
When they gained the platform by
a circuitous route a few minutes later |
however they found that a great |
crowd of people in some mysterious |
manner had evaded the officials and |
were on haid to cheer the President. |
Refuses to Make Speech.
Wilson refused to make a speech |
He spoke pleasantly to the members |
of the throng as they shook hands |
with him, but he pleaded that it was |
the Sabbath when several persons |
called for an address He regretted, |
he said, that he could not spend more i
time in Atlanta. He would have liked |
10 stop on his return, but his itinerary !
prevented it.
With the President in his private |
car were DR.. Grayson and number |
of the Secret Service men. Other |
coaches were occupied by delegates to |
the congress and number of its Of |
flcials, including Senator Duncan L. |
Fletcher, of Florida, its president