Guard For Roosevelt.

New York Times 100 years ago today, November 16, 1912:
Mrs. Roosevelt Asked for It — No Record of Schrank.
Special to The New York Times.
    WASHINGTON, Oct. 15.— A search of the records of the United States Secret Service to-day failed to show any mention of John Schrank, who shot Col. Roosevelt in Milwaukee last night. A list of dangerous cranks and anarchists who had written threatening letters to or about the President of the United States or other public officers has been kept by the Secret Service for many years. The service also keeps track of persons or groups suspected of being opposed to organized government, and who might have designs on the life of the President.
    "We cannot find Schrank's name in our records, and have no information about him." said John E. Wilkie, Chief of the Secret Service, to-day.
    A man who held an official position in Washington under the Roosevelt Administration and who was more or less acquainted with affairs at the White House in that period told The New York Times correspondent to-day that Mrs. Roosevelt was apprehensive of the danger to which Col. Roosevelt was exposed when he was President and worried a good deal about it. To Mrs. Roosevelt's insistence this man attributed the decision of Col. Roosevelt not to be a candidate for President in 1908. It was well understood in official circles here during the Roosevelt Administration that the extra precautions taken to guard the White House and Sagamore Hill and the person of the President when he was away from home were due to the uneasiness created by the many threatening letters received at the White House while the Roosevelts lived there. Such letters have been few since Mr. Taft became President.
    According to the story current in Washington then, and revived to-day, Mrs. Roosevelt insisted on being informed of these letters, and had frequent conferences with William Loeb, Jr., the Secretary to the President, on the subject of providing every possible means to safeguard the life of her husband.
    Major Richard Sylvester, Superintendent of the Washington Police, who has had nearly thirty years' experience in the protection of Presidents of the United States, said to-day:
    "It is well known that when Col. Roosevelt was in the White House he was very careless of protection from cranks, and the police received little co-operation from him in their work. But Mrs. Roosevelt was exceedingly careful, and she saw to it that every precaution was taken to protect her husband from violence. Secretary Loeb also was always on the alert and he, too, made every arrangement to protect the President. Col. Roosevelt 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. I do not think Mr. Roosevelt as President attracted the attention of more cranks than other Presidents, although he was very emphatic and was frequently the centre of great excitement. We took the same measures with him that we did with McKinley and Cleveland and other Presidents, Cleveland was always the source of great worry for me because of the strenuous times during his administration, and the intense feeling that was engendered."