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Shooting Avoidable, Says Operative Griffin
Local Secret Service Man Talks of Attack Upon President
There was some comment in this city
yesterday as to whether the attempted assassination of the President
was due to any carelessness of those who were detailed to guard
the Executive. Many seemed to think that greater precaution should
have been observed.
Local Secret Service Agent Matthew
F. Griffin, when questioned concerning the probable laxity of the
guard upon the President, said: “I believe that had a sufficient
number of secret service men been in attendance upon President McKinley
on Friday he would not have been shot.” Mr. Griffin is well qualified
to speak upon this subject, as he has personally met the President,
and has often been assigned to guard him. He was a member of the
surveillance corps in 1896, at Canton, prior to the inauguration,
and also at McKinley’s first inauguration at Washington and during
the journey from his home to the capital.
Operative Griffin said that while
the President is shaking hands with a crowd in a public place those
who are detailed to guard him keep a careful lookout for suspicious
persons. “It is my opinion, and remember, it is merely an opinion,
that the appearance of a man in the line with a handkerchief around
his hand would have been noticeable and put the secret service men
on their guard. Of course, agents are often handicapped by arrangements,
and can’t always use all the precautions they would like to.
“President McKinley, however, had
absolutely no thought of any danger threatening him. He showed this
by constantly walking about without any protection. It is probable
that this is the reason why no detective was near enough to him
to have ordered any suspicious character out of the line.”
Secret Service Operative Ireland,
who was near the President at the time of the shooting, and who
grappled with Czolgosz after the second shot was fired, was formerly
stationed in this city. This was two years ago. He is now located
in the Rochester district.
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