Shooting For Justice

two presidents assassinated in the past sixteen years. Why not detail five military guards there on three shifts each day? Your new provost marshal can train and supervise them,” Pope said.
“I have the authority to do it. Getting the president to accept it could be an issue. Since Garfield was shot about two years ago, it should be something I can sell,” Lincoln said. “Arthur has spoken candidly with me about Garfield and my father. I don’t think he is frightened, but I know he is aware. I will tell him Ben and I have been discussing tightening security at the President’s House as a matter of course. I should be able to introduce you both to him Friday night at the party. Assuming I’ve had good luck, I will mention you will be overseeing the strengthened security as well as a number of other things,” Lincoln said.
“John, come to my office in the War Department Building. It faces Pennsylvania Avenue and is just northwest of the President’s House. Look for 17th Street. Make it about ten in the morning, and I will introduce you around and assign an office for you,” Lincoln said.
The two cabinet members rose, and Pope signed the bill to their room. All shook hands and departed.
Back at the room, Sarah asked, “What is your overall view of what we just heard and the men from whom we heard it?”
“A number of things, darling. One, it amazes me we do not have armed guards at the President’s House. Two presidents have been assassinated in the past sixteen years. We guard military bases, but not the home of the president? It is beyond belief.
“Second, I cannot believe a president’s son, who was a military officer on Grant’s staff and is a member of the cabinet did not figure a way to see the two men whose conversation started all of this.
“Third, I adamantly disagree with not telling the president about this matter. You will have your work cut out for you drawing who he should be worried about from him without his knowledge.
“Fourth, we have made inroads today into possible reasons someone may want him killed or removed. However, we are approaching it logically. The reason may not be logical. It may be a splinter group of crazies whose reasons we could never guess,” Pope finished.
“Do you think we can trust them? Brewster and Lincoln?”
“Not yet. What better way to test the security of your plan than to hire two detectives to ferret it out then kill them?”
“Yes, it crossed my mind, too. We really don’t have much choice though,” Sarah said.
“No, we do not. We will go with them until we think we no longer can. Who we will turn to then is a complete unknown. Perhaps we will find a trustworthy confederate in our socializing.”
“You mentioned confederate with a small ‘c’. What’s the possibility of powerful Southern senators and congressmen seeking to disrupt the government for retribution reasons?” Sarah asked.
“I fear it’s as good a probability as anything else we have. My gut reaction lies with Conkling, the political boss in New York. I don’t believe he is still a senator. The probable reason he wants a cabinet appointment. We will check on his job and whereabouts as a first step. I think a quick trip to a library is in order,” Sarah said.
She found there was a dearth of libraries in DC and Sarah ended up at the Library of Congress. Its location was in congress itself. She located and hand copied a list of members of congress and the cabinet.
At the same time, Pope reported for duty as the Provost Marshal for Security and Investigations for the War Department. He was assigned a private office. It was small, but on the prestigious fourth floor down the hall from the secretary’s office. He quickly found the department maintained its own small library and familiarized himself with it.
Lincoln summoned Pope around lunch and said he was to accompany the secretary to the Washington Arsenal by carriage. At the Arsenal, site of the hanging of the Lincoln conspirators, they met with a Colonel Willoughby. He assigned a half platoon of eighteen infantrymen to the President’s House. Instead of the lieutenant which headed a full platoon, he put a senior sergeant in charge. The sergeant, George Wilders, was to report to Pope onsite. The secretary set up the guard staff preemptively, not having spoken to the president.
“I’d rather risk him telling me to dismantle it than to give him a chance to say not to do it,” Lincoln said, showing genetic resolve and management from the paternal side of his family tree.
While Lincoln met with a general and several colonels, Pope sat with Sgt. Wilders. He outlined his ideas for the duties. They would work out patrols and emergency actions once they got to the President’s House and studied the building and its weak points. They then went to the supply warehouse and selected items they would need for the President’s House mission.
“I do not know if the President’s House has a telegraph. If it does not, it certainly ought to. Let’s meet there tomorrow morning. Meet me at the front door at nine. Bring three of your top troopers with you and the gun safe and other items.”
On the way back, Lincoln advised Pope the President’s House not only had a telegraph room, but a telephone was installed in 1877. They would be able to add a set to whatever guard room they were assigned and call either the Washington Police or the Washington Arsenal for reinforcement in an attack situation.
Lincoln and Pope returned to the War Department and walked over to the President’s House. They called on the chief of staff and the secretary asked for a room as near as possible to the telegraph room. A very small room was sufficiently close, so a second telephone set was not required. Pope requested several keys to the telegraph room and two desks and a file