Evening Star Newspaper, March 15, 1935, Page 26

Protector of Presidents Record of Col. Starling, Friend of Ex- ecutives Since 1913, Reads Like Detective Tale. BY J. RUSSELL YOUNG. had little respect for law or society, W TLSON had | and it fell to this young deputy's lot ‘ & )Ofigf‘gmd‘fin‘fm, “'hlflle to deal with them. It did not take House when, in the Spring | long for these scoff-laws to find out of 1913, Edward William | that this tall, arngy, grayeeved young | Starling, now the chief of the White House Secret Service, Joined that crack outfit Everything about the White House farmer, wearing the deputy's badge. | meant business and could not be| | scared off. Moreover, his sense of | fairness and justice, along with his ! THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, FRIDAY, MARCH 15 1935. banditry which had caused the rail- road to determine on a campaign to put & stop to these crimes. Orders were given to build up the rallroad detective force with fearless young men. Starling was one of those hired for this purpose. He liked this assign- ment, because it carried him into new and promising flelds. In a year or s0 he was an ace in this criminal fighting outfit and was operating all over the South. Captures Billy Miner. One of Starling'’s most notable achievements for the railroad was his capture of Billy Miner, alias “Cali- fornia Kid,” a crafty, hardened train robber with a long criminal record. Within five years his fame had reached the Secret Service headquar- ters in Washington. Just such a man was needed for the White House detail and Starling came north. The tall, straight figure and clear- cut features of this Secret Service man soon became a familiar sight in ‘Washington, and cn those occasions when the President went traveling. Within a few years he was assigned to what he recognized as the most difficult job of the White House Secret Service—that of making arrangements and doing the advance work when a President travels. There are countless details to be given attention. Tact and diplomacy are required as well as_intelligence and foresight. Local police plans must be worked out as well as plans for the local reception committees. Starling soon displayed & real genius for this work. He was always firm but courteous in his dealings with the local police and citizens while planning a presidential visit. He made friends for the President, as well as providing every possible medium of safety. At the same time he al- ways has been resolute in taking the necessary precautions to protect the life of the Chief Executive. Safeguarding Presidents. In these advance arrangements there are the railroads to be con- sidered in the matter of precautions and safety; the route over which the President is to ride when he arrives at his destination must be studied; the hall in which he is to speak, for instance, must be gone over very carefully in advance; if the President and the Capital City w range and | display of physical courage, won him | new to this tall Kent an, whose | [riends among these rough people. and | record in the South for running down | 8 time went on the really bad char- | train robbers and other criminals had | acters, those who had not landed in landed him in the Secret Service. | jail, moved to other neighborhoods Starling had been in many gun bat- | deemed safer for their ideas of con- | tles and hand-to-hand struggles with | duct. law breakers, and was afraid of no | Whether it was because Deputy man, but he admits today that he Sheriff Starling began to lose in- | was nervous and afraid when he first | terest when that section was tamed | came in contact with the President |8nd there was not so much work to be and the other men of national prom- | done, or whether it was because of | inence. He had read something about | the fame he had acquired, he resigned these public figures, but when he came face to face with them he was so nervous his first tmpulse was to urn to the familiar fields of his ) eer as an officer of the law in the South. First Big Scare. As Col. Starling tells the story today. he soon overcame this feeling. It was prcbably President Wilson him- self who put him at ease. A few days after Starling had joined the White House Secret Service it fell to his lot to accompany the President to a nearby golf course. During the motor ride, and while accompanying him over the course. the President, evi- dently noting his strangeness and nervousness, went out of his way to talk about the things he know would interest Starling, and otherwise to put him at ease. Starling soon found that the other big figures in Washington, with whom he mingled as a guardian of the President, were as easy to talk to as | the President. It was not long before he began to like his new job and to feel at home in any company. Col. Starling was born on a farm near Hopkinsville, Ky. His grand- father. a Scotch Irishman. migrated to that section soon after it had been opened by the early frontiersmen His father died when Col. Starling was in his early teens. When the Spanish War broke he joined a Ken- tucky Militia outfit, and, when the war was over, he was mustered out a first sergeant. While punning the farm of his mother he became a | sheriff’s deputy. ! As in everything else in his life’s | work, he took this job very seriously | and not as a political stepping stone. ‘When he was given a paper to serve | or ordered to bring a man to court or to take him to jail, he never failed | in his purpose. Threats in words or | leveled guns did not lessen his de- | | and accepted a position as a detec- tive for the Louisville & Nashville | Railroad. There had been many train robberies and other deeds of ._' (] (X XXX DAILY SPECIALS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY MARCH 16TH and 17TH -,,oo... _—— Lo e Rl eess 17¢ Woodland Brittle i 40¢ Valno—fall poend 19¢ Milk Chocolate Covered Caramels 30¢ Value—solipound 2B¢ Brazil Burter Crunch 60¢ Value—sall peund 29¢ Home Made Chocolate Fudge Cake 40¢ Valne 19¢ AT THE FOUNTAINS Sliced Chicken Sandwich 15 vecuier 20¢ 19¢ T Cake and Ice Cream Pincapple Ice Cream soda. o nea| e Ice ‘eam a g regular 15¢ 10¢ FREE Cup of Coffee with any 20¢ purchese 185 3> STORES-One near you 1107 F St. N.W. 3102 14th St. N.W. 3115 M St. N.W. 800 7th St. N.W. 1103 H St. N.E. termination. 000 @ - oo Back in the Kentucky hills section | © M) ‘ o° % there w some rough characters whe ROUCH Rough and Ready For Spring Chic. . .. STRAWS 5.75 It’s going to be “rough” on straw hats this Spring...and smarter. the rougher the We'’ve sketched a saucy Bre- ton with a striped taffeta trim, to give you the effect. And we've a raft of others in Ballibuntl, Sharkskin and’ Baku. Enily Sloopss 1308 F St. N.W. If we could only appropriate a few census- takers and send them around Washington to make a count of women’s shoes—we know the totals would show that Dynamic Styles are far and away the most popular footwear in town at their price. Why such overwhelming favorites? Per- haps because they’re not simply shoes— but the perfect finishing touch to a smart costume—fashioned with a knowing eye for fabrics, for colors, for style trends. Perhaps because there’s such an astonish- ingly large selection: one hundred and three different faghions—in sizes up to 9, and in widths ranging from AAAA to C. And perhaps Dynamics are popular because of the simple, old-fashioned pride we take in giving you an extra measure of value— a degree of satisfaction and service that has kept our business growing for fifty-nine successful years. Perhaps there are still other reasons why Dynamic Styles are so well liked—but the best way to find them out is to get into a pair of the shoes themselves—right now! Dynamic Styles are exclusive with Hahn’s. is to have luncheon or dinner or re- main all night at a’ hotel, the nec- essary precautions must be taken. If the journey is an extended one—a swing around the country, for in- stance—the task of the advance man is a huge and never-ending one if he is to be satisfied that everything hu- manly possible has been provided to protect the life of the President. Col. Starling has never married and therefore on his off hours he seeks enjoyment outdoors. His hobby is golf and gunning. Frequently he spends the week end at some Vir- ginia or Eastern Shore estate during the hunting season. Each Fall he goes to his old home near Hopkins- ville and enjoys himself with his gun and his dogs, and incidentally checks up on the farm, which he operates at a distance. He has, from time to time, added to the acreage of this farm until today he farms more than 300 acres, specializing in raising milch cows and the growing of lespedeza. It was Col. Starling who first in- terested Calvin Coolidge in fishing and later in trapshooting. The Ver- monter knew a strong affection for the big Kentuckian and they spent much time together. Shortly after Mr. Coolidge’s death, Mrs. Coolidge, knowing how much her late husband cared for Starling, sent him the rifle Mr. Coolidge had used. Col. Starling prizes the gift among his dearest pos- sessions. CREDIT GIVEN U. S. NAVY Leads Britain in Airmindedness, Declares Sir Roger Keyes. LONDON, March 15 (®.—The American Navy is “100 per cent ahead” of the British Navy in air- mindedness, Sir Roger Keyes, World War hero of the Dover Patrol, de- clared in' a speech to the House of Commons last night. Sir Roger criticized English meth- ods, with a plea for separate control of the air fleet by the admiralty in- stead of the present dual control by ¥ the admiralty and the air ministry. “The United States Navy is 100 per cent ahead of us in airmindedness because it has developed its own alr service,” he said. MODERN MUSIC MYTH, DECLARES STRAVINSKY Blast of Shrieks and Groans Not | Entitled to Term, Russian Composer Asserts. By the Associated Press, BOSTON, March 15.—Igor Stra- vinsky, considered one of the greatest living Russian composers and one of the most radical innovators in modern music, declared last night there is no such thing as modern music. Turning from a blast of shrieks and groans he had called from the Boston Symphony Orchestra during a re- hearssl, Stravinsky explained :t thus Individuals Phone NOrth 3609 J. EDW. CHAPMAN 37 N St. N.W. Syls SHOE ARE TOW a composition sharply varying from the accepted works of the day, and that piece may be called modern, but it is not correct to speak in general terms of modernism for such a state of affairs does not exist. The composer will conduct the Bos- ton Symphony Orchestra today in the American premiere of his own Work, “Persephone,” described as a melo- dramatic oratorio patterned after the Greek drama. ENN JETTICK *5 SHOES '6 New Spring Styles Sizes 110 12; AAAAA toEEE Expertly fitted at 1337 F ST. N. W. AR B A—SPRING COATS will be brighter and smarter worn with a Black Pat. ent Leather San- dal. Navy or Brown kid..$5.00 B—DRESSY COATS and suits have an affinity for this smart two - evelet Gabardine. Brown. Navy. Black..$5.00 C—REDIN- GOTES will dot the Spring landscape, charming with suva mesh Navy, Brawn. D—-PRINTS and Sandal Ox- fords will appear together the first mild days. Brown Navy ceeeeo. $5.00 E—TWEEDS are important. 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