June 30, 1963 - In Forest Row, England, a pistol sounded in the bushes. President Kennedy sat bolt upright in the back seat of his car. From one side of the road in front of the village’s Church of Our Lady of the Forest, a Secret Service man rushed to the bushes, his face tense. He peered inside, with two uniformed British policemen at his shoulder. There, wearing a black cowboy hat, was 8-year-old Hugh Suteley, a cap pistol in his right hand. The Secret Service man, relieved, said: “Pretty tough on us, Buster.” Young Hugh grinned and reloaded his cap pistol. This little drama took place across the road from the small Roman Catholic church where Mr. Kennedy attended Sunday mass. There were more policemen outside the church than there were parishioners inside. The Rev. Charles Dolman, 75, told President Kennedy: “God will help you, Mr. President, in wielding the great powers you possess today. Good wishes for yourself, your wife, and your children — present and to come.” The Kennedys are expecting a third child. The pistol incident took place as Mr. Kennedy was leaving the church and just before he impulsively stopped his car, jumped out, walked up to the road to the waiting crowd, shook hands with several women and children, and thanked them for giving him such a nice greeting. Back in the bushes, Hugh fired his cap pistol again.
