Complete Life of William McKinley and Story of His Assassination: An Authentic and Official Memorial Edition, Containing Every Incident in the Career of the Immortal Statesman, Soldier, Orator and Patriot — John Shaqi
Complete Life of William McKinley and Story of His Assassination: An Authentic and Official Memorial Edition, Containing Every Incident in the Career of the Immortal Statesman, Soldier, Orator and PatriotEverett, Marshall
History
Complete Life of William McKinley and Story of His Assassination: An Authentic and Official Memorial Edition, Containing Every Incident in the Career of the Immortal Statesman, Soldier, Orator and Patriot
The President raised his right hand, red with his own blood, and placed
it on the shoulder of his secretary. “Let no one hurt him,” he gasped,
and sank back in the chair, while the guards carried Czolgosz out of his
sight.
The ambulance from the exposition hospital was summoned immediately and
the President, still conscious, sank upon the stretcher. Secretary
Cortelyou and Mr. Milburn rode with him in the ambulance, and in nine
minutes after the shooting the President was awaiting the arrival of
surgeons, who had been summoned from all sections of the city, and by
special train from Niagara Falls.
The President continued conscious and conversed with Mr. Cortelyou and
Mr. Milburn on his way to the hospital. “I am sorry,” he said, “to have
been the cause of trouble to the exposition.”
Three thoughts had found expression with the President—first, that the
news should be kept from his wife; second, that the would-be assassin
should not be harmed; and, third, regret that the tragedy might hurt the
exposition.
The news that the President had been shot passed across the exposition
grounds with almost incredible speed, and the crowd around the Temple
grew until it counted 50,000 persons. This big crowd followed the
ambulance respectfully to the hospital, then divided itself into two
parts, one anxious to learn the condition of the President and to catch
every rumor that came from the hospital; the other eager to find the
assassin and to punish him.
Certain it is that if the officials had not used remarkable diligence in
taking Czolgosz out of the way of the crowd he would have been mobbed
and beaten to death.
Czolgosz had been carried into a side room at the northwest corner of
the Temple. There he was searched, but nothing was found upon him except
a letter relating to lodging. The officers washed the blood from his
face and asked him who he was and why he had tried to kill the
President. He made no answer at first, but finally gave the name of
Nieman. He offered no explanation of the deed except that he was an
Anarchist and had done his duty.
A detail of exposition guards was sent for a company of soldiers. A
carriage was summoned. South of the Temple a space had been roped off.
The crowd tore out the iron stanchion holding the ropes and carried the
ropes to the flagpole standing near by on the esplanade.
“Lynch him,” cried a hundred voices, and a start was made for one of the
entrances of the Temple. Soldiers and police beat back the crowd. Guards
and people were wrangling, shouting and fighting.
In this confusion, Czolgosz, still bleeding, his clothes torn, and
scarcely able to walk, was led out by Captain James F. Vallaly, chief of
the exposition detectives; Commandant Robinson, and a squad of secret
service men.
Czolgosz was thrown into a carriage and three detectives jumped in with
him. Captain Vallaly jumped on the driver’s seat and lashed the horses
into a gallop.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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