A. No, sir; I am not an anarchist or socialist or democrat or republican; I just took up the thing the way I thought it was best to do. (It seems worth while to note that the defendant differs from many assassins of rulers or prospective rulers in having no anarchistic ideas or connections, but rather that he intended to be an upholder of established government.) * * * * * "Mr. Grant was refused" (a third term) "and he was satisfied; this man was refused and he is not satisfied; it's gone beyond limits; if he keeps on doing this after election, he can't possibly carry a solid Western state; the next thing we will have a civil war, because he will say the scoundrels and thieves and crooks stole my nomination, and now they will steal my election, and they will take up arms in all the Western states; we are facing a civil war just to keep him in a third term." Q. Where did you get all this idea from? A. I have been reading history all the time. * * * * * Q. What schooling did you have? A. Well, I have attended school in the old country, and I attended night school in New York for about four winters; that's all the schooling I had. Q. You haven't a very good education then? A. Indeed I ain't. Q. Have you always enjoyed good health? A. Yes, sir; I am a healthy sane man, never been sick. Q. Well, do you believe that that is a sane act that you committed this evening? A. I believe that is my duty as a citizen to do, it's the duty of every citizen to do so. Q. Well, how did you happen to get the idea that it was your duty among all the people that live in the United States? A. I don't know, I thought maybe somebody else might do it before I got there. Q. And you spoke to no one about your intention on all the route you took concerning this, nobody? A. No, sir; nobody. While in jail the prisoner prepared a written defense, which we submit herewith as Exhibit 4, and we extract certain sentences from the same, as follows: "Gentlemen of the Jury, I appeal to you as men of honor, I greet you Americans and countrymen and fathers of sons and daughters. I wish to apologize to the community of Milwaukee for having caused on October 14th last, great excitement, bitter feeling, and expenses." * * * * * "Gentlemen of the Jury: When on September 14th last I had a vision, I looked into the dying eyes of the late President McKinley, when a voice called me to avenge his death, I was convinced that my life was coming soon to an end, and I was at once happy to know that my real mission on this earth was to die for my country and the cause of Republicanism." * * * * *