Waterbury Democrat., 1901-09-11
UBRIEN WAS THE HERO.
He it was Who wrested the
 Pistol From Czolgosz.

Pistol From Czolgosz.
 The Colored Man Parker Has Been Misrepresented-I Was Four Mem
 bers of the Seyenty-third Coast Ar
 tillery That Jumped on the Assassin -O'Brien Secured the Revolver and Refused to Give It to the Secret Ser vice Detectives.
 The following special dispatch to the Hartford COurant throws more light on the question of who were the heroes when President Mckinley was shot: Buffalo, Sept 10.-I have the honor to comply with your request for the names of the soldiers of this command who captured Leon Czolgosz, Septem- Der 6. after he had shot President Me Kfnley. They are: Corporal Bertschy, Private Francis O'Brien, Private Her bert Brooks, Private I. Fuenbaugh- It was Private O'Brien who wrested the pistol from the assassin.
 k. H. c. MELTON. Acting Commander Seventy-third Com
 pany, Coast Artillery
 Since the first reports of the assas- sination all the credit has been given to the colored man, J. B. Parker.
 The Boston Globe says: Among the arrivals from Buffalo yesterday were the officers and men of Company c, First Heavy Artillery. They were within 15O feet of the president when he was shot.
 Their description of the scene after the shooting differs from those already published. According to their. story the negro, Parker, had nothing to do with the arrest of CZolgosz, the would be assassin. They lay blame on the as careful with Czolgosz as they had been with others whose appearance might have been suspicious.
 One of the officers, who refused to permit the use of his name, said yes terday:
 AS the file of people approached the spot where the president stood receiv- ing and shaking the hands of the peo- pie, those who carried bundles or pack ages were unceremoniously put out of the line and told to go to the rear.
 ''This was evidently done to prevent any chance of weapon being carried in concealment to be drawn at the proper time to use against the life of President Mckinley.
 "SOme of the men of our company. although in uniform of soldiers, and not at all likely to arouse suspicion, were put out of the line and forced to take places at the. rear because they had bundles. Yet this precaution was not made use of when Czolgosz ap- preached. He had his right hand done up in a handkerchief, and held it to his breast with his left hand. Why he was allowed to pass on in this atti- tude that should arouse the suspicion of a trained detective we could not un- derstand, particularly when others far less suspicious in appearance were put out of the ranks and sent to the rear, where they could be more easily watched.
 Through whatever mischance or carelessness on the part of the twenty two secret service men about the pres idential party this was allowed. Czol- gosz reached the president and did the deed he had meditated. And here again, the honor of seizing the aflareI- ist and taking his revolver from him has been given to those who do not deserve the credit.
 Tt was not to the negro Parker. but to two privates of the Fourteenth United States infantry that the credit of having seized and disarmed Czolgosz is due, and in connection with this the part played by the secret service men is not altogether creditable.
 When the shots rang out, and they came so close together that it seemed almost as if only one shot was fired. hush of fear fell on the multitude. Everyone in the vast throng seemed to feel that some tragedy had happened. but just what it was was not known outside the immediate entourage of the president. The stiffness for an instant was so great that pin might have been heard fall.
 "But while the hush was over the rest of the crowd two of the eleven men of the Fourteenth infantry. O'Brien and Brooks, had fallen on the man who did the shooting and bore him to the ground. O'Brien dragged the revolver from his hand and with Brooks pulled him to his feet. fs4
 ''Then the secret service men seemed to recover from their shock, and De tectiye Ireland jumped forward and struck CZolgosz in the face, and the other officers jumped on him and bore him to the ground. When he was raised again he was bleeding from cuts and bruises. and shook his head to clear the blood from his eyes, much as a dog shakes himself to throw off water from his body.
 'O'Brien and Brooks had been thrust aside by the onset of the secret ser vice men. but O'Brien still held on to the revolver. Ireland demanded it from his, but it was refused, O'Brien answering that he did not know the man who made the demand
 Ireland then said he was a secret service officer, and again demanded the revolver. Again it was refused, and to an order to deliver it up O'Brien an- swered that he did not take orders from anyone but his own superio-s. Just then a corporal of the Eleventh came up and to him O'Brien gave up the weapon. The struggle between the secret service men to get the revolver and the infantryman to keep it for his own officers lasted some ten minutes"
 The New York Sun correspondent says: 'sHe was grasped around the body by big private of the Seventy third company of coast artillery almost at the instant of firing the second shot. In q fraction of a second afterwards