Evening journal., 1901-09-07

man Of ordinary appearance. and plain
ly dressed in black. approached as if
10 greet the President.
Both Secretary Cortelyou and Presi-
dent Milhurn noticed that the mans
hand was swathed in a bandage or
handkerchief Reports OF bystanders
differ as TO which hand. He worked
his way amid the stream Of people up
20 the edge of the dais until he was
within two feet OF the President.
Sharp craeI, Of the Revolver.
President Mckinley smiled. bowed
and extended his hand in that spirit
of geniaiity the American people so
we'll know, when suddenly the sharp
crack of a revolver rang out loud and
clear above the hum OF voices, the
shunling of myriad feet and vibrating
waves of applause that ever and anon
swept here and there over the Assem-.
blage.
There was an instant OF almost com.
plete silence. The President stood
stock still. a look of hesitancy, almost
of bewildcrment on his face. Then
he retreated a step, while a pallor be.
gan to steal over his features.
The multitude. only partially aware
that something serious had happened,
paused in surprise. while nccks were
craned and all eyes turned as one
toward the rostrum where a geat
tragedy was being enacted
Then came a commOtion. With the
leap of a tiger three men threw them
selves forward, as with one impulse
and sprang toward the would-be assas-
sin. Two OF them were United States
secret service men who were on the
lookout and whose duty q was 10
guard asinst just such a calamity as
had here befallen The President OF the
nation. The third was a bystander a
negro who had only an instant pre-
viously grasped in his duslSy palm the
hand Of the President. AS one man
the trio hurled themselves upon the
Presidents assailant In a twinkllng
be was borne to the ground. his wea-
pom was wrested from his grasp and
strong arms pinioned him down.
Then the multitude which thronged
the odiflce began to come to o realizing
sense of the awfulness Of the scene
Of which they had been unwilling wit
nosses.
a murmur arose. spread and swelled
to a hum OF confusion then grew to
a babel Of sounds and later to a pande-
monium Of noises
Crowd suraed Forward.
The crowd that a moment before
had stood mute and motionlcss as in
bewildered ignorance Of the enormity
Of the thing, now with a single inn
pulse Eurged forward toward the stage
of the horrid drama. while a hoarse
cry wolled up from q Thousand throats
aud n thousand men charged forward
to lay hands upon the perpetrator OF
the dastardly crime.
For a moment the confusion was ter
rible The crowd surged forward re.
gardless Of consequences.
Men shouted and fought, women
screamed and children cried. Some of
those nearest the doors fed from the
edihce I'm fear of stampede. while
hundreds of others from the outside
struggled blindly forward in the effort
to penetrate the crowded building and
solve the mystery of excitement and
panic. which every moment grew and
swelled within the congested interior
of the cdihce.
Inside, on the slightly raised dais.
was enacted within those few feverish
moments a tragedy so dramatic in
character, so thrilling in it's intensity
that few who looked on will ever be
able TO give a succinct account of what
really did transpire. Even the actors
who were playing the principal roles
came out of it with banched faces,
trembling limbs and beating hearts,
while their brains throbbed with
tumult OF conflicting emotions which
could not be clarified into a lucid mar
rstive of the events as they really
transpired.
But of the multitude which wit
messed or bore a part in the scene of
turmoil and turbulence there was but
one mind which seemed to retain it's
equilibrium. one hand which remained
steady, one eye which gazed with un-
calmness, and one voice
which retained It's even tenor and fall
tered not at the most critical juncture.
They we're the mind and the hand and
the eye and the voice of President Nc
Kinley.
President Remained Calm.
After the first shock Of the assas-
SINS shots, he retreatsd a step. then
ss the detectives leaped upon his as.