Norwich bulletin., 1912-10-15
RoosEvELTs SPEECH.
More Concerned in Other Things Than
 His Wound.

Milwaukee, Wis, Oct. 14.-"T do not care a rap about being shot, not a rap," said Colonel Roosevelt. in his speech tonight.
 Friends" he begain, 'I shall have to ask you to be as quiet as possible. l do not know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot, but 1t takes more than that to kill a bull moose. But fortunately I had my manuscript (holding up manuscript and showing addience where the bull let had gone through), so you see I was going to make long speech. And, friends, the hole in it is where the bullet went through and it probably saved the bullet from going through my heart. The bullet is in me now, so that I cannot make a very long speech. But will try my best.
 And, comrades, 1 want to take ad- vantage of this incident to say a sol emn. word of warning to my fellow Americans. First of all, I want to say this about myself I have altogether too many important things to think of to pay any heed or feel any concern over my own death. Now, would not speak to you insincerely within five minutes of being shot I am telling you the literal truth when I say that my concern Is. for many other things
 T want you to understand that I am ahead of the game, any way. No man has had a happier life than I have had. have been able to do certain things that wished to do, and I am interested in doing other things. I can tell you with absolute truthfulness that l am very much uninterested in whether I am shot or not. It was just l as when I was colonel of my regiment always felt that a private was to ex- cused for feeling at times some bangs of anxiety about his personal safety, but l cannot understand how a man fit to be colonel can pay any heed to his personal safety when he is occu- pied, as he ought to be occupied, with | the absorbing desire to do his duty.
 T am in this cause with my whole heart and sould; I believe in the pro- ] gresslve movement-a movement for the betterment of mankind, the move | ment for making life little easier for | all our people, a movement to trv to take the burdens off the mankind, es- 1 pecially the woman in this country who is most oppressed. am absorbed in the usccess of that movement | Friends, l ask you now this evening, 1 to accept what I am saying as absolute 1 truth when l tell you I am not think 1 ing of my own success, am not think l ing of my life or of anything connected | with me personally. I am saying this | by way of introduction because I want 1 to say something very serious to our i people and especially to the neyspa,- 1 pers.
 T don't know who shot me tonight | He was seized by one of my stenogra- phers, MT. Martin, and I suppose he is in the hands of the police. He shot to kill me. He shot the bullet I am just going to show you. (Colonel | Roosevelt then unbuttoned coat and vest and showed his white shirt badly stained with blood. Now, friends, l am going to be as quiet as possible even if l am not able to give the chal- 1 lenge of the bull moose quite as loudly | Now ! do not know who he was ol what party he represented-he was 2 coward. He stood in the darkness ir the crowd around the automobile ana when they cheered me and I got UT to bow, he stepped forward and shot me in the breast
 It Is very natural thing that weak 1 and vicious minds should be inf1amet l to acts of violence by the kind of foI1 mendacity and abuse that have beer heaped upon me for the last three months by the papers, in the interest, not only of MT Debs, but of Mir. Wil-
 son and MT. Taft. Friends, I will dis
 own any member of my party who at
 tacks or islanders any opponents of any
 other party. Now I wish to seriously
 say to speakers and the newspaper. | representing both the republican anC
 democratic and socialist parties tha
 they cannot month in month out, veal
 In and year out, make the kind o. C-Ia 16a1.a l.s
 statements that they have made anl
 not expect that brutal and violen
 treatment that they do not get iron
 me; but I do not care a rap about be-
 ing shot-not rap. I have had (
 good many experiences in my time
 and this is only one of them. What
 do care for is my country.
 T wish l was able te Impress ttpor
 tCertinued on Page Five1