The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1912-10-18
/ DON'T CARE RAP
ABOUT BEING SHOT
SPEECH DELIVERED BY COLONEL
WITH BULLET IN HIS BREAST.
Saved by Manuscript-Mssile's Flight
Stayed by Bulky Package in Vic
TINS Coat Pocket - Exhibits
Blood stains-Asks Audience
to Remain as Quiet as
Possible While He
Talks.

Milwaukee, Wis, Oct Al do not
care rap about being shot, not
rap" said Colonel Roosevelt in his
speech tonight
Friends" he began, 81 shall have
to ask you to be as quiet as possible.
do not know whether you fully un-
| derstand that l have just been shot,
| but it takes more than that to kill
Bull Moose. But fortunately / had
my manuscript (holding up manu-
script, showing audience where bullet
had gone through so you see l am
going to make long speech. And,
friends, the hole is in it that the bull
let went through, and it probably
saved it from going into my heart.
The bullet is in me now, so that I
cannot make a very long speech. But
will try my best.
"And now friends, ! want to take
advantage of this incident to say
solemn word of warning, as l know
how, to my fellow Americans. First
of all, | want to say this about my
self l have altogether too many inn
portant 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 be-
ing shot | am telling you the literal
truth when | say that my concern is
for many other things. 1t is not in
the least for my own life.
Still Ahead of Game.
81 want you to understand that
a a of 40 Uat1na ouuuvou M
man has had a happier life than 1
have had, happier life in every way.
| have been able to do certain things
that | greatly wished to do and l
am interested in doing other things.
can tell you with absolute truthful
ness that am very much uninterested
in whether | am shot or not.
at was just as when l was colonel
of my regiment / always felt that a
|. private was to be excused for feeling
at times some pangs of anxiety about
his personal safety, but 1 cannot un-
| derstand a man fit to be colonel who
can pay any heed to his personal
safety when he is occupied as he
| ought to be occupied with the absorb
} ing desire to do his duty.
81 am in this cause with my whole
heart and soul; l believe in the Pro
gressive movement-a movement for
the betterment of mankind, the move.
ment for making life a little easier
for all our people; a movement to try
to take the burdens off the man and
especially the woman in this country
who is most oppressed. | am alb
sOrbed in the success of that move.
ment. | feel uncommonly proud in
belonging to that movement.
Pleads for Acceptance.
Friends, ! ask you now this eve
ming to accept what | am saying as
absolute truth when l tell you am
not thinking of my own success, ]
am not thinking of my life or of any.
thing connected with me personally.
am saying this by way of introduc-
tion because l want 20 say some
thing very serious to our people and
especially to newspapers
81 don't know who the man was
who shot me tonight. He was seized
by one of my Stenographers, Mr.. Mar
tin, and | suppose is in the hands of
the police now. He shot to kill me.
| am just going to show you. Colonel
Roosevelt then unbuttoned his coat
and vest and showed his white shirt
badly stained with blood) Now
! friends, | am going to be as quiet as
possible. / am not able to give the
challenge of the Bull Moose quite as
loudly. Now, l do not know who he
was or what party he represented. He
was a coward. He stood in the dark.
ness in the crowd around the auto
mobile and when they cheered me and
! got up to bow he stepped forward
and shot ME in the breast.
1T is very natural thing that
weak and vicious minds should be
inflamed to acts of violence by the
kind of foul medacity and abuse that
has been heaped upon me for the last
three months by the papers in the in.
terests not only Of Mr.. Debs, but of
Mr.. Wilson and Mr. Taft.
Says Slander the Cause.
Friends, | will disown and repudi.
ate any man of my party who attack,
with such vile foul slander and abuse
any opponents of any other party.
Now | wish to say seriously to the
speakers and to the newspapers rep
resenting bottle the Republican and
Democratic and Socialist parties that
they cannot, month in and month out.
Jear in and year out, make the kind
Of slanderous, bitter and malevolent
assaults that have been made and not
expect that brutal and violent charac-
tiers, especially when the brutality is
accompanied by a not too strong mind,
they cannot expect that such natures
will be unaffected by it.
81 am not speaking for myself at
all. I give you my word I do not
care a rap about being shot, not a rap.
I have had a good many experiences
in my time and this is only one of
them What 7 do care for is my
country. I wish were able to i'm
press ON our people the duty to feel
strongly but to speak truthfully Of
their opponents. l say now I have