Montpelier examiner., 1912-10-18
EX-PRES|DENT HAS
A NARROW ESCAPE
MAN WHO HAD TRAlLED PRO-
GREssIvE LEADER FOR DAYS
TRIES TO MURDER HIM.
Colonel Roosevelt Insists Upon Ad-
dressing Audience, Declaring His
Injuries Trivial, and Refused to
Go to Hospital Until He Had
Finished Speech.

| Milwaukee, Wis.-Colonel Theodore
Roosevelt was shot and slightly wound
ed Monday night as he was leaving
the Gilpatrick hotel for the Coliseum
to make speech.
The wound was superficial and the
colonel went on to the hall and began
his speech, after he had seen the
assassin arrested and taken to the
police station.
Henry F. Cochems with others seized
the assassin and held him until police
men came up.
The man who shot Colonel Roose-
vetl gave his name as John Schrank,
and his address as New York City.
In an incoherent manner he told
Chief Jameson at police headquarters
of having wanted to kill Roosevelt be-
cause he did not believe any president
ought to have more than two terms.
The prisoner gave every appearance
of being crazy He mumbled to him
, self and looked wild-eyed In his
pockets the police found letter ad-
dressed ITO the People," in which
4 Schrank wrote of what he called a
dream that came to him in which he
saw Roosevelt as the assassin of Pres
| ident Mckinley. He asserted in the
letter that no president ought to serve
police that he had followed Colonel
Roosevelt around the country for the
last week to kill him.
AS Colonel Roosevelt stepped into
an automobile on his way from the
hotel to the Coliseum, his assailant
fred, the bullet crashing into the
ex-president's right side, just below the
nipple.
When the would-be assassin was
o, empowered, Colonel Roosevelt called
out: Don't hurt him. I'm all right"
Upon being driven to the Coliseum,
Colonel Roosevelt was implored by his
friends to give up the speech and go
to a hospital, but he declared he was
not hurt and that he was going to
made that speech, even II it was his
last one.
Roosevelt talked for fifteen minutes
before he gave the slightest indica-
tion that he felt the effect of the bullet.
Then sudden twinge of pain made
him clutch his right side. The audi
ence was quick to observe it, and a
protest ran through the hall for the
colonel to stop. Roosevelt frowned.
Nov, this is all trivial affair."" he
cried. Anyone who knows me must
realize that would not stop for a
thing like this. l may have a right
to feel sore with a bullet in me- But
II you saw me in battle leading my
regiment you would not want me to
stop. You would encourage me to go
ahead, no matter what happened.
In opening his speech, Colonel
Roosevelt said
Il shall have to ask you to be as
quiet as possible. do not know
whether you fully understand that
have just been shot, but it takes more
than that to kill Bull Moose
But, fortunately, l had my manu-
script tholding up manuscript show
ing the audience where the bullet had
gone through; SO, you see, was go
ing to make long speech. And,
friends, the hole Is in 1t that the bullet
went through, and it probably saved 1t
from going into my heart. The bullet
is in me now, SO that cannot make a
very long speech But l will try my
best"
Colonel Roosevelt was wildly cheer.
ed at the conclusion of his address
when he was taken to the hospital
Later in the evening the colonel iden.
titled his assailant at police head
.quarters.
While the colonel was on his way to
the hospital. which is ten blocks away
from the Auditorium, message was
sent to Mrs. Roosevelt at Oyster Bay
telling her of the shooting She was
informed that the wound was slight
and that the colonel had gone ahead
with his speech, suffering no discom
future, Other messages were hurried
out to various others of the colonel's
family. including Congressman Nicho
las Longworth in Washington.
Colonel Roosevelt was able to re
sumo his journey and reached Chi
cago at $3.50 Tuesday morning, hav
ing spent restfnl night and eperi
: enced no discomforts during the TRIP
from Milwaukee.
News Broken to Mrs. Roosevelt.