The Attempted Assassination of ex-President Theodore Roosevelt

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

21261

Title

The Attempted Assassination of ex-President Theodore Roosevelt

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This historical narrative details the 1912 attempted assassination of ex-President Theodore Roosevelt in Milwaukee. Written by eyewitnesses and Progressive Party officials, the book chronicles the shooting, Roosevelt's courageous speech while wounded, and the subsequent legal proceedings against the gunman, John Flammang Schrank. It offers a firsthand account of a pivotal moment in American political history.

Summary up to 500 words

On the evening of October 14, 1912, ex-President Theodore Roosevelt faced a harrowing attempt on his life in Milwaukee. While preparing to address a massive crowd at the Auditorium, Roosevelt stepped into an automobile outside the Hotel Gilpatrick. At 8:10 PM, John Flammang Schrank, a New York resident with a history of grievances against Roosevelt's prohibition policies, fired a single shot from a distance of only four or five feet. The bullet struck Roosevelt in the right side, embedding itself in his body. Despite the severity of the wound, Roosevelt displayed extraordinary composure. He refused immediate medical evacuation, insisting on delivering his scheduled speech to 9,000 supporters. Bleeding profusely, he spoke for over an hour and a half before being transported to hospitals in Milwaukee and Chicago. His rapid recovery allowed him to return to his campaign trail, celebrating his 54th birthday and speaking to enthusiastic crowds in Madison Square Garden before the election. The narrative, compiled by Henry F. Cochems, Wheeler P. Bloodgood, and Oliver E. Remey, provides a detailed eyewitness account of the event and its aftermath. It details Schrank's interrogation, where he admitted to the shooting but claimed insanity, citing a distorted worldview influenced by political tensions and personal grievances regarding his family's liquor business. Schrank was committed to the Northern Hospital for the Insane in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. A significant legal development occurred in the case involving Judge August C. Backus. Recognizing the frequent conflicts between opposing medical experts in insanity trials, Judge Backus established a unique legal precedent. Instead of relying on a jury to weigh contradictory testimony, he appointed a commission of five impartial alienists (medical experts) to determine Schrank's sanity. The commission unanimously found Schrank to be a paranoiac who was insane at the time of the shooting. Consequently, Schrank was committed to the institution, though the court ordered that if he ever recovered his sanity, he would face trial for assault with intent to kill. The book highlights Roosevelt's resilience, the public's overwhelming support, and the broader political context of the 1912 Progressive Party campaign, presenting an accurate historical record of this pivotal moment in American history.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Biography
• History
• Politics