PRESIDENT MCKINLEY SHOT AT PUBLIC RECEPTION
Buffalo, New York (JFK+50) On September 6, 1901, President William McKinley was shot as he was shaking hands with the public in the Temple of Music at the Pan American Exposition here in Buffalo.
According to Robert Donovan, the reception had been underway about five minutes when Leon Czolgosz* entered the hall and took his place in line. He carried a pistol concealed in a handkerchief wrapped around his hand.
When Czolgosz approached McKinley and the President reached out to shake hands, the assassin fired "twice in rapid succession." McKinley slumped while soldiers and secret service agents pounced on Czolgosz.
Blood appeared on McKinley's shirt and he said..."Am I shot?" and then added... "My wife, be careful about her. Don't let her know."
*Leon Czolgosz was convicted on the 2nd day of his trial. He showed no emotion when the sentence was read. On the morning of Oct 29, 1901 he was electrocuted. Before his execution, the assassin said..."I killed the President because he was an enemy of the...good working people. I am not sorry for my crime."
SOURCES
"The Assassins," by Robert J. Donovan, Chapter 4: The Man Who Didn't Shake Hands, Harper and Brothers Publishers, New York, 1955.
"To the Best of My Ability: The American Presidents," by James M. McPherson, Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc., New York, 2001.
President McKinley Is Shot
Buffalo, New York (JFK+50) On September 6, 1901, President William McKinley was shot as he was shaking hands with the public in the Temple of Music at the Pan American Exposition here in Buffalo.
According to Robert Donovan, the reception had been underway about five minutes when Leon Czolgosz* entered the hall and took his place in line. He carried a pistol concealed in a handkerchief wrapped around his hand.
When Czolgosz approached McKinley and the President reached out to shake hands, the assassin fired "twice in rapid succession." McKinley slumped while soldiers and secret service agents pounced on Czolgosz.
Blood appeared on McKinley's shirt and he said..."Am I shot?" and then added... "My wife, be careful about her. Don't let her know."
*Leon Czolgosz was convicted on the 2nd day of his trial. He showed no emotion when the sentence was read. On the morning of Oct 29, 1901 he was electrocuted. Before his execution, the assassin said..."I killed the President because he was an enemy of the...good working people. I am not sorry for my crime."
SOURCES
"The Assassins," by Robert J. Donovan, Chapter 4: The Man Who Didn't Shake Hands, Harper and Brothers Publishers, New York, 1955.
"To the Best of My Ability: The American Presidents," by James M. McPherson, Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc., New York, 2001.
President McKinley Is Shot
Sketch by T. Dart Walker (1905)
