SCHRANK DESCRIBES SHOOTING.
(BEFORE SANITY COMMISSION.)
On September 21, 1912, he left New York City, having first borrowed
$350, and purchased a 38-caliber revolver, for which he paid $14. His
efforts from this time were continuous to come within shooting distance
of Colonel Roosevelt. He missed him at Chattanooga and at Atlanta, and
then went to Evansville, where he remained seven days awaiting Colonel
Roosevelt's return to the West. He then sought to come within range of
Colonel Roosevelt in Chicago, and states that he waited for him at the
exit of the building, where he spoke, but found afterwards that he had
left by a different exit. He then preceded him to Milwaukee, arriving
here at 1 o'clock P.M. the day preceding the attack.
On the evening of the shooting Schrank arrived at the hotel, where he
had learned Colonel Roosevelt would stay, in advance of the time he was
expected to start for the place of meeting. When a crowd began to
collect around the automobile awaiting Colonel Roosevelt at the curb,
he went into the street, standing near the automobile in a line just
behind the front seat on the left hand side opposite the chauffeur's
seat. He says,
"Seeing him enter the automobile and just about to seat himself, I
fired. I did not pick any particular spot on his body. The crowd was
all around me and in front of me. The next minute I was knocked down,
but was not rendered insensible, and the gun was knocked out of my
hands."
The defendant insists that he said nothing during his assault. He was
then dragged to the sidewalk, and getting on his feet was hurried into
the hotel, and the doors were locked. Here he said nothing, and was
taken by the police through the back door to police headquarters.
From the examination at police headquarters, made at 9:25 P.M., October
14, 1912, by the Chief of Police, John T. Janssen, we find that he
objected to telling his name, but did so when it was insisted upon. We
also find that his statements made to the police concerning his
following and attempting to gain access to Colonel Roosevelt, and his
visits to various localities correspond, and his explanations of his
acts agree with those made to us.
Some of his statements to the Chief of Police, are as follows, as
extracted from document submitted herewith, marked Exhibit 3.
Q. Why did you want to meet him?
A. Because I wanted to put him out of the way. A man that wants a third
term has no right to live.
Q. That is, you wanted to kill him?
A. I did.
Q. Have you any other reason in wanting to kill him?
A. I have.
Q. What is that?
A. I had a dream several years ago that Mr. McKinley appeared to me and
he told me that Mr. Roosevelt is practically his real murderer, and not
this here Czolgosz.
* * * * *
Q. Did you know Johann Most when he was alive?
A. No, sir.
Q. Did you ever hear him talk?
A. No, sir.
Q. Did you ever hear Emma Goldman?
A. No, sir; I am not an anarchist or socialist or democrat or
republican; I just took up the thing the way I thought it was best to
do.
(It seems worth while to note that the defendant differs from many
assassins of rulers or prospective rulers in having no anarchistic
ideas or connections, but rather that he intended to be an upholder of
established government.)
* * * * *
"Mr. Grant was refused" (a third term) "and he was satisfied; this man
was refused and he is not satisfied; it's gone beyond limits; if he
keeps on doing this after election, he can't possibly carry a solid
Western state; the next thing we will have a civil war, because he will
say the scoundrels and thieves and crooks stole my nomination, and now
they will steal my election, and they will take up arms in all the
Western states; we are facing a civil war just to keep him in a third
term."
Q. Where did you get all this idea from?
A. I have been reading history all the time.
* * * * *
Q. What schooling did you have?
A. Well, I have attended school in the old country, and I attended
night school in New York for about four winters; that's all the
schooling I had.
Q. You haven't a very good education then?
A. Indeed I ain't.
Q. Have you always enjoyed good health?
A. Yes, sir; I am a healthy sane man, never been sick.
Q. Well, do you believe that that is a sane act that you committed this
evening?
A. I believe that is my duty as a citizen to do, it's the duty of every
citizen to do so.
Q. Well, how did you happen to get the idea that it was your duty among
all the people that live in the United States?
A. I don't know, I thought maybe somebody else might do it before I got
there.
Q. And you spoke to no one about your intention on all the route you
took concerning this, nobody?
A. No, sir; nobody.
While in jail the prisoner prepared a written defense, which we submit
herewith as Exhibit 4, and we extract certain sentences from the same,
as follows:
"Gentlemen of the Jury, I appeal to you as men of honor, I greet
you Americans and countrymen and fathers of sons and daughters. I
wish to apologize to the community of Milwaukee for having caused
on October 14th last, great excitement, bitter feeling, and
expenses."
* * * * *
"Gentlemen of the Jury: When on September 14th last I had a vision,
I looked into the dying eyes of the late President McKinley, when a
voice called me to avenge his death, I was convinced that my life
was coming soon to an end, and I was at once happy to know that my
real mission on this earth was to die for my country and the cause
of Republicanism."
* * * * *
"You see that I have appeared here today without assistance of a
counsellor at law, without any assistance save that of God, the
Almighty, who is ever with him who is deserted, because I am not
here to defend myself nor my actions."
* * * * *
"The law I have violated for which you will punish me is not in any
statute book."
* * * * *
"The shot at Milwaukee which created an echo in all parts of the
world was not a shot fired at the citizen Roosevelt, not a shot at
an ex-president, not a shot at the candidate of a so-called prog.
pty. (Progressive party), not a shot to influence the pending
election, not a shot to gain for me notoriety; no, it was simply to
once and forever establish the fact that any man who hereafter
aspires to a third presidential term will do so at the risk of his
life."
"If I do not defend tradition I cannot defend the country in case
of war. You may as well send every patriot to prison."
(As showing the erratic reasoning of the defendant, the following
passage, intimating that the assassination of President McKinley was a
part of a conspiracy to elevate Colonel Roosevelt to a permanent
control of the destinies of the United States, we quote further:)
"Political murders have occurred quite often, committed by some
power that works in the dark and only too frequently of late the
assassin was classed as an anarchist, but the real instigators
could never be brought to justice. Whoever the direct murderer of
President McKinley has been it could never be proven that he has
ever been affiliated with any anarchistic or similar society, but
we may well conclude that the man who in years after willingly
violated the third unwritten law of the country whenever he thought
it profitable to change his creed while president, perhaps to the
mother of monarchies."
(From the remarks of the prisoner in our examination of him, we find by
"the mother of monarchies" that he refers to the Roman Catholic
Church.)
We further quote:
"Such was his fear that his machine, built up in 7-1/2 years will
be destroyed over night, that he threatened not to leave the chair
unless he were allowed to nominate his successor."
"Gentlemen of the jury: The 3t (third termer) 'never again will I
run for pres.' (president) has a parallel in the history of Rome.
Whoever read the history of Julius Caesar knows that this smart
politician while elected dictator managed to become so popular with
the people that they offered him the kingly crown, but J. Caesar
knew that he had to bide his time, that the rest of Senators know
of his ambition, and after refusing three times he knew they would
offer it to him a fourth time, and when then he accepted it he was
murdered for ambition's sake."
"He" (Colonel Roosevelt) "was ambitiously waiting for the
Government at Washington to start a military intervention in
Mexico, but the leaders of the Republican party feared that the 3t
(third termer) would muster an army of volunteer Rough Riders and
return at election as the conquering hero."
"The danger even more grave than civil war is the possibility of
intervention of foreign powers, who may help the 3t (third termer)
in order to keep the Union disunited and separated." * * * * * *
"We would at once realize that we are surrounded by a pack of
hungry wolves ready to destroy this hated Republic, ready to
destroy Monroe Doctrine, ready to annex the Panama Canal and the
great land of the brave and free, the home many millions free
people, the dream of all heroes and martyrs for political freedom
to 1848 would have ceased to be owing to the ambitions of one man,
and one man's rule. I hope that the shot at Milwaukee has awakened
the patriotism of the American nation."
"I have been accused of having selected a state where capital
punishment is abolished. I would say that I did not know the laws
of any state I travelled through. It would be ridiculous to fear
death after the act as I expected to die during the act, and not
live to tell the story, and if I knew that my death would have made
the third term tradition more sacred, I am sorry I could not die
for my country."
* * * * *
"Now, Honorable Men of the Jury, I wish to say no more, in the name
of God go and do your duty, and only countries who ask admission by
popular vote and accept the popular vote never wage a war of
conquest murder for to steal abolishes opportunity for ambitious
adv. (adventurers).
"All political adventurers and military leaders have adopted the
career of conquering heroes wholesale murder, wholesale robbers
called national aggrandizement. Prison for me is like martyrdom to
me, like going to war. Before me is the spirit of George
Washington, behind me, that of McKinley."
(The last sentence the prisoner explained, was written hastily, and he
expected to revise it.)