The day book. [volume], October 15, 1912, Image 2

About The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

                
sands jamming the street when1
Roosevelt left the hotel.
The crowd cheered Roosevelt
madly. He took off his hat and
bowed to right and left.
A short, meanly dressed man in
the crowd stepped out and raised
his right hand.
There was a flash and a report.
Roosevelt staggered 'back, clutch
in ghis right side.
Elbert Martin, the colonel's
private stenographer, jumped for
' the short, meanly dressed man.
Col. Cecil Lyon of Texas, who
had been standing beside the
colonel pulled a revolver from his
pocket and joined Martin in at
tacking the would-be assassin.
Lyon got the man down on the
ground. He was choking the life
out of him and preparing to use
his revolver when Roosevelt's
voice rang out:
"Don't hurt the poor fellow,"
he cried.
Harry Cochemsj who had been
on the opposite side of the auto
mobile from Roosevelt, caught
Lyon around the neck and pre
vented him using his revolver.
"Don't kill him, John," Coch
,ems .yelled. "The" colonel don't
want you to kill him."
"My name isn't John," yelled
Martin, jumping to his feet and
glowering at Cochems.
The police had a hold of Col.
Lyon and the man who had tried
to HIl Roosevelt by this time.
Schrank was taken to the po
lice station. Lyon followed him,
and theer wrung his story from
him.
Schrank told an extraordinary.
story. He said that he was a New
York saloonkeeper.
"After the Chicago Republican
convention," Schrank said, "I be
came convinced that Col. Roose
velf was a menace to the country.
"I thought his third party was
a dangerous thing, and I believed
that if he were defeated ,in No
vember he would cry "Thief"
again and plunge the country into
c'ivi lwar.
"And then one night I dream
ed that the ghost 'of President
McKinley appeared before me.
McKinley's ghost said to me:
" 'Theodore Roosevelt and not
Czolgosz was my murderer. I
command you, John Schrank, to
avenge my death and not to per
mit my murderer to secure a third
term.'
"Ever since that dream I have
been following Roosevelt all
around the country.
"I meant to kill him in Chicago.
I stayed at the Jackson hotel
there.
"I first tried to get Roosevelt
at the Northwestern depot in Chi
cago. He didn't come in there,
and I went to the Coliseum to
kill him there. He came out of
the Coliseum by another door and
escaped me.
"Then I followed him here, and
now at last I did get him. I, am
sorry I did not kill him."
While Schrang -was-' telling his
story, CoJ. Roosevelt was strug
gling with his friends.
They wished to get him back
into the hotel for medical atten
tion. Roosevelt refused. to,gp. .- i
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