CHAPTER XXXIV

THE TRAGEDY AT BUFFALO

UNSHINE in the sky above and gladness in the

SUN

heart of the President brightened the morning

of the 6th day of September, 1901. It was to be a holiday: a visit to Niagara Falls in the forenoon, a reception to the people in the afternoon. In joyous mood McKinley passed the hours of the excursion, his nature never more serene. He looked forward with pleasure to the plans of the afternoon, when he was to meet the people face to face. He must have realized his hold upon their affection, for he never sought to avoid such occasions, though many public men have found a few hours of handshaking a severe physical ordeal. Many a time had Mr. Cortelyou sought to save his strength, and avoid possible danger, by suggesting that public receptions be omitted. To the Secretary and to other close friends, the risk seemed too great to be ventured. Only a little more than a year before, a plot to assassinate the President had been discovered. It was part of a scheme, originating in a group of anarchists in Paterson, New Jersey, to kill, in regular order, six of the rulers of the world. The first two on the list had already

been murdered, and the President of the United States was the fifth in turn. Mr. Cortelyou conferred with the Chief of the Secret Service and the guard was increased. Immediately before the visit to Buffalo he made every effort to have the President omit the reception. The only reply was, "Why should I? No one would wish to hurt me." To the argument that there would be a crowd of a hundred thousand people present and that it would be physically impossible to shake hands with more than a small part of that number, he replied, "Well, they'll know that I tried, anyhow." The Secretary then telegraphed to the Chief of Police to take every possible precaution, and this was done.

At 3.30 in the afternoon the party arrived at the Exposition grounds from Niagara Falls. Mrs. McKinley was sent in a carriage to the house of Mr. John G. Milburn, president of the Exposition, while the President, Mr. Cortelyou, and Mr. Milburn drove to the Temple of Music, where the reception was to be held. The dense crowd which had assembled gave a mighty cheer of welcome and the great organ in the temple pealed forth the national anthem as the party arrived. Passing into the building, the President took his place at one end of the room. At his left stood Mr. Milburn and at his right Mr. Cortelyou. Close by were the Secret Service officers,

local detectives and the detail, of a corporal and ten men, from the regular army, instructed "to keep their eyes open and to watch every man approaching the President." The people were permitted to enter from one door and pass out through another on the opposite side. The President was smiling pleasantly as he greeted all who passed, bestowing especial graciousness upon the timid ones and the little children. The procession was very much like others of its kind. The line was a long one, and it was not possible for all to be received by the President. Secretary Cortelyou had just stepped aside to give orders for the closing of the doors. As the line moved rapidly along and as the people in close order hurried past the President, there came a young man, of smooth face and slender figure, whose actions indicated no sinister purpose, and whose appearance was not greatly different from that of others except that his right hand appeared to be injured, for a handkerchief was wrapped about it. This fact, however, was unnoticed at the moment because he followed so closely the person ahead of him. As he approached, the President extended his hand; - but the proffered friendliness was met by two pistol shots which rang out from the revolver concealed in the seemingly bandaged hand. Instantly several of the guards seized the assailant and bore him to the

ground. As they did so, one of them, kneeling by the head of the prisoner, glanced upward and saw the President, still standing, supported by friends, and gazing with an indescribable look of wonder and reproach. While he was being helped to a chair the Secret Service men dragged the prisoner to the center of the temple and there some one struck him squarely in the face. Seeing this, the spirit of the Master, whom he had served all his life, came upon the stricken President, and he cried in a tone of pity, "Don't let them hurt him."

The friends now gathered about the wounded man were fanning him with their hats and watching anxiously to discern if possible the full extent of his injury. But the President's mind was not upon himself. He was thinking of the beloved wife, who had leaned upon him so many years and whom he had always shielded so tenderly against the slightest care. As the Secretary bent over him, he whispered, tremblingly, "My wife- be careful, Cortelyou, how you tell her oh, be careful!"

The hall was quickly cleared, and the crowd was kept back by a cordon of soldiers and policemen, while the prisoner was placed in a carriage and hurried away. A wave of anger swept over the multitude; the more daring broke through the lines and were prevented from seizing the assassin only by the use

of bayonets and the determination of the sergeant in charge, who said he would be compelled to shoot if they did not let go their hold upon the wheels of the vehicle. Meanwhile the President waited patiently for the ambulance, not a word of resentment escaping his lips.

The fatal shots were fired at seven minutes past four. Eleven minutes later the motor ambulance bearing the President arrived at the Emergency Hospital on the Exposition grounds. As he was being carried into the little building he turned to Mr. Cortelyou and said, "It must have been some poor misguided fellow." Dr. Herman Mynter, accompanied by Dr. Eugene Wasdin, of the United States Marine Hospital Service, was the first surgeon to arrive. He examined the wounds1 and at once saw their serious nature. He informed the President that an immediate operation would be necessary, and set about making preparations. Dr. Matthew D.

1 "Inspection showed two wounds made by the bullets. The upper one was between the second and third ribs, a little to the right of the sternum. The use of a probe showed that the skin had not been penetrated, but that the bullet had probably struck a button or some object in the clothing which had deflected it. The lower wound made by the other bullet a thirty-two calibre - was on a line drawn from the nipple to the umbilicus. It was about half-way between these points and about 5cm. to the left of the median line. A probe showed that this wound extended deeply into the abdominal walls, and that the direction was somewhat downward and outward." (From the official report of the Medical Staff.)