Off The Editor’s Desk – 12-4-2019
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A short history lesson!
On Friday, November 22, my number one Designer asked me if I knew what happened some 56 years ago on November 22. I quickly answered Lee Harvey Oswald. Oswald shot President John F. Kennedy while the president was riding in a motor parade in downtown Dallas, Texas.
But, I remembered the next question, “who was Squeaky Fromme?” She attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975. Her name was Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme. Fromme, Oswald, and John Wilkes Booth are remembered by three names as Presidential assassins, and I wonder why? Both Booth and Oswald were killed within days after their deadly deed. As for Fromme, she served 33 years of a life sentence, and then was paroled. She was a member of the Manson family. I am assuming that everyone knows who Charles Manson was? He died in prison in 2017 at the age of 83.
There have been 30 assassination attempts on our presidents with four being killed. Besides Kennedy there was Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, and William McKinley.
We all remember the story of Lincoln being shot at Ford’s Theater. Charles J. Guiteau shot Garfield, in 1881 shortly after he became president and died a couple of months later. William McKinley was shot and killed six months into his second term on September 14, 1901 and his Vice President Theodore Roosevelt became the youngest president at the age of 42.
Some of us that are a little older remember when President Ronald Reagan was shot and almost died. The shooter was John Hinkley, Jr. who also shot three other people including James Brady. Brady passed away in 2014 as a result of the initial injuries to his head.
Hinkley was released from a mental hospital two years ago and now lives with his mother and older brother.
THE LOCAL CONNECTION
Roosevelt served until 1909 and four years later, Roosevelt was seeking another term in the White House and while campaigning, giving speeches off the rear platform of trains.
Part of Roosevelt’s campaign included a stop and go campaign train along the Wisconsin Central Line coming through Glenwood City, Downing, Boyceville, Wheeler, Colfax, and then onto Milwaukee.
The accompanying photo of Roosevelt was taken at the depot in Glenwood City as he addressed a crowd of people that came to hear him speak.
Before a campaign speech in Milwaukee, later that day, Roosevelt, who was a presidential candidate on the Progressive Party ticket, was shot at close range by saloonkeeper John Schrank while greeting the public in front of the Kilpatrick Hotel.
Schrank’s .32-caliber bullet, aimed directly at Roosevelt’s heart, failed to mortally wound the former President because its force was slowed by the case for his glasses and a bundled manuscript containing the former president’s evening speech in the breast pocket of Roosevelt’s heavy coat. Schrank was immediately detained and reportedly offered as his motive “any man looking for a third term ought to be shot.”
Roosevelt, who suffered only a flesh wound from the attack, went on and delivered his scheduled speech with the bullet still in his body. After a few words, the former “Rough Rider” pulled the torn and bloodstained manuscript from his breast pocket and declared, “You see, it takes more than one bullet to kill a Bull Moose.” He spoke for nearly an hour and then was rushed to the hospital.
Despite his vigorous campaign, Roosevelt, was defeated by Democrat Woodrow Wilson in November. Schrank was deemed insane and committed to a mental hospital, where he died in 1943.
Thanks for reading! ~Carlton