On October 14, 1912, Theodore Roosevelt was leaving the MilwaukeeΓÇÖs Hotel Gilpatrick after dinner to head to the municipal auditorium where he was to deliver a campaign speech. He had just split the Republican Party and was running for the president as the Progressive (Bull Moose) candidate
As he climbed into a car, John Nepomuk Schrank got within six feet of the ex-president and fired his .38 caliber revolver. The bullet hit Roosevelt in the chest and he fell into the backseat. RooseveltΓÇÖs aid, Elbert Martin, forced Schrank to the ground just as he was aiming to take a second shot. Crowds around the Roosevelt cried out for the gunmenΓÇÖs death, but Roosevelt cried do not kill him! Schrank was brought into the hotel until more police could arrive.
Instead of heading straight to the hospital, Roosevelt insisted on going to the Milwaukee Auditorium to give his speech. Blood was all of his clothing, and it was clear to observers that he was seriously hurt. Still he gave his speech and even showed the crowd his wounds after hecklers refused to believe he was shot.
Meanwhile, the police were discovering more about John Schrank. He was a 36 year-old ex-saloon owner who was convinced that William McKinleyΓÇÖs ghost had come to him twice and accused Roosevelt of the PresidentΓÇÖs murder. The second time had only been a few weeks earlier. Since then Schrank had been following Roosevelt on the campaign trail, getting close enough to shoot the ex-president three times. He finally had gotten enough courage to do so that night in Milwaukee.
After the shooting, Schrank was found to be insane and spent the rest of his life in Wisconsin mental institutions. He was labeled psychotic and paranoid. The attending physicians considered him a model patient because he was willing to help out and did not attack others. The only change in his personality occurred during talks about the Roosevelts. Before his death in 1943, he had threatened to kill Franklin Delano Roosevelt if he won a fourth term. Luckily, he died before he could see it come to fruition.
Authorities believed that Roosevelt had survived the attempt because the metal glass case and 50-page manuscript in his pocket had deflected the bullet. Still, the bullet had lodged in his rib-cage very near his heart. Doctors felt it was too dangerous to remove and left it in him. Roosevelt carried it with him until his death in 1919.
