Good Nature Led Colonel Into Danger.

New York Times 100 years ago today, October 16, 1912:
Planned to Dine on His Car and Not Visit Hotel Outside Which He Was Shot.
O. K. DAVIS DESCRIBES SCENE
Says Colonel's Discovery of Hole In His Speech MS. Startled Him More Than When He Was Hit.
    O. K. Davis, publicity chief of the Progressive Party, who was an eyewitness of the shooting of Col. Roosevelt at Milwaukee, at once telegraphed to George W. Perkins, an this city, a graphic description of the affair, in the course of which he said:
    "After leaving Racine this afternoon the Colonel decided to dine on his car, and go directly from the car to the Auditorium. On arrival at Milwaukee we were met by a large and insistent committee, which importuned the Colonel, to go to the Gilpatrick Hotel for dinner, previously heading a parade through the streets. Dr. Terrell objected, and I did what I could to support him.
    "The Chairman of the Milwaukee committee urged strongly that we go to the hotel. I protested that there was always a great crowd at such places, through which the Colonel had to fight his way, that he was tired and needed rest, and that he should not be asked to go through such an experience.
    "The Colonel thereupon asked the Milwaukee Chairman if it would be a disappointment for him not to go to the hotel. The Colonel said: " 'I want to be a good Indian.' "The Chairman declared that it would be a decided help if the Colonel would go to the hotel. Dr. Terrell then asked if the Chairman would surely have police protection at the hotel, and insisted that he would not consent to have the Colonel leave the car unless there were certain to be adequate police protection. The Chairman assured us all that there would be such protection, that there would be no mob around the hotel, and that the Colonel would be made entirely comfortable.

Police Protection Good.
    "Thereupon the Colonel said he would go. He left the Mayflower and rode through a mile or more of streets lined with people who gave him a very enthusiastic reception. At the hotel we found that the police protection was good, there being less crowd on the sidewalk and in the corridor than any other place we have been. We had no difficulty whatever in getting from the automobile to the Colonel's room. We had a few minutes of rest before dinner, and the Colonel took a little nap.
    "Going from his room down to the dining room and from the dining room back to his quarters there was no trouble. The Colonel walked down to the automobile that was waiting at the door of the hotel, Martin and Cecil Lyon preceding him. Cochems walked with him and Philip Roosevelt walked behind him. They were not troubled by crowds in the corridor or on the sidewalk, but got easily to the automobile.
    "Martin and Cochems threw open the door of the automobile and the Colonel got into the car. Cochems followed him and Philip started to get in. Lyon stood near the forward end of the car and Martin beside the door.
 
Staggered When Shot.
    "The crowd commenced to cheer, and the Colonel stood up and lifted his hat. As he raised his arm a man standing in the front rank of the crowd near the car on the side away from the curb fired at him. The Colonel staggered and sank bank on the seat.
    "As the man raised the revolver Martin saw it and sprang directly over the car at him. Lyon, thinking that everything was all right, had started back to take his place in the second car. Martin went clear across the car in one leap, caught the assassin, threw his right arm around the assassin's neck, and bore him to the pavement.
    "I should have said that in the party with the Colonel was Fred Lettish, the big chap who was on the door at Room 1,102 at the Congress Hotel during the Republican and Progressive Conventions. Lettish had been standing on the curb, next to the car, and immediately on the shot being fired he dashed to the other side, reaching the assassin just as Martin threw him down. As the Colonel sank back to the seat of the automobile on being shot, Cochems threw his arm around him and asked if he were hurt. The Colonel called to Martin, saying:
    " ' Don't hurt him, bring him to me.'
    "As the assassin went down he shoved his gun, which was a thirty-eight Colt, between his left arm and his body, as if trying to shoot at Martin. Martin caught the gun in his left hand and wrenched it out of the assassin's grip.
    "As the Colonel called, Martin dragged the fellow to his feet and handed the revolver to the Colonel, and then twisted the man's face around so that the Colonel could see him.
    "Meantime the police had occupied themselves chiefly in keeping the crowd back.
    "Immediately on hearing the shot Dr. Terrell, McGrath, and myself dashed down the stairs, and somehow bored through the crowd to the automobile.

Crowd Swarmed Around Car.
    "A great crowd had gathered on the sidewalk, and was swarming out over the car. We succeeded in getting it back, and cleared a passage around the automobile. By this time the police had got up, and Martin had turned the assassin over to them.
    "The Colonel sat down again, and directed that the car go to the Auditorium. Cochems asked him to go to the hospital, and Dr. Terrell insisted upon it. The Colonel peremptorily refused. He declared that he was not hurt; that he would permit nothing to prevent his delivering his speech. When Cochems said. 'Let's get to the hospital,' the Colonel said:
    " 'You get me to that speech; it may be the last one I shall deliver, but I am going to deliver this one.'
    "With the whole party surrounding him in the automobile the car started. It proceeded slowly through the streets, the crowds constantly cheering the Colonel. Dr. Terrell and others continued to urge the Colonel to have an examination. Dr. Terrell insisted that he must see the wound.
    "As soon as we reached the Auditorium we went into one of the retiring rooms, where the Colonel took off his overcoat and submitted to a brief examination of the wound. He at first refused to let any one see it but Dr. Terrell. But upon our insistence that if no one but the physician with the party saw the wound it might create the impression that we were attempting to conceal the real situation, he agreed to have an examination made by some of the local men.

Wound Bled Slightly.
    "Dr. Sayler was on the stage at the time and was immediately summoned, with Dr. Stratton, one of the surgeons on the Emergency Hospital staff, and Dr. Sorenson of Racine. The Colonel unbuttoned his coat and vest and pulled up his shirt, showing the wound. The wound was about a half inch under the right nipple. It was bleeding slightly.
    "The doctors examined the wound and asked the Colonel several questions to develop symptoms if there were any of internal parts being injured. The Colonel kept insisting that he felt no pain, that he was all right, and that he was absolutely determined to deliver his full speech.
    "The doctors tested his breathing and found no difficulty with it. Thereupon they concluded that it was only a flesh wound of the chest wall, and that he might go on as he was determined to do. A temporary bandage was made of a handkerchief, and the Colonel went immediately upon the stage, walking with all his old-time vigor.
    "When Cochems introduced him, he asked the audience to be calm upon the receipt of the news he was about to give them, and then said that a man had fired a revolver at the Colonel as he was leaving the hotel. The audience did not seem to grasp .the full meaning of what Cochems had said.
    "The Colonel began his talk as soon as the cheering had died down by saying: 'But it takes more than that to kill a "Bull Moose." ' As the cheers which followed that died down, the Colonel drew from the breast pocket of his coat the manuscript of his speech. You know how he always has a speech prepared on small sheets for use during its delivery.
    "This speech was unusually long, and there were fifty pages folded. As the Colonel drew it out of his pocket he saw, as did every one near him, that the bullet had penetrated the entire one hundred pages.
    "A cry of sharp realization of what had happened came from the audience, and it seemed to me and others on the stage, including Dr. Sayler, who was watching him, that he really suffered a greater shock than he had when he was hit, as then, for the first time, he comprehended the stopping power of that mass of paper and realized how close the call had been.
    "It seemed to stagger the Colonel for a moment, but he rallied immediately, and began to deliver his speech. He continued his speech, and seemed to be making exceptionally good going of it.
    "I left the stage to send you the message which I hope you received promptly. Martin and McGrath sat directly behind him, and on one occasion, when he put down his manuscript on the table beside which he was standing, Martin picked it up in the hope that that would stop him. The Colonel, however, insisted on having it back, and then announced to the audience that his party was trying to prevent his completing his speech, but that he meant to go on until he had delivered it all.

Spoke an Hour and a Half.
    "A little later he asked how long he had spoken. The answer was 'forty-five minutes.'
    " 'Very well,' he said, 'I will speak fifteen minutes more.'
    "As a matter of fact, he kept on for another forty-five minutes, resting only while he had a Milwaukee man read for him an article from La Follette's Magazine. Nothing showed the indomitable determination of the Colonel more than what happened when he first spoke of La Follette. He said: 'I am very sorry that Senator La Follette' — and the crowd broke in and cheered.
    "When the cheering stopped he began the sentence again. Four times he repeated that until the crowd let him go on without interruption. When he finally did conclude he at once turned to Dr. Terrell and said that now he was ready to go with the doctors, and do what they wanted.
    "We rode to the Emergency Hospital with the Colonel, he declaring all the way that it had been absolutely necessary for him to make that speech, and that he was bound to do it; at the same time he constantly protested that it was a mere scratch, and he was not seriously hurt, and that he would soon be all right."

WESTERN DATES CANCELED.
National and State Committees Compelled to Alter Plans for Whirlwind Finish.
    At State and National headquarters of the Progressive Party the leaders were following with anxiety all day yesterday the fluctuations in the condition of Col. Roosevelt. At the National headquarters in the Manhattan Hotel United States Senator Joseph M. Dixon, head of the National Progressive Committee, and George W. Perkins, its executive Chairman, sat through the long watches of the night at the end of the direct Chicago wire installed some time ago to facilitate communication with the Western headquarters of the party in Chicago. Not until the Colonel had been safely lodged in the Mercy Hospital in Chicago did either think of going to bed.
    The full extent of the Colonel's injury at that time was known to neither. They had hoped that after a couple of days' rest the Colonel would be able to resume his speech-making tour and complete the important, itinerary for his closing campaign in the Middle West. The later bulletins from his bedside, indicating that his wound was more serious than had been thought at first, and in any event serious enough to keep him confined to his bed for several days, made a change in the arrangements necessary.
    This discouraging information was received at the National Progressive headquarters yesterday afternoon in a bulletin signed by all the surgeons in attendance on the stricken leader. Mr. 'Perkins immediately announced that the Colonel in all probability would make no further speeches during the campaign, with the possible exception of one in Madison Square Garden a week from next Saturday. Preparations for the Garden meeting have been under way for weeks. The Bull Moose leaders expect to make this meeting the crowning event of the State and National campaign, and if possible the biggest political rally ever held in this country.
    Senator Dixon forthwith sent telegrams canceling all the rest of the Colonel's speaking dates. Under the itinerary for the tour, Col. Roosevelt had nine more days of active speechmaking in the Middle West.
    "All the Colonel's speaking engagements are off," said Senator Dixon last night, "For the time being we are making no definite new plans. We cannot very well do so until after we know with some degree of certainty how Col. Roosevelt will come out."
    The first information received at National Progressive headquarters from the Colonel's bedside came in a dispatch to George W. Perkins from O. K. Davis, National Secretary of the Progressive Party, who accompanied Col. Roosevelt on his train West. In this dispatch Mr. Davis said:
    Col. Roosevelt has just come down from the operating room, where a second series of X-ray pictures have been made. The plates are now being developed. As soon as they are developed Dr. Murphy and Dr. Bevan will have consultation with other doctors, at which they expect to be able to reach a conclusion as to what can be done. There is no question that Col. Roosevelt is not dangerously hurt. He will not probably be able to move for two or three days. He is now in bed, resting very comfortably. Feeling good. He complains that his side is sore, which is only natural. No unfavorable signs have developed. As soon as the report from Dr. Murphy is available I will come into the offices and telephone you.
    This telegram arrived just in time to give reassurance to Miss Ethel Roosevelt und her brother, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., who were very early callers at National Progressive headquarters in quest of information from their father's bedside. They were attended by several friends. The news they received was quickly transmitted over the telephone to Mrs. Roosevelt, 110 East Thirty-first Street. Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Robinson were also among the early visitors at National Progressive headquarters.
    By the time the tired leaders and department heads began to put in an appearance at headquarters there was such an influx of visitors seeking information regarding the Colonel's condition that the elevators at the Hotel Manhattan were put to a severe test. On the twelfth floor, where the headquarters is situated, there was a throng of callers all day long. There was, too, a steady flow of telegrams from leaders and members of the Progressive Party demanding the latest information regarding the candidate's condition. A force of clerks was put to work opening and answering these.
    At 11 o'clock Mrs. Roosevelt arrived and had a talk with George W. Perkins. The physicians were then in consultation over the Colonel's case, and Mr. Perkins at this time received a message which made Mrs. Roosevelt determine that she would go at once to her husband.

Prayers for His Recovery Invoked.
    State Chairman William H. Hotchkiss, after a brief visit at National headquarters, went to State headquarters, where he remained throughout the day answering many anxious queries from leaders up-State.
    During the forenoon Mr. Hotchkiss sent directions to all the Bull Moose County Chairmen in the State that for the time being and until it was an assured fact that Col. Roosevelt was out of danger all the meetings should be opened with prayer for the Colonel's recovery, and with the recital of this passage from the speech made by Col. Roosevelt in Carnegie Hall on March 20, when he declared his willingness to take up the fight for the Progressive cause:
    The leader for the time being, whoever he may be, is but an instrument to be used until broken and then cast aside. And if he is worth his salt he will care no more when he is broken than a soldier cares when he is sent where his life is forfeit in order that victory may be won. In the long fight for righteousness the watchword for us all is: "Spend and be spent." It is of little moment whether any one fails or succeeds, but the cause shall not fail because it is the cause of mankind.
    Later Mr. Hotchkiss sent this message to the up-State leaders:
    Oct. 15, 1912. My Dear Mr. Chairman:
    We now, this Tuesday afternoon, feel reasonably assured that Col. Roosevelt is safe.
    We urge that you suggest to the clergy of your county that they hold special thanksgiving services in their churches nest Sun-day.
    This is God's cause. We need the help and prayers of all godly men and women.
        Very sincerely,
        WILLIAM H. HOTCHKISS.
        State Chairman.
    "The attempt on Col. Roosevelt's life," said Mr. Hotchkiss last night, "has revealed the depth of the sentiment for him, not only in the Progressive Party, but in the widest circles. I have been busy all day answering telephone inquiries and telegrams, which indicate the most profound interest and devotion."
    Besides the large meetings in Madison Square Garden, the Colonel was scheduled for a whirlwind tour through the State during the last three days of the campaign.
    "I do not suppose it will be possible to carry out that programme now, said Mr. Hotchkiss,
    "But we hope the Colonel may be able to address some of the big meetings we have planned. For the smaller meetings along the route of our special train the Colonel could dictate short speeches, and have some one read them, with the Colonel merely showing himself on the platform. But we must wait and see what develops."