The Most Notable Assassins in U.S. History
John Schrank, 1912
The saloon keeper turned religious fanatic made an attempt on President Theodore Roosevelt's life at a 1912 campaign stop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Schrank stalked Roosevelt for some time, tracking him through New Orleans, Chicago and finally to Milwaukee. He made his move on Oct. 14 as the former President left his hotel after dinner. Luckily for Roosevelt, the bullet passed first through his eyeglasses case and 50 pages of a speech he planned to give later that night — slowing down significantly and failing to penetrate his lung. Roosevelt declined medical attention until after he'd delivered his speech. "The bullet is in me now," he explained to the audience before he started, "so that I cannot make a very long speech, but I will try my best." As for Schrank, he claimed to be carrying out instructions given to him by the ghost of William McKinley, who visited him in a dream.