The Knoxville Journal from Knoxville, Tennessee • 30

Justice And 'Great Reason 1 fearf TEDDY AND Above Teddy Roosevelt speaking at Morrisville Vt on Aug 30 1912 a few weeks before assailant John Flammang Schrank caught up with the Bull Moose candidate in Milwaukee Wis Left Schrank in Jail after' his arrest intotbe chair which vu political burial for Roosevelt see the political leader thought they would put him out of the way But ht would not stand for that and so took some way to get McKinley out of the chair I believe that anybody who would in the future want a third term should get tha same dose first dream I had about this vu on the day after death in 1901 Th last dream was on Sept 14 of this year the anniversary of the day McKinley died I told my uncle about my first dream but I told no on about tha second one I did not think much about the first one but the second brought the first sharply to my mind The first time I had no occasion to shoot him and besides he was President and I ihoot a He went on to say that he bought the revolver at gunshop on Broadway specifically to kill Roosevelt He added that be had been against Roosevelt ever since been Police Commissioner in New York (That was in 1895-97) that time he enforced the blue sky laws and closed the saloons on Schrank said was then tending bar for my uncle Of course we were sore at him He had a right to form a new party but when he nominated himself there was nothing to it do not drink to excess nor do I take drugs I am a healthy sane man I eat three meals a day and drink my beer Outside of that 1 He emphasized that he did not belong to any political party or other organization In this connection he explained that In the saloon business in New York I voted said Dr Remley no time was he a problem Every once in a while he would get spruced up and want to go some someplace Eventually he was permitted to go to Waupun on errands without a guard He never once abused the trust placed in him by hospital authorities" Inmates at Waupun receive free tobacco as compensation for work tasks but Schrank never used tobacco and refused to accept this small remuneration Never he had $11170 on his person when he entered the he always insisted on buying what he wanted He received a Milwaukee newspaper for years and he read from cover to cover the eight magazines the institution received In all the years of confinement and they added up eventually to 31 Schrank never had a visitor and never received letter In 1932 the hospital received a letter from his brother Frans in Germany asking If John still owned any valuable property or had an estate The letter came through the Acting Consul General in Chicago One other letter addressed to Schrank but not delivered threatened that he would be killed if he ever were released Dr Remley said that at first Schrank hauled ice by teaih from and worked in the hospital garden and farm Later for many years he was a waiter In the hospital dining room In more recent years prior to 1940 when he became physically incapable of doing much he did custodial work In th offices and halls in the administration wing His good humor remained with him One day while picking up cigaret butts he remarked if I had been a snipe hunter Instead of a Bull Moose hunter I would have been a lot better Finally he had to take to his bed and on Sept 15 1943 he died' aged 67 Death was attributed to bronchial pneumonia complicated by hardening of the arteries His body remained unclaimed for two days then was shipped to Marquette University medical school at Milwaukee to be held for a period pending any possible claimants His small estate $5490 if uncalled for at the end of a year will be sent In accordance with state law to the Wisconsin treasurer to be deposited in the general fund His personal belongings were few a letter or so that had been on his person when he was arrested his naturalization papers and the will of his Aunt Anna He himself left no will The scene of the attempted assassination has just about vanished The Hotel Gil Patrick was razed to its first floor in 1942 and remodeled into a cocktail bar A bronze plaque erected by the Milwaukee Spanish War Veterans formerly hung on the front wall of the hotel and this now hangs on th new structure It says: this spot Oct 14 1912 an attempt was made upon the life of Theodor Lots of people have asked themselves mad th attempt and But the plaque say Chiropractic Case Records By DR WALT IVANS (CUnrtuUi SeeeUttatt "By their work ye shall know Can you imagine anyone with average Intelligence who hears some speaker blowing off bombastic claims as to his or her ability to perform great impossible things without thinking of this Bible quotation? You can only Judge the ability of any person by their works We have been taught to keep this quotation in mind always Our Case Records are literal published truths of things that have been accomplished Notice we never allow publication of great things are going to do but only of thing that have been done Today In another part of this paper present undeniable visual proof thru Xray films of one of the many cases in which we have actually straightened th spine back to normaL Consider thoughtfully please that thl is not a prior claim but a scientifically presented fact showing the actual performance and end result It will end in your mind any question as to our ability to straighten crooked spines and thereby restore normal health to the individuaL their works shall know them" not worried about his crime he said thought much about the punishment When he was brought into' municipal couft on Nov 12 he again pleaded guilty Judge A Backus at that time appointed a commission to examine Into his sanity Five Milwaukee doctors were named Also Attorney James Flanders was appointed to represent the accused man DID NOT INTEND TO KILL THE Zabel read the information which recited that Schrank on Oct 14 with malice aforethought did attempt to kill and murder Theodore The prosecutor then asked do you plead to that guilty or not Schrank replied plead guilty to shooting the man If that Is what you you intend to kill Theodore Roosevelt?" did not Intend to kill the citizen it was the candidate Schrank explained wanted to warn the third The sanity commission made its report to Judge Backus on Nov 22 It stated that Schrank had been found insane and that account of the connection existing between his delusions and the act with which he stands charged we are of the opinion that he is unable to confer intelligently with counsel or to conduct his Schrank listened intently as the report was read and as the five doctors were questioned individually (Schrank) always studied with the greatest interest the questions of free government as illustrated by the Declaration of Independence and Farewell the report said this connection the Monro Doctrine also assumed great importance in his mind and the converse thereof the duty of this nation to refrain from war of conquest and out of these meditations grew what he elaborated into his declaration as to tha unwritten law or The Four Pillars of Our namely: The third term tradition (2) the Monroe Doctrine (3) that only a Protestant by creed can become President and (4) no wars of conquest four law had assumed in his mind a character of sacredness They were to be maintained at all hazards' and as subsequently appeared even the hazard of life" The report also stated: defendant states that at no time and under no circumstances did he communicate to any one his Intention In fact he kept it as an inviolable secret and took measures to throw off the scent persons who might inquire about his leaving New York as it would then be claimed that he had been by Wall Street' and in that way the real purpose of the act would be The physicians said that Schrank was from and that he was profoundly self-satisfied digni- fled fearless courteous and kindly Also shows a sense of humor and is cheerful and calm under circumstances that severely test these In their opinion he was suffering from dementia paraecox paranoid type Three days later he waa committed to th Wisconsin Northern State Hospital for th Insane et Winnebago He remained there until Feb 18 1914 when he was transferred to the new Central State Hospital at Wau-pun He was one of th first patients to be admitted to the new institution According to Dr A Remley acting superintendent at Waupun Schrank was model patient at all times not demanding and never asking for anything from th fact" Dr Remley added attendants saw the soles of his shoes had holes In them or that his clothes were wearing out they would have to approach him and Insist that his clothing be replaced felt that with the shooting of Roosevelt th third termer he had accomplished his mission in life by calling the attention of the world to that situation He was perfectly content in his life at the institution Fellow patients in his early days of confinement called him "Uncle As a general rule he kept aloof from th other patients the hospital head continued He read extensively and wrote many letters in th earlier days writing to the superintendent of the Northern State Hospital to the State Board of Control and composing poems and essay-like letters Th letters frequently carried references to Teddy Roosevelt Some of his letters Insisted that he had been justified in shooting the Bull Moose candidate others indicated a belief that he must have been insane at the time of the shooting was always steady and conscientious worker always pleasant and fs-i lS -i os Is 'f player had already made a flying plunge across the side of the car Into the breast Schrank went down Martin on top of him end Immediately afterward Fred Luettich one of bodyguards piled on top of Martin end Schrank The crowd momentarily dazed broke Into cries of him-lynch him!" Some of them rushed off in search of rope Meanwhile Henry Cochems national Bull Moose committeeman from Wisconsin bent over the wounded man you all right he asked pinked me said Roosevelt Then he pushed himself to his feet shouting to Martin hurt him Bring him to He peered et Schrank then gave orders that the car proceed to the Auditorium Protests of his associates went unheeded SHOWS BLOODY SHIRT TO THE AUDIENCE At the Auditorium he took off his heavy overcoat and permitted physicians to look at the wound in his right breast They concluded that It was a flesh wound and a temporary bandage was made of a handkerchief Roosevelt always a great showman as well as a nan of vast courage walked out onto the stage The audience had been prepared to some extent by Cochems who introduced the ex-President and big-game hunter The committeeman had told them that a man had fired a shot at Mr Roosevelt but the crowd apparently did not grasp that he had been wounded They relaxed aa they saw him arise from his chair smiling he said shall have to ask you to be as quiet as possible The bullet is in me now I know that you understand what has occurred I have just been but It takes more than that to kill a Bull He opened his coat and drew his manuscript from pocket It was punctured as was a thick spectacle case If the 38 bullet had not had to pass through the heavy overcoat the manuscript the spectacle case and his other clothing the shot might easily have been fatal After a few other opening words In which he said he was thinking of my own success my 'own In his ambitions to become President again Roosevelt opened his coat and vest and exhibited his white shirt stained with blood That brought cries from the audience that he should not continue that he should have his wound treated But he refused to quit He launched Into an address that lasted 80 minutes Only once or twice as he thundered away In characteristic fashlonrdid he betray any sign of physical weakness His speech finished he agreed to go to a hospital where the wound was dressed Then he went to his train which left early in the morning for Chicago He rested there for a week then returned to his home in New York where the bullet eventually was removed (Some partisans predicted that the shooting would land him back in the White House Mr Wilson however became the new occupant) LETTER TO PEOPLE EXPLAINS HIS ACT Meanwhile Milwaukee police officers had been busy with Schrank first whisking him into the hotel away from the angry erowd Disheveled but uninjured he was removed to the central police station via a rear door of the hotel One of the first discoveries was letter which police found in his pocket This letter addressed to people of the United read as follows 15 1901 1:30 a In a dream 1 saw President McKinley sit up in his coffin pointing at a man in a attire in whom I recognized as Theodore Roosevelt The dead President said this is my murderer avenge my death 12 1912 1:30 a While writing a poem someone tapped me on the shoulder and said let not a murderer take the Presidential chair avenge my death I could clearly see Mr features the Almighty God I swear that the above written is nothing but the truth long as Japan could rise to be one of the greatest powers of the world despite her surviving a tradition more than 2000 years old as Gen Nogl so nobly demonstrated it is the duty of the A to uphold the third term tradition Let every third termer be regarded as a-traitor to the American cause let It be the right and duty of every citizen to forcibly remove a third tenner prevent it better than to never let a third term party emblem appear on an official ballot 1 am willing to die for my country God has called me to be his Instrument So help me God Feste Burg 1st Unser Gott Guilty" (The German line from Martin Luther may be translated a s4 strong fortress Is our iV On the night of his arrest Schrank made a lengthy confession was on Sept 14 (1912) that this idea of killing him came to he said was on Sept 21 that I left my home In New York City at 156 Canal St I stay at a hotel I have money that Is I have $25000 worth of real estate and I live on income from that This property Is at 433 81st St New York first started to think about this man when I had a dream in which 1 saw President McKinley who said that Roosevelt and not Czolgosz was his real murderer You see the old Republican leaders did not think that he was safe and sane so they stuck him By PETER LEVINS Unless you noticed an Inconspicuous item in the paper the other day you are not like ly to attach any significance to the name of John Flammang Schrank It will never become as well remembered as those of John Wilkes Booth Charles Giteau and Leon Czolgosz assassins respectively of Presidents Lincoln Garfield and McKinley Schrank had Identically the same idea in mind that they had but thanks largely to a spectacle case he failed On the other hand Booth Giteau and Czolgosz died for- their acts whey as Schrank lived until a ripe old fairly happily too Moreover there is not much evidence to indicate that he ever regretted Shooting Teddy Roosevelt believe in the Ten Commandments" he said after" his arrest I believe in the ene that says shalt not kill but this act of mine was for a great Schrank 38 at the time he attacked Roosevelt was born on March 3 1876 in Erding Bavaria the son of Michael and Catherine Schrank His father an innkeeper and bartender died of consumption at the age of 38 a brother and sister died in infancy and another brother and a sister remained with the mother after John emigrated to the United States in 1888 made home in WITH AUNT AND UNCLE The boy made his home in New York City with an uncle and aunt Dominick and Anna Flammang and became a naturalized citizen on July 23 1897 Meanwhile he attended school under the name of John Flam-mang and went to work behind the bar of his saloon at 370 10th St at the age of 15 When he reached 21 his uncle made him a present of the saloon and he reverted to his correct name He gave up the saloon in 1905 an act which may have been related to a tragic romance A hospital case history compiled fter the Roosevelt attack indicated that in June 1904 Schrank had been engaged to a young woman whom he had known for some time and that his uncle gave him the saloon as a start for married life Then on June 15 1904 the excursion steamer General Slocum was destroyed by fire and 1000 per sons lost their lives The alleged fiancee was one of the victims The hospital report indicated that Schrank took to drinking heavily after the disaster with the result that relatives feared for his sanity Upon their urging he took a rest trip to Europe and reportedly returned with Us health restored During the nine months preceding mid- September 1912 Schrank lived at the White Hotel a three-story lodging house at 158 Canal St just off the Bowery HU room cost him $2 a week The proprietor of the hotel- Gust Jost said that he had known Schrank for a long time although never intimately and had never noticed anything particularly peculiar about him except that he never had any visitors Schrank claimed to be in the Insurance business and did not appear to be prosperous said Jost In fact he had asked help In getting a job as a bartender or waiter He never talked politics in hearing nor gave any impression of having violent opinions Bowery habitues regarded him es a harmless crank a with a slight but noticeable as well as a shock of yellow hair and a reddish brown Jack Walker bartender at the hotel declared after the Roosevelt attack that Schrank had behaved quietly and had few friends And while he had been heard to gay that he considered a menace to the country there was never aifything in hU conversation to Indicate that he entertained any real animosity toward the former President Hospital records not that Schrank Aunt Anna died in 1907 leaving her estate apparently several thousand dollars to him that he worked as a -cigar packer for the firm of Straiton and Storm Lafayette Place New York and that hU Uncle Dominick died on Feb 1 1911 Precisely how Schrank disposed of the money left by his aunt never was cleared up but It was learned that he had been impoverished for some months and had worked in the saloon of Edward Haberstroh In Brooklyn for a time before he left to follow Mr Roosevelt on the Presidential stumping tour (T Vice-President under McKinley had become President gt death Sept 14 1901 had been elected in 1904 on the Republican ticket and was now seeking a term" as an independent against Taft the Republican incumbent and Woodrow Wilson the Democratic nominee) According to newspaper accounts Schrank borrowed $350 from Herman Lauinger manager of a Brooklyn hotel in the summer of 1912 He did not tell Lauinger that he wanted the money to finance his trip although that apparently was his intention In this connection associates of Schrank when he lived on Cooper St Brooklyn recalled that he had expressed hatred for Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany and In his remarks about the German ruler had said "Roosevelt looks like the Kaiser and he wants to be Kaiser of America Some- 1 body ought to put a stop to it" Mr Roosevelt left the East early in feptember His tour took him to Charleston Augusta Ga Chattanooga Tenn Louisville Ky Evansville and Indianapolis IndJ Chicago and Milwaukee In those game cities John Schrank was either behind or ahead of him always on the alert to do the Job he felt should be done In Chicago' the popular ex-President gpoke at the Coliseum on Saturday Oct 12 Schrank stated later that he went to the Coliseum that night but did not attempt to enter the hall Instead he proceeded to Milwaukee and on Monday when Roosevelt was scheduled to arrive there he loitered about the lobby of the Hotel Gil- Iiatrick where he knew the Bull Moose eader was to stay Roosevelt arrived by train gave several abort talks then went to the hotel to dine and rest before leaving for the Milwaukee Auditorium Shortly before the time set for his address be emerged from the hotel and entered an open sedan standing at the curb He stepped Into the tonneau and lifted his hat to the large crowd which surrounded the caif At that moment while Teddy smiled and held bis hat aloft in his celebrated gesture and while the crowd cheered John Schrank fired one shot Roosevelt staggered a little then sank back to the seat of the car His secretary stocky Elbert Martin a former football KODAK ALBUMS New Style I 200 to GG0 SNAP SHOP is a ar at-' FACE TWO Visit Recalls Story Of Growth the Democratic ticket or He added that he had no police is before and that he belonged to the Roman Catholic faith He admitted however that he had not been to church for many years Then he made the statement already quoted: "I believe in the Ten Commandments and I believe in the one that says 'Thou shall not kill but this act of mine was for a great Before he would consent to pos for newspaper photographers he demanded his collar and necktie saying want to look like a A Bertillon examination disclosed that he had all his teeth a regular chin medium chestnut hair medium light complexion weight of 160 pounds height of 5 feet 4 a short wide head medium large ears marks of small eut on the left index finger and a brown mole on his left cheek He was brought into district court at 10:30 a ol Oct 15 Said District Attorney Zabel are charged with assault with intent to kill and murder What do you plead guilty or not "I plead he replied Bail was set at $5000 but was later raised to $15000 when it was reported Jhat a group of were planning to bail him out so they could use him in a picture Interviewed by a reporter on the morning of his arraignment Schrank remarked when his visitor appeared to see the animal do you? Well here I am Take a good look at He said that his appetite was good but that he had not slept because he wasn't accustomed to prison bars He had ing-Crumbliss Hardware Co He was president The firm operated a large wholesale and retail establishment on Gay Street for years Crumbliss was elected dty commissioner In 1915 and for four year was head of the Department of Parks and Public Buildings including th Knoxville Water Department During his residence in this city Crum-bliss was active in the old Knoxville Board of Commerce Rotary Club and Commercial Club He also served as a vice-president of the old East Tennessee Division Fair Association He was prominent In Masonic circles Crumbliss has come in contact with many of the greatest political figures In the United States end still is a keen observer of the trend of political events During his stay in the city the past week he 'referred to some of the national political leaders who visited In this city during his residence here Although his age has advanced with the passing years Crumbliss is in fine physical condition and appear much older than ha was a score of years ago Hs is active and continues to manifest interest in current events One of his friends remarked th other day that Crumbliss was one of the most interesting entertainers he had ever met is a master mind when it comes to taking a common sense view of any subject He was successful in politics and business and he has always retained the friendship of thQse with whom he had said the commentator a bit of humor to flit along the path of every traveler and even the passengers on a crack train over the Illinois Central Railroad speeding from Memphis get laughs between Bluff City and Dyersburg as the porter yells out names of stations "Next stop Is yelled out the porter end after a brief elapse of time the porter again cried out with an all-South accent Flippin! all out for Flip-pin" A through passenger listened to th name and queried: in a Another passenger on a seat across the aisle said just wait a little longer and you will find that names combined will tell story as this fast train foes flippin around a curve through gates into halls The next stations on the Illinois -Central line after leaving Flippin were and "Halls" The porter said: train goes flippin around the curve through gates right into Well It was explained that the distance from Flippin to Curve is one mile four miles from Curve to Gates end three miles from Gates to Halls Look on the map' These are names of thriving towns down in West Tennessee The Nazis appear to be making a political football out of Due Well got th build for it 7 By CHARLES PATTON (Knoxville Journal Staff Writer) A familiar scene was reproduced one day the past week when James Crumbliss a retired business man and one of East best known citizens was sera standing in "front of Hotel Farragut meeting his old friends He I was conversing with Dr tr John Neal and others A i who stopped to exchange greetings 7 Crumbliss now resides at Kingston and ia an occasional visitor to Knox- i ville In former years when he was a resident of Knoxville he was seen frequently around th old Imperial Hotel which stood on th present site of Hotel Farragut His appearance at Hotel Farragut the other day recalled the time he was a commissioner of Knoxville when was a great civic booster and advocate of th movement which was the beginning of growth from an obscure town to one of the metropolitan centers of the South It may be recalled that Crumbliss in- trodured the bill for the construction of the Gay Street viaduct which spans the Southern Railway yards and extends from Depot Avenue to Jackson Avenue The concrete viaduct took the place of an old wooden bridge over the railway tracks There was steep hill from Jackson Avenue to Vine Avenue and the plans for the new concrete viaduct were designed to eliminate that hill and reduce the grade across the viaduct and extending to Vine Avenue That was a great engineering accomplishment sponsored by Crumbliss It cost more to get the improvement but future generations will always appredtae the viaduct It Is a well known fact that for years the old Gay Street hill from Jackson Avenue to Vihe Avenue was one of the most difficult sections to negotiate in the entire city When sleet and ice used to fall on the slippery hill In horse and buggy days horses often fell and suffered broken limbs on the hill James Griffin Crumbliss was bom in Kingston Roane County and came from a family of successful business men He attended the schools of his native Kingston and completed his education at University1 of Tennessee in 1888-3 He moved to Knoxville in 1910 He was a deputy Clerk and Master from 1882 to 1895 and was elected chairman of the Roane County Court In that capacity he served three terms and In 1898 he was chosen Clerk and Master by Chancellor Hugh Kyle He continued as Clerk and Master at Kingston until 1910 when he came to this city to be marshall for the Eastern Division of Tennessee He had been appointed by President Taft He was marshall for four years In 1914 and the late Sterling organized the Sterl- FROM THE FILES OF DR WALT EVANS move from the complete to the simple and the obvious Is th LAST THING WE Dr Elbert Hubbard Look and study the X-ray cuts above Patient was sick disabled with back trouble aching legs unable to work You recognize Instantly th OBVIOUS thing to do her Is straighten this spin Only THIRTY DAYS was required under th personal direction of Dr Walt Evans to complete this Job ana bring complete relief Th work was painless and without Inconvenience to tha Adv CAVALCADE SECTION THE KNOXVILLE JOUENAL OCT MI.