The Attempted Assassination of ex-President Theodore Roosevelt Part 24

A. Well, my original intention was to go to New Orleans, and reading the papers I found that he was changing his way of traveling and so this that before the steams.h.i.+p comes to New Orleans why I wouldn't be following him there any more--he would be gone, so I thought I would take Charleston and then get to Atlanta, perhaps I can meet him at Atlanta.

Q. Where did you stay there?

A. At a boarding house by the name of Mosley House.

Q. Do you know the street?

A. I believe it is Merlin street, near Main.

Q. How long did you stay there?

A. I stayed there Monday and I stayed there Tuesday, I think I did. I guess I left the next day.

Q. Well, where did you go to from Charleston?

A. Charleston I went to Augusta.

Q. Where did you stay at Augusta?

A. At Augusta I stayed in the Planters Hotel. I have got it in that slip, if I make a mistake it ain't my fault, but I got it all down in every city where I stopped, so if I make a mistake----

Q. You put that down on a slip from time to time?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. As you went along?

A. Yes, sir. I might make a mistake now, and you think I am making you a false statement.

Q. Did you meet anyone at Charleston whom you knew?

A. No, no; I was a perfect stranger there.

Q. Did you meet anyone at Savannah, Georgia?

A. Augusta.

Q. Augusta?

A. No, I was a stranger there. At every place. I didn't know anybody to go to.

Q. Did you go to the hotel where Col. Roosevelt was staying at those places?

A. No, I didn't. I could not tell where he was going to stop. I could not tell that every time. Now the same as his coming from New Orleans I took a trip down to Birmingham I thought sure he was going to stop at Birmingham. Instead of that he changed his way and he went way to Macon, Georgia. That is the way he deceived me half a dozen times after it was advertised that I could meet him there and there.

Q. What day did you get to Chicago?

A. Chicago. I arrived if I ain't mistaken, now I might not tell the truth but I guess it, I think it was Friday.

Q. Friday morning?

A. Friday dinner time, if I ain't mistaken.

Q. Now what did you go over to the La Salle Hotel where Col.

Roosevelt----

A. I was over to the La Salle, but not in the hotel.

Q. You didn't go inside of the hotel?

A. No, sir.

Q. Where did you stand?

A. On the street, the same as here, on the street.

Q. In front of the entrance?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. Waiting to hear whether he was coming out?

A. No, I didn't wait for him to come out because he got there in the morning--I think he did, in the morning, yes, at ten o'clock he got there. I seen him go in and I never seen him go out.

Q. You saw him go out or go in at ten o'clock Sat.u.r.day morning?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. Where were you standing?

A. On the street with the rest of the crowd.

Q. Did you try to get your revolver there?

A. No, sir.

Q. What prevented you from drawing?

A. Well, I thought it is his reception that might have a bad feeling on the city of Chicago, giving him a reception like that; I thought I might have plenty of chance to get at him later on if it wouldn't be just at the reception.

Q. Let me understand you what prevented you from drawing.

A. I says because it was the reception---- There was so many people receiving him and I suppose the city of Chicago would like to give him a decent respectable reception. It would look awful bad if at the reception he would have got shot down, I says to myself that wouldn't go, I might get a better chance.

Q. You knew there was a death penalty in Illinois?

A. No, sir; I never knew anything like that.

Q. How near were you to him when he pa.s.sed you that morning at the La Salle?