Assassination – Western New York’s Top Crime Cases

He was the most popular president since Lincoln and he came to Buffalo for an appearance at the Pan-American Exposition on September 6th, 1901. While shaking hands with a line of people President William McKinley was shot twice in the chest by anarchist Leon Czolgosz.

Famed Doctor Roswell Park was in Niagara Falls at the time in the middle of surgery. He wasn’t able to return to Buffalo in time, so the next best surgeon available Dr. Matthew Mann went to work on the president. He was able to remove one of the bullets, but not the other. The President seemed to improve after a few days, but eight days after the shooting McKinley died.

An estimated mob of 30,000 people gathered outside the Buffalo Police headquarters looking to lynch Czolgosz. Mounted police with nightsticks and some with rifles and bayonets were able to surround police headquarters and the crowd finally dispersed.

Czolgosz was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in the electric chair.

McKinley was the third president in 36 years to be assassinated. Personal protection to that point had been poor. As a result Congress directed that the Secret Service provide 24 hour a day protection for the President and his family.

SOURCE: history.net