A question in a trivia book lead me into researching this article.

The question was:

“Which president’s life was saved due to a speech he had prepared?” A little blurb on the
card explained that Teddy Roosevelt was about to give a speech when an assailant ran
forward and fired a shot. Due to the thickness of the manuscript of the speech, it acted as
a deterrent and slowed the bullet down enough so that it only pierced him.

John Flammang Schrank was a saloonkeeper and also the infamous assailant in the
attempted murder of our 26th president. Now, we know that Teddy had survived, but the
question is how? His piece of manuscript and his glasses case acted as a deterrent and
slowed the bullet down enough so that it only pierced him. The shooting took place in the
street in front of Hotel Glipatrick in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The date was October 14,
1912 and also shortly after 5:00pm. It is unclear why the assassin wanted to murder
Teddy, but the only evidence of “why” were the documents he had on him. Schrank had
written that he was advised by the ghost of William McKinley in a dream to avenge his
death pointing to a picture of Theodore Roosevelt. Doctors soon examined him and
reported that he was suffering from 'insane delusions, grandiose in character' and they
declared Schrank to be insane. Schrank was sentenced to the Central State Mental
Hospital in Waupun, Wisconsin, in 1914. He remained there for 29 more years, until his
death from natural causes in 1943.

John Flammang Schrank was a saloonkeeper and also the infamous assailant in the
attempted murder of our 26th president. Now, we know that Teddy had survived, but the
question is how? His piece of manuscript and his glasses case acted as a deterrent and
slowed the bullet down enough so that it only pierced him. The shooting took place in the
street in front of Hotel Glipatrick in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The date was October 14,
1912 and also shortly after 5:00pm. It is unclear why the assassin wanted to murder
Teddy, but the only evidence of “why” were the documents he had on him. Schrank had
written that he was advised by the ghost of William McKinley in a dream to avenge his
death pointing to a picture of Theodore Roosevelt. Doctors soon examined him and
reported that he was suffering from 'insane delusions, grandiose in character' and they
declared Schrank to be insane. Schrank was sentenced to the Central State Mental
Hospital in Waupun, Wisconsin, in 1914. He remained there for 29 more years, until his
death from natural causes in 1943.