All language subtitles for infamous_assassinations_s01e08_president_mckinley

Buffalo, New York today looks very
different from how it did on the

September 6, 1901.

At the time, U .S. President William
McKinley is visiting the city's great

-American exposition.

Now he's greeting a line of people
moving slowly past him.

Suddenly gunshots split the air.

McKinley staggers as two bullets thump
into him.

Someone wants the president dead.

A popular and successful politician,
President William McKinley is just one

into his second term.

So, as he's now rushed to hospital,
hovering between life and death, the

question everyone asks is, who would
want to kill him, and why?

In 1901, three years after swiftly
winning a decisive war against Spain,

is entering a new age of prosperity.

The economy is booming as the country's
industrialists, oil magnates and bankers

take full advantage of McKinley's
enthusiastic support for the forces of

capitalism.

But as the gap between rich and poor
grows ever greater, there's a

of resentment towards the privileged
elite who often spend more on an

entertainment than the ordinary working
man earns in a year.

This resentment is readily exploited by
a group of radical socialists known as

anarchists.

Although few in number, they have no
trouble finding receptive audiences as

travel the country spreading the message
that the US government is corrupt and

that the ruling classes are enriching
themselves by exploiting the workers.

But would they go so far as actually
trying to assassinate the man?

who to them represents everything that's
wrong with American society, the

president himself, William McKinley.

This is what the great majority of U .S.
citizens now want to know.

November the 3rd, 1896, Washington, D
.C.

When McKinley is elected president for
the first time, he's the 25th holder of

the highest office in the land.

The new president, now aged 53, has come
a long way.

Born in Niles, Ohio, in January 1843,
McKinley is the seventh of nine

His father is an iron founder.

In June 1861, McKinley enlists as a
private in the Union Army at the start

the U .S. Civil War.

He's posted to Western Virginia.

where he spends a year fighting small
Confederate units.

His commanding officer at the time is
Colonel Rutherford B. Hayes, who will

become U .S. President himself in 1877.

Hayes is mightily impressed with both
McKinley's ability and bravery, and soon

promotes him to sergeant.

A short time later, After heading a mule
team delivering rations under fire at

Antietam, he's promoted again, this time
to second lieutenant.

McKinley continues to serve the Union
cause with great distinction and

in September 1865 with the rank of
major.

He then enrolls at law school and is
admitted to the bar in 1867.

He also begins to take a keen interest
in politics, campaigning

on behalf of General Ulysses S. Grant,
who was elected president in 1867.

In 1877, McKinley, by now a successful
lawyer, is elected to the House of

Representatives. He's set on a career in
politics.

Meanwhile, in downtown Detroit,
Michigan, Life is becoming increasingly

a four -year -old boy, Leon Sholgus, one
of seven children born to Polish

immigrant parents.

The family will move frequently
throughout Leon's early life as they try

better themselves.

In 1891, the family are in Cleveland,
Ohio.

In the same year, McKinley is elected
state governor of Ohio.

He'd lost his seat in Congress the
previous year, after introducing the

Bill, a highly unpopular measure of
tariffs on imported goods.

Meanwhile, Shulgus has just been taken
back as a machinist at a wire and steel

factory, after being fired for taking
part in a strike for higher wages.

Around this time, he begins taking an
interest in radical socialism.

and gets involved with a group railing
against capitalism and those they regard

as wealthy and privileged.

In particular, Chalgas takes a vehement
dislike to the American system of

democratic government.

In 1893, McKinley is re -elected
governor of Ohio.

Three years later, he leaves office and
stands as the Republican Party's U .S.

presidential candidate.

After a highly effective and well
-financed campaign, he wins

But within a short time of McKinley
taking office, he's attracted the

attention of Chalmers.

The would -be anarchist despises him,
regarding him as a hypocrite, enthralled

to the country's wealthy and powerful
elite.

By now, the U .S. is at war with Spain.

The war begins in April 1898 over Cuba's
demand for independence from Spanish

rule and the sinking of the American
battleship USS Maine in Havana Harbor.

Cuban nationalists have brought the
country to the brink of civil war.

This provokes the U .S. into calling for
Spain to resolve the situation

peacefully and then withdraw, leading
the Cubans to govern themselves.

Spain responds by declaring war on the U
.S.

The conflict lasts around 100 days,
during which time the U .S. Navy defeats

Spanish fleet in a series of engagements
off Cuba and the Philippines.

Spain finally sues for peace in August
1898, leaving Cuba independent, but at

the same time now firmly within the U
.S. sphere of influence.

Three years later, McKinley has been re
-elected president, winning by an even

greater margin than he had during his
first term.

But as he takes office for the second
time, McKinley faces mounting industrial

unrest, as across the U .S., more and
more workers are standing up for their

rights, demanding better pay and
conditions and a shorter working week.

Many of them bitterly resent the fact
that while they struggle to survive, the

country's elite seems to grow even more
rich and powerful.

Their anger is fueled by a number of
newspapers and magazines known as the

Yellow Press.

Among the more strident of these is the
Journal, owned, ironically, by one of

the country's richest men, William
Randolph Hearst.

And when, on April 10, 1901, the Journal
publishes an editorial saying, If bad

institutions and bad men can be got rid
of only by killing them, then the

killing must be done.

It is music to the anarchist's ears.

Hearst would claim later that these
words had been published without his

knowledge. But it was too late.

To someone like Sholgoth, the editorial
is tantamount to a call to arms.

Now, as the anarchists become bolder and
more outspoken, Shulgus is determined

to make his mark.

May the 6th, 1901, Cleveland, Ohio.

Emma Goldman, regarded as the high
priestess of anarchism, addresses the

Franklin Liberal Club.

Although not exactly condoning
violence... She draws short of

who uses it to support oppressed
workers.

Among the attentive audience is a young
man now living on a farm a few miles

from the city.

It's Leon Solgis.

Convinced that the U .S. is corrupt and
that the ruling classes are enriching

themselves by exploiting the workers,
Solgis is fired with a burning desire to

do something.

He's fascinated by the assassination of
King Umberto I of Italy on July 29,

1900, shot to death by the anarchist
Gaetano Breschi.

Breschi is sentenced to life
imprisonment the following month.

A year later, he's found dead in his
cell.

No one ever knew if he'd killed himself
or had died at the hands of the guards.

Here, thought Chogoth, is a man prepared
to make the ultimate sacrifice for his

beliefs.

Now he, too, wants to do something for
the cause, something which will make him

an anarchist legend like Bresci.

But what?

Then he has his big idea.

August the 33rd, 1901, Buffalo, New
York.

Chalgas checks into a hotel on the east
side of the city.

He's going to assassinate William
McKinley, the President of the United

Those around McKinley are only too well
aware of the loathing the anarchists

have for him. They know his life will
always be at risk.

The previous year, an enterprising U .S.
Secret Service agent had unearthed what

amounted to an anarchist hit list,
compiled in 1898.

Included among those marked for death
are King Umberto of Italy and the

President of the United States.

William McKinley.

But the president himself will hear none
of it.

Who would want to shoot me, he's
reported to have said.

The American people are too intelligent
for that.

Little could he have known what would
await him in Buffalo.

Chalgety's Hotel is not far from the Pan
-American Exposition, a major new

exhibition site.

And, as he's well aware, McKinley is due
in town any time now for a visit.

Local newspapers helpfully provide
Sholgat with comprehensive details of

president's schedule.

So, for the next two or three days, he
hangs around the exposition, checking

the route he knows McKinley will take
around the various exhibits.

He also familiarizes himself with the
roads leading to and from the site.

If he's successful in killing McKinley,
He fully intends to escape in the

ensuing confusion.

Although by now a committed anarchist,
Saugus has no particular desire to die

for the cause.

The huge exposition, which is situated
on a 342 -acre site, is a triumphant

celebration of America's industrial,
technical, and cultural achievements.

Opening on May 1st and due to run until
November 2nd, the exposition attracts

nearly 8 million visitors, not just from
the US, but from overseas as well.

And the most important of them all is to
be William McKinley, President of the

United States.

September 4th, 1901, Buffalo, New York.

Shulgus buys a six -shot nickel -plated
.32 caliber Johnson automatic handgun

from a Main Street hardware store.

It's the same type that had been used to
kill King Umberto a year earlier.

Later the same day, Shulgus visits the
exposition and once again wanders about,

checking McKinley's route.

He is determined to assassinate the
president.

September the 5th, Buffalo, New York, 9
a .m.

Today is President's Day.

It's a national holiday, and around 50
,000 visitors are expected at the Pan

-American Exposition.

But one of them, a 28 -year -old
anarchist called Leon Chalgas, has

his mind.

He's now trying to get close to the
grandstand from which McKinley is due to

make a speech.

9 .30 a .m.

The president, the first lady, and the
rest of their entourage arrive and take

their place on the grandstand in the
esplanade.

McKinley starts to speak.

Chogos is waiting for him to finish.
Then he plans to rush forward and shoot

him.

10 .15 a .m.

When McKinley's done, he's escorted off
the stage to his carriage.

Seeing his chance, Shulgus moves into
position.

Then he stops, a few yards away,
confused.

He's looking at two men, but they're
both identically dressed in top hats and

black frock coats.

Shulgus can't tell them apart.

While he's trying to work it out, the
carriage moves off.

He's missed his chance.

The President will now spend the rest of
the day at the exposition.

taking in the major highlights such as
the reenacted battle between early U .S.

troops and Native American Indians.

He will not leave until the end of a
spectacular firework display later that

evening.

He's had a narrow escape for now.

But as Chagas is well aware, McKinley is
due to return to the exposition for a

second visit.

The following day.

September the 6th, Niagara Falls,
midday.

President McKinley and his entourage are
visiting Niagara Falls, a short

distance from Buffalo.

He's due back at the Pan -American
Exposition that afternoon.

Meanwhile, Leon Shogus... is hanging
around, waiting for McKinley to return.

He's still determined to kill him.

3 .30 p .m., Exposition Station,
Buffalo.

McKinley returns from Niagara.

He alights from his train and sets off
in a carriage.

Having studied the President's
itinerary, Shulgus knows exactly where

headed.

In order not to alert the bodyguards, He
has concealed his gun in a white

handkerchief, wrapped around his right
hand like a bandage.

3 .50 p .m.

McKinley arrives at the Temple of Music.

He's due at a reception within five
minutes, marking the end of his

visit.

3 .55 p .m.

Temple of Music, Exposition Center.

Saugus, who's been trailing McKinley
since he arrived at the station, slips

the Temple of Music behind him.

McKinley and his entourage are so busy
posing for photographs that no one

notices him.

4pm. The reception begins and McKinley
starts shaking hands with the guests

lined up to meet him.

Saugus joins them.

4 .07pm.

Shulgus reaches McKinley and extends
both hands towards him.

Suddenly, before anyone, including the
president's bodyguards, realize what's

happening, two shots ring out.

McKinley staggers and slumps to the
ground, while a shocked bodyguard knocks

Shulgus off his feet.

Within minutes, McKinley is put in an
electric ambulance and rushed to the

exposition hospital at the Elmwood
Avenue gate.

Meanwhile, as word spreads around the
exposition, there's pandemonium.

People run headlong for the Temple of
Music, some of them intent on lynching

Sholgat on the spot.

But he's quickly hustled away to police
headquarters.

There, he freely admits that he meant to
kill McKinley, saying he'd done it

because he didn't think one man should
have so much power, while others have

none.

At first, McKinley seems to respond well
to treatment.

One of the bullets which hit him is
found and extracted.

But despite their best efforts, doctors
are unable to locate the second.

Ironically, one of the world's first X
-ray machines is on display at the

exposition.

However, the President's doctors are
reluctant to use it in case it produces

unforeseen side effects.

Over the next few days, McKinley grows
ever weaker.

Now everyone fears the worst.

September the 14th, Pan Expedition
Hospital, Buffalo, 2 .15 a .m.

President McKinley dies after gangrene
sets in.

Thirteen hours later, Vice President
Theodore Roosevelt is sworn in as

president. He takes the oath at a
mansion on Delaware Avenue, Buffalo.

Confident that McKinley was on the road
to recovery, he departed from Buffalo

two days earlier for a camping and
walking trip in the Adirondack

There had been no way of contacting him
to let him know the worst had happened.

The next day, McKinley's body is removed
for the journey back to Washington.

Once there, Huge, grief -stricken crowds
turn out to watch the slow, stately

procession through the rain -soaked
streets.

Then it's back to McKinley's hometown,
Canton, Ohio, for the final funeral

service and burial on September the
18th.

The new president, Theodore Roosevelt,
is waiting there for the train to

The news of McKinley's death sends
shockwaves around the world.

Newspapers in London are printed with
black borders.

Ships in the German Navy fly their flags
at half -mast. And in Rome, the Pope

suspends all audiences.

September the 23rd, City Hall,
courtroom, Buffalo, New York, 10 .15am.

The trial of Chalgus begins.

He's charged with first -degree murder.

During the short ensuing proceedings,
Saugus' sanity is called into question.

But he doesn't take the stand in his own
defense. The court is left to draw its

own conclusions.

September the 24th, 4 .25 p .m.

Faced with the irrefutable evidence of
Saugus' guilt, Together with his ready

admission he'd killed the president, the
jury declare him guilty of murder in

the first degree.

They also find him sane.

September the 26th, 2pm.

Chagas is brought back into court to
hear his sentence.

When asked if he wishes to say anything
first, he declares that he'd acted

entirely alone.

No one else was involved.

In particular, He exonerates Emma
Goldman, who has been arrested and held

possible complicity in the plot to
assassinate McKinley.

When he's finished, Chogos is sentenced
to death for what the presiding judge,

Justice Suman C. White, describes as a
crime which shocked and outraged the

moral sense of the civilized world.

September the 27th, Auburn State Prison,
3 .05 a .m.

Chagas arrives by train after a five
-hour journey from Buffalo.

An angry mob awaits him, but he's
protected from attack by a phalanx of

The man who'd assassinated a president
has now just a month left to live.

October 29th, Auburn State Prison, 7
.05am.

With guards gripping him tightly by the
arms, Leon Chagas is led into the

execution chamber.

He's strapped into the electric chair.

It's mounted on a platform covered in
rubber.

As the last adjustments are being made,
Sholga suddenly calls out, I am not

sorry. I did this for the working
people.

My only regret is that I haven't been
able to see my father.

Then he falls silent.

7 .12 a .m.

The signal is given.

A switch thrown, and 1 ,700 volts surge
through Shogus for a full 45 seconds.

He slumps in the chair.

Then, just to make sure, the current is
turned on again.

7 .14 a .m.

Shogus is pronounced dead.

A short time later, he's buried in the
prison cemetery.

The following month, the Pan -American
Exposition closes, and all the

including the Temple of Music, are
demolished.

William McKinley is the third U .S.
president killed in office, the first

Abraham Lincoln, shot on April 14, 1865,
while visiting Ford's Theater in

Washington, D .C.

The second is James Garfield, gunned
down on July 2, 1881.

at a railroad station in Washington, D
.C., as he's waiting to depart on

vacation.

Following McKinley's assassination, the
U .S. Congress demands that presidential

security be stepped up.

From now on, the president will be
guarded at all times by members of the

Service.

But the fact is that no matter how
popular or how well protected a U .S.

president might be, as history shows,
There is always a risk that someone who

wishes him harm will get through.