So happens, I'm writing about that.
Just 7 days earlier my character had been at the Pan American Exhibition, waiting to catch a glimpse of the President and even to shake his hand. But an assassin got there first.
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| Photo of a drawing by T. Dart Walker used with permission under Creative Commons License |
The assassin was Leon Czolgosz. He'd been a hard worker at a wire plant in Ohio for a number of years but became mentally unstable and began showing up at anarchist meetings.
When questioned about his motivations, he responded with, “I killed President McKinley because I done my duty. I didn’t believe one man should have so much service and another man should have none.”
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| Photo by unknown photographer around 1900 - in public domain |
Czolgosz was executed on the electric chair about 6 weeks later. His final words were, " "I killed the President because he was the enemy of the good people – the good working people. I am not sorry for my crime."
My protagonist had nothing to do with the president's assassin. He just happened to be standing a few feet behind him, in the same line, waiting to meet the president. But he also had a paper and pencil in his hand. Which, in my opinion, makes things a little more interesting! All of America was deeply affected by this tragic incident. But, for my character, this death of the president was much too close for comfort.
very interesting, very interesting! I love weaving together fiction with facts.
ReplyDeleteCarol don't we have the best job?!
ReplyDeleteJoyce, this sounds fascinating. Please write fast! I can't wait to read this book.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lorrie! I can't wait to WRITE this book. Actually I have written this scene (although I'm sure it will go through many revisions). But at the moment I am revising another manuscript entirely. I am eager to get back to this one.
ReplyDeleteWhat a powerful moment, Joyce! Just writing about it in your post made it seem like a true event. What a life altering experience for a child. I second Lorrie's comment--can't wait to read the book!
ReplyDeleteLife altering - yes! And this isn't something I fully grasped before writing this post. So I guess blogging contributes to stories in ways that we don't always comprehend.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this kind of stuff, Joyce. I'm always searching for those little things I can write into my stories. This is a great one. I look forward to reading the book.
ReplyDeleteRosi, this is why we love research, eh? It breathes life into our stories.
ReplyDeleteJoyce,
ReplyDeleteI love the way you think!
Thanks, Linda. And I love hearing from you.
ReplyDeleteSounds like another fascinating book, Joyce. My husband loves sentences that begin, "On this day in history..." I'll have to ask him if he knows this one. I didn't. But incidentally, yesterday in history, the poet Anne Bradstreet, subject of my YA bio, died (339 years ago!). :)
ReplyDeleteWow, Anne Bradstreet - Marcia, you are helping me to review my history! This sounds like a great book idea. How is it coming along? Email me at moyergirl at charter dot net if you want to talk about it.
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