A Seattle Girl Near M’Kinley When Shot
From Seattle people
who were at the Pan-American exposition at the time of the assault
on the pres- to [sic] this city, describing the terrible affair.
Among the letters received was one
from Miss Violet Abrams, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Abrams,
of this city. She, with her father, mother and sister, has been
East for three weeks. Miss Abrams is well known in musical circles
of Seattle, and she was to have sung at the great reception to the
president that day.
Miss Abrams was in the Temple of Music
on the unfortunate afternoon. She says in her letter:
Heard the Fatal Shots
“Just as the crowds
arose, and the singing began, there was a sound of the assassin’s
shots. I thought at first the balcony had broken down, so intense
was the commotion, but the the [sic] balcony had broken down, so
intense was the commotion [sic], but the news spread like wildfire
that the president had been shot. When the crowd learned of the
dastardly deed hundreds of men tried to break into the circle near
the wounded man, but were restrained by the police and the exposition
guards.”
Expressions of V ngeance [sic]
Miss Abrams, in her
letter, says also that the multitude was at first astounded, then
horrified, but in a few moments broke out into expressions of vengeance.
“Lynch him, lynch him!” was the cry all over the grounds, and, she
says, that if the assassin could have been seized his life would
have been a matter of a few seconds.
All Flags at Half-Mast
Miss Abrams further
says her father was one of the most enthusiastic in favor of vengeance.
A short time after the president was shot, she says, that a report
spread about the exposition grounds that he was dead, and all flags
were promptly lowered to half mast and the fountains in the grounds
stopped playing.
Mr. Abrams and his family are expected
home next week from Buffalo. Miss Abrams adds in her letter that
she will never forget the turbulence of that sad afternoon.
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