Crowd at Fair on Day of McKinley's Assassination
Crowd at Fair on Day of McKinley's Assassination
"The Mob Outside the Temple of Music at the Pan-American Exposition." Shot of crowd, reportedly just after the assassination of President William McKinley - - there's not much excitement, nothing like what one would expect from the description given in original Edison catalogue (See Note.) Camera pans just over the heads of the crowd, positioned at such a height behind the large group of people that mainly hats are visible - -and a frowning baby in a big straw hat, held in mom's arms. The crowd are looking at platform in BG where there are 2 small tables each with 4 chairs and people sit there, some writing something. (If this is indeed after the assassination, maybe they are questioning people and getting everyone's personal information?) Also behind crowd are various kinds of uniformed men (guards from Exposition?). Toward the end one can see more movement in the crowd in BG. Still nothing "intense" or "frantic" as described in Edison catalogue. Possibly some of this film is missing or else it is misidentified. The footage doesn't seem to correspond with the following description from a contemporary Edison film company catalog: " On Friday, September 6th, 1901, we had our cameras in position to photograph the President as he left the Temple of Music, but the deplorable assassination, of course, prevented our getting this picture. We did, however, secure an excellent panoramic view of the mob surging in front of the Temple of Music attempting to get at the assassin. These pictures have created intense excitement and interest. Our cameras were the only ones at work at the Pan-American Exposition on the day of President McKinley's speech, Thursday, September 5th, and on Friday, September 6th, the day of the shooting. This picture was photographed immediately after the shooting, and shows the intense excitement of the people. The Pan-American Exposition guards are plainly seen in the background trying to check the frantic multitude as they sway backward and forward in their mad endeavor to reach the assassin."