ATTEMPT ON LIFE OF U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 4872, 18 February 1933, Page 3

ATTEMPT ON LIFE OF U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT.

MAYOR OF CHICAGO WOUNDED

ASSAILANT AN ITALIAN

Miami (Florida), February 16.

While a public reception to the President-elect, Mr. F. D. Roosevelt, was in progress at Bay Front Park, Biscavne Bay, five shots were fired into the--offieial party. Mr. Roosevelt was not injured, but the Mayor of Chicago Mr Anton Ccrmak. who was standing within twenty foot of Mr. Roosevelt, was dangerously wounded, and his life is in grave danger. The man who is alleged to have fired the shots was immediately arrested.

Four others, two of whom are women, were wounded during the shooting. One of the injured women is Mrs Joseph Gill, wife of the nresident of the Florida Power and Light Company. The assailant has identified himself as Giuseppe Zangara, a brick mason of New York, who has been a resident of Miami for two months. Mr. Roosevelt waved his hands in the air after the shooting to indicate that he was not hurt.

Mr Cermnk, who was spending a vacation here, was standing on the running-board, of Mr. Roosevelt’s motor-car when the shots were fired. He, with Mrs Gill, was placed oy members of the Presi-dent-elect’s party in the tonneau of the car and taken to hospital. Physicians on Thursday said that Mr Cermak has a more than fiftyfifty chance of recovery. His condition is regarded as dangerous but not immediately critical. The bullet evidently traversed the diaphragm and lodged in the body in the eleventh dorsal vertebra. Surgical intervention is deemed unwise unless the patient’s condition becomes worse.

Lying in hospital, .Mr Cermak said to Mr. Roosevelt: “I am mighty glad it was me instead of you. I wish you would be careful. The country needs you.”

A deep expression of agony showed on the sun-tanned face of the President-elect as he bent over the bed. replyng: “We need you, and men like you.”

Mr Roosevelt held the Mayor in his lap en route to hospital in the Roosevelt ear.

It was a woman, Mrs W. F. Cross, of Miami, who grabbed at the arm of the assassin. 'As Mr Cermak sank to the pavement and Mrs Gill fell, the victims appeared stunned. It was the bystanders who did the shouting and screaming. Mrs Cross gave the following account: “When the President-elect stood up to speak, so mfiny were in front of .me that I could not see, so I stood up on a bench. This man stood up with me, and the bench almost folded up. I looked around then, and saw he had a pistol and he began shooting towards the Pre-. sident-eleet. I grabbed his hand which held the pistol, and pushed it into the air. Tom Armour also grabbed his hand. We held it up. By that time some men were choking him.”

The police are convinced that the attempt was a one-man job. The penalty for attempted assassination in Florida is life imprisonment, and for assassination death. . ,

ZANGARA EXAMINED.

Giuseppe Zangara, with bulging eyes dilating as he talked with severe interrogators in the Dade Country gaol on Thursday, said that lie had no regrets for the attack on Mr Roostvelt. The prisoner answered questions by Sheriff Ilai'die in broken English.

“Why did you want to kill? Did you want to kill the policeman who caught you?” Ilardie asked. “I no care to kill police,” Zangara replied. “They work for a leaving. As a man I like Meester Roosevelt; as President I want to keel him. I want to keel all Presidents. In Italy ten years ago, 1 want to keel the King, but I cannot get to heem.”

“Are von an anarchist? was the next question.

“I do not belong to any society,” said Zangara. “I am not an anarchist. Sometimes I get beeg pain in stomach too, and then I want to keel these Presidents who oppress working men.” There is a deep sear on Zangara 's abdomen. He has been in the United States about nine years. He is understood to he a naturalised citizen.