Anarchist Leon Czolgosz shot President William McKinley twice with a .32 Iver Johnson revolver, a "hammerless" revolver that was marketed as a self protection handgun. The small caliber bullet fired from the low velocity cartridge actually bounced off of a coat button with the first shot, but the second entered his abdomen. The low powered round did not kill him, but he was severely wounded and required surgery, which was performed about 30 minutes later. The surgery did not locate the bullet, the surgery complicated by McKinley being obese. McKinley's words at the time indicated a forgiving and sympathetic view of his assassin.
Abdominal wounds normally resulted in gangrene, which in fact this one did.
News of the shooting reached Theodore Roosevelt, who as on vacation in Vermont, by phone.
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