History's Lesser Known U.S. Presidential Assassinations Were Utterly Gruesome

President James A. Garfield

While the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln have been well covered in media presentations, the deaths of James A. Garfield and William McKinley, the 20th and 25th presidents respectively, have not been as widely featured. Yet both stories are dramatic, and tragically the two died slow and agonizing deaths in those days devoid of the benefits of modern medicine.
An article at TrueCrime i09 quotes historic accounts of the events following the violence. While they are graphic, they are also fascinating, as well as an integral part of our national history. Read the article here, as well as the Smithsonian and History.com pieces on which it was based.