A Fatal Clang Of The Trolley

True Crime Historian

Richard O Jones

True Crime, Performing Arts, Documentary, Arts, Society & Culture

4.5 • 720 Ratings

🗓️ 22 October 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The President’s Close Call

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Episode 452 explores the aftermath of a presidential mishap when Teddy Roosevelt's carriage collides with an electric trolley racing to make up for lost time. A Secret Service guard dies immediately and the trolley driver is charged with his murder. Was this a simple accident? A case of incompetence? Or was the motorman made a scapegoat for a nation’s grief and outrage?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The weather. Tomorrow, expect a... Biting cold front. Mmm, how naughty. I wonder what I'll be wearing or taking off. The night will be wild and untamed. Expect heavy, lashing rain that'll soak you to the skin. By Monday, temperatures will rise, slowly but surely, reaching their peak in the afternoon.
0:23.0	Not in the mood for miserable weather?
0:25.5	Fly cheaply to Turkey with Sun Express.
0:28.6	Sun Express, non-stop sunshine.
0:37.0	Pittsfield, Massachusetts, September 3rd, 1902.
0:38.3	Fair skies. President Roosevelt arrived in Dalton last night at 8.50 o'clock, about one hour behind schedule.
0:46.3	He was driven about town then to the House of Governor Crane in Craneville, where he was serenaded by Dalton and Pittsfield people.
0:53.3	This morning the president was driven to a stand erected just south of the Dalton Town Ball
0:59.0	and there delivered a speech of 10 minutes duration.
1:03.0	Pittsfield was then visited and here an address of about equal length was made.
1:08.0	After a brief visit to the home of former United States Senator Henry L.
1:12.0	Dawes, the presidential party started for Lennox. There was no excitement in President
1:17.3	Theodore Roosevelt's manner as he described the tragic accident. Quote,
1:21.0	We had had a very pleasant drive over from Pittsfield. Governor Crane and I were conversing
1:27.3	in the front seat and Secretary Cort were conversing in the front seat,
1:28.5	and Secretary Cortellew was in the front seat with Craig, poor fellow,
1:32.6	on the box beside the driver.
1:35.2	Suddenly, we heard the clang, clang, clang of the trolley gong,
1:39.7	and before we knew anything else, the car had struck us.
1:44.5	My impressions of what happened just after that are somewhat imperfect.
1:49.0	Fortunately, I was unhurt, and I got on my feet immediately and went back to see if the
1:53.8	others were injured.
	...

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