William McKinley, like most Presidents of his time, were not "fans," to say the least, of the concept of personal protection. Even thought he was not one to campaign on a whistle stop tour, he enjoyed greeting supporters personally when the opportunity arose. Such was the scourge of his protection detail.
In September, he decided to visit the Pan-American Exposition at the Temple of Music in Buffalo, New York state. On the sixth, he was shaking hands with some of the fair-attendees when one of his bodyguards noticed a shiny, metallic shine beneath the napkin of someone trying to shake his hand.
He pulled the President aside,
literally seconds before a shot was fired. The perpetrator was apprehended by three of the bodyguards, though he resisted. The President, while unscathed, was rushed from the scene.