Editing Leon Czolgosz (section)

== Interest in anarchism ==
{{Anarchism US|People}}

In 1898, after witnessing a series of similar strikes, many ending in violence, and perhaps ill from a respiratory disease, Czolgosz went to live with his father, who had bought a {{Convert|50|acre|adj=on}} farm the year before in [[Defunct townships of Cuyahoga County, Ohio|Warrensville, Ohio]].{{sfn|Miller|2011|p=231}}{{sfn|"Assassin Known..."|September 8, 1901|loc=col. 1 para. 8}} 

Czolgosz became a recluse.<ref name="Berlinski2007">{{cite book|last=Berlinski|first=Claire|title=Menace in Europe: Why the Continent's Crisis Is America's, Too|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KwUVSZqtqMQC&pg=PA39|year=2007|publisher=[[Three Rivers Press]]|location=New York City|isbn=978-1-4000-9770-8|page=39}}</ref> He was impressed after hearing a speech by the anarchist [[Emma Goldman]], whom Czolgosz met for the first time at one of her lectures in Cleveland in May 1901. After the lecture, Czolgosz approached the speakers' platform and asked her for reading recommendations. On the afternoon of July 12, 1901, he visited her at the home of Abraham Isaak, publisher of the newspaper ''[[Free Society]]'', in [[Chicago]] and introduced himself as Fred C. ''Nieman'' (nobody),{{efn|Czolgosz also sometimes used the surname "Nieman" ["Nobody"] and variations thereof<ref name="Vowell 2005 p214">{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/assassinationvac00vowe | url-access=registration | title=Assassination Vacation | publisher=[[Simon and Schuster]] |location=New York City|first=Sarah|last=Vowell | year=2005 | page=[https://archive.org/details/assassinationvac00vowe/page/214 214] | isbn=978-0-7432-8253-6 | quote=Fired, then blacklisted, he got his old job back by working under the alias Fred Nieman. German for 'nobody,' Nieman is the name Czolgosz first gave to the Buffalo police upon arrest.}}</ref>}} but Goldman was on her way to the train station. Czolgosz told her that he was disappointed in Cleveland's socialists, and Goldman quickly introduced him to anarchist friends who were at the train station.{{sfn|Goldman|1931|pp=289–290}}

Goldman later wrote a piece in defense of Czolgosz, which portrays him and his history in a way at odds with other sources: "Who can tell how many times this American child has gloried in the celebration of the 4th of July, or on [[Decoration Day]], when he faithfully honored the nation's dead? Who knows but what he, too, was willing to 'fight for his country and die for her liberty'".<ref name="PBS Goldman">{{cite web | url = https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Tragedy_at_Buffalo |title=The Tragedy at Buffalo }}</ref>

In the weeks that followed, Czolgosz's social awkwardness, evasiveness, and blunt inquiries about secret societies around Isaak and another anarchist, Emil Schilling, resulted in the radical ''Free Society'' newspaper to issue a warning pertaining to him on September 1, reading:{{r|Everett ch5}}

{{quote|ATTENTION! The attention of the comrades is called to another spy. He is well dressed, of medium height, rather narrow shoulders, blond and about 25 years of age. Up to the present he has made his appearance in Chicago and Cleveland. In the former place he remained but a short time, while in Cleveland he disappeared when the comrades had confirmed themselves of his identity and were on the point of exposing him. His demeanor is of the usual sort, pretending to be greatly interested in the cause, asking for names or soliciting aid for acts of contemplated violence. If this same individual makes his appearance elsewhere the comrades are warned in advance, and can act accordingly.|author=Everet Marshell|title=Free Society}}

Czolgosz believed there was a great injustice in American society, an inequality which allowed the wealthy to enrich themselves by exploiting the poor. He concluded that the reason for this was the structure of government. Around this time, Czolgosz learned of the assassination of a leader in Europe, King [[Umberto I of Italy]], who had been shot dead by anarchist [[Gaetano Bresci]] on July 29, 1900. Bresci told the press that he had decided to take matters into his own hands for the sake of the common man.<ref name="Sekulow2007">{{cite book|last=Sekulow|first=Jay Alan|title=Witnessing Their Faith: Religious Influence on Supreme Court Justices and Their Opinions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=86628a9v-moC&pg=PA165|date=2007|publisher=Sheed & Ward|isbn=978-1-4616-7543-3|page=165}}</ref>