Buy a piece of morbid history for $80,000. President McKinley autopsy documents for sale

CANTON − A morbid piece of presidential history is up for sale.

Original documents from the autopsy of President William McKinley are being sold through The Raab Collection, a Pennsylvania-based private firm that deals in historical autographs and artifacts. The company is selling them for $80,000.

The Raab Collection also has offered pieces from Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Amelia Earhart, Winston Churchill, Napoleon Bonaparte, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein and Neil Armstrong.

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“This gives new and fascinating insight into an important moment in American history, the nation grieving, (and) demanding answers about a fallen president," said Nathan Raab, president of The Raab Collection and author of "The Hunt for History." "We've never seen anything on the market like it."

Kimberly Kenney, executive director of the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum, said the documents are out of the museum's price range.

"Although the McKinley Presidential Library & Museum would be interested in adding this unique archive to our permanent collection, we do not have the financial resources to acquire it," she wrote in an email. "We rely on the generosity of our donors to build our collection of artifacts and archival materials that relate to Canton, Stark County and President McKinley.

"It is our hope that the buyer will be able to share this resource with us, so the information contained within these documents is preserved for future generations."

What was Dr. Matzinger's role in the autopsy?

Documents include the original autopsy report and unpublished medical notes from McKinley's death belonging to Dr. Herman G. Matzinger, who assisted Dr. Harvey Gaylord in performing the president's autopsy on behalf of the New York State Pathological Laboratory.

Matzinger was a bacteriologist and Gaylord a pathologist.

What President William McKinley artifacts are for sale?

Also included in the archives for sale are documents of Matzinger's work to determine McKinley's cause of death, including letters and ephermera.

The collection had stayed with the family of the surgeon until now, the collectibles dealer said. The items are valued at $80,000, The Raab Collection said.

Asked how Matzinger came into possession of the items, Nathan Raab said: "Back then, even public employees were allowed to keep their own materials. Such government retention is most often a function of the Nixon era. These were his private notes. And a public report was issued."

Who killed President McKinley and how?

McKinley was shot twice at close range on Sept. 6, 1901, while attending the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, by anarchist Leon Czolgosz. Even with the limited medical capabilities of the time, McKinley's initial surgery appeared to be successful, but his health soon declined and he died on Sept. 14.

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Following the assassination, some doctors criticized the medical treatment the president received while others speculated that a poison-tipped bullet or another agent had been involved in his death. A formal report was commissioned in two parts − one covering the shooting and surgical operations and the second consisting of an autopsy and bacteriological report, the news release explained.

Matzinger, a New York medical professional, worked alone on the bacteriological analysis using samples from the wound site, weapon and bullets, which were sent to him, The Raab Collection said.

The report determined that any infection developed later, as a result of trauma and complications from the shooting. Evidence of poison also was not found, The Raab Collection noted.

McKinley is believed to have died from an infection that developed along the bullet pathway and near the pancreas.

A closer look at the documents

Matzinger passed down the historic items to his family before they were acquired by Raab, which has clients worldwide.

Among the items in the collection are:

• Matzinger's 17-page notebook of lab notes and scientific observations from Sept. 14-30, 1901, most of which is unpublished.

• Matzinger's draft manuscript of "Report of the Bacteriologic Examination in the Case of the Late President McKinley."

• Matzinger's final typed report.

• The government's acknowledgment of McKinley's death certificate.

• Tickets to McKinley's funeral service.

Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Raab Collection selling President William McKinley autopsy documents