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AS THE NATION observes Abraham Lincoln's birthday next week, the body of the 16th president rests peacefully beneath a massive monument in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Ill. This monument was erected in 1900 to securely house Lincoln's earthly remains. But this was not always the case. The monument that exists today was constructed as the result of a series of strange events that began shortly after President Lincoln's death.
Lincoln's coffin was moved a total of 17 times because of numerous reconstructions of his tomb and concerns for the safety of his remains before it was permanently sealed in its present location. The coffin was opened five times: Dec. 21, 1865, Sept. 19, 1871, Oct. 9, 1874, April 14, 1887, and, for the final time on Sept. 26, 1901.
The most dramatic incident occurred in 1876 when "Big Jim" Kinealy, Terrence Mullen and John Hughes attempted to steal Lincoln's body and hold it for a ransom of $200,000 in gold and the release of their counterfeiting ringleader, Ben Boyd, from prison. Their dastardly plot began in Springfield, but one of the conspirators drank too much one night and shared their plans with a woman at the bar. She spread the rumors around town and the would-be grave robbers were forced to flee to Chicago.
"Big Jim" ran a saloon in Chicago and, soon, one of his frequent customers joined his gang. Unbeknownst to him, this new member, Lewis G. Swegles, was actually a Secret Service agent.
Their plan was to steal the body, stuff it into a long sack and transport it to the sand dunes of northern Indiana by horse-drawn wagon. The date was set for Nov.7, 1876, which was Election Day. The gang felt that this would be a good time as people would be distracted by the results of the election and the cemetery would be practically deserted.
The gang went to the tomb, sawed off the lock on its iron door, pried off the lid of the marble sarcophagus and began to remove the casket within. Swegles was told to bring the wagon around. He alerted detectives who were in hiding and they rushed the site. The robbers, however, had been waiting away from the tomb, in the shadows, and were able to escape. They were captured 10 days later in Chicago.
Robert Lincoln, the president's son, hired the best attorneys available to prosecute the conspirators. After an eight-month delay, the trial began. The grave robbers were convicted and sentenced to one year each at Joliet State Prison. They began their terms on June 22, 1867.
For many years after this event, the coffin containing the president's remains was hidden away in the leaky labyrinth between the walls of his tomb, while the public paid homage to an empty sarcophagus.
In 1900, it was decided that the monument marking Lincoln's grave needed to be completely torn down and rebuilt. Construction would take 15 months. In the interim, the bodies of the president and other members of his family were secretly buried in a multiple grave nearby.
In August 1901, the new tomb was ready and the bodies were moved to their new resting place. Robert Lincoln visited the grave site about a month later and decided that he was not happy with the situation. He was afraid of another body-snatching attempt. He requested that the coffin be enclosed in a cage 10 feet deep and encased in concrete to ensure that his father would never again be disturbed. This idea was inspired by a similar one used for the grave site of George M. Pullman, inventor of the Pullman Sleeping Car.
On Sept. 26, 1910, everything was in place to seal the tomb forever. A discussion arose as to whether or not to open the casket one last time to ensure that the person being buried was absolutely the late president. Finally, the decision was made to view the body. Twenty-three people came forward to view Lincoln for the last time. Hats were removed in respect for the great leader who was in their midst for the last time.
It was unanimous that Abraham Lincoln was the person in the coffin. He had remained remarkably recognizable. He was wearing the same suit that he wore to his second inauguration. Those present felt that he wore an expression of great melancholy.
The coffin was resealed and lowered into its cage. Some 4,000 pounds of concrete were then poured over the cage, forever sealing it into a solid block of rock. President Lincoln was at rest at last.
DONNA CHASEN is a member of the board of directors of the Spotsylvania Preservation Society. Comments or questions can be directed to her at mail@SPFI.org, or in care of SPFI at Box 1875, Spotsylvania Va. 22553.
