The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-11-16

| gone. WneLnef some one was WaUCHluS
and gave them q signal or they had come
outside to get some air, will probably
never be known. The monument is SUI
rounded by trees, large and small, and
to reach the shelter offered by them
would not require quarter of minute.
| The detectives at once scattered, and
went in the direction the thieves had ev-
identity gone.
No traces of the villains being discov-
cred, the officers returned to the vault,
and there beheld sight which made
them very sad. The catacomb consists
OF five crypts, side by side, elevated 3
feet above the floor of the vestibule.-
The central crypt is the only one visible,
the others. which contain the remains of
the members of the Lincoln family, be-
ing sealed up. The open crypt is in
tended for the reception of the corpse
of the President, but the sarcophagus
containing the casket still rests on pc
destals in the vestibule, being thus plac-
ed in order that visitors may see it. The
body, as is known perhaps, is enclosed
in lead casket. This is surrounded by
a cedar case, and the receptacle of these
is a marble sarcophagus. The latter has
a double lid, the upper one not being as
large as the other. Both had been pried
off with chisel OF an ak, and somewhat
Clipped in the operation. The under
lid lay crosswise on the casket, the head
piece on the floor, and the upper lid was
standing against the wall. The casket
itself had been pulled out about foot
from the body of the sarcophagus, and
small piece broken off. Perhaps the
demolition of it had been commenced.
On the floor were an ak with the edge
full of marbie-dust, an ordinary chisel,
and a pair of nippers. The other tools
had evidently been taken away since the
lock on the iron grated door had been
sawed off.
The officers were disappointed on &C
count of the escape of the vandals, but,
as only little damage had been done,
they were consoled to some extent by
that fact. With ten minutes more time
the ashes and bones would have been in
the possession of the wretches. After
putting another paddock on the door the
party withdrew, and all but two returned
to the city, the two remaining to receive
the burglars in case they came back.
Only one motive can be attributed to
these despoilers of the grave, and that is
hope of reward for the restoration of
the remains, if they had succeeded in
carrying them off. It certainly could
not have been their intention to take
away the casket, for it must weigh 500
or GOO pounds, and half dozen men
could scarcely have carried it 200 yards
the ground necessary to go over to
reach the road. 1t is more than likely
that they proposed cutting open the cas-
ket and gathering up the bones and the
dust of the martyr President. What
would have been the indignation Of the
country had this been done! The scheme
concocted by these men is unparalleled
in the history of crime, and now that
there is evidence of minds so debased,
measures will be taken to guard the
monument and prevent future attempts
to disturb the sacred dust. This species
of robbery is entirely new, and it will
probably spread all over the country, as
do new devices for picking pockets and
burglarizing houses, and similar occur
RANGES will undoubtedly take place, and
attempts be made to blackmail the
friends of the dead.
The facts given above did not come
until early this morning, and are known
only to few, otherwise the outrage
would have occupied as great share
of the attention of the community as the
election. Words cannot express the
feelings of those who know it, and it is
earnestly hoped that the double-distilled
perpetrators of this attempted robbery
of the remains of Americas most loved
President will soon be brought to JUS
| tice.