The Indianapolis journal., 1883-04-17
The Story of the Attempt, Seven Years
Since, to Steal the Remains of the
Martyred Chief EXECUTIVE.
The Reason the Sarcophagus Is Now
So Feebly Guarded.
The Ashes of the Dead President Not in the
Catacomb, and Their Whereabouts
Only Known to Few.
Special to the Indianapolis IOurnal.

SPRINGFIELD, ILL.,, April 16-Recently
vague intimations have come from Washing
ton city, purporting to be obtained from
Hon. Robert T. Lincoln, Secretary of War,
and published in special dispatches to some
two or three newspapers in the West, limiting
at mysterious arrangement for securing the
remains OF the late President Lincoln from
being stolen from the National Lincoln Mon
ument at this city. These reports have sug
| gested that the sorcophagus, supposed to con-
tain the re mains of the first martyr President
| is arranged with an explosive contrivance SO
adjusted that only some one who is familiar
with its adjustment can remove the lid
without causing a discharge which would
probably be fatal to the life of the person or
persons making the attempt.
All this is put together in such way as to
make an excellent scarecrow story, but
| either fortunately or unfortunately, there is
not word of truth in it, and it is cert ain
that not more than a half-dozen persons
know just where and how the Presidents
body is deposited.
The story is interesting, but cannot be told
in sentence. When the attempt was made
on the night of Nov. 7, 1876, to steal the body
of Abraham Lincoln, there was traitor in
the camp of the thieves. He had been em-
poyed by the United States Secret Service to
play in with the plotters and he did this so
well that the detectives were fully advised of
every step taken, and they arrived in Spring
field on the same train which brought the
thieves. The detectives had planned with the
them information as soon as work was
begun upon the sarcophagus. Just at dark
| the detectives, accompanied by the custodian
of the monument and a trusty citizen of
| Springfield, making party of five, entered
Memorial Hall, in the south side of the Lin
coin monument, and secreted themselves in
an inner inclosure, placing one of their num-
Der up against the wall which forms one side
of the crypt containing the body of Lincoln
and those of dead members of the family. In
this position he could tell when the thieves
began work on the door of the catacomb at
| the north end.
WAITING FOR THE DEsPoILERs.
In this condition they waited till near mid
night. Finally they saw a light flashed
through the grated iron and glass doors of
Memorial Hall, and little later the man
listening with his ear against the middle
wall conveyed the information that work
had begun on the door to the cata-
comb at the north end. A little
later he could hear them at work breaking
open the sealed crypt containing the sarco-
phagus which held the Presidents remains
But still the detectives waited and waited
for Williams to come to the door of the
memorial hall and give the agreed signal so
that the miscreants might be taken in the
very act; but this signal never came, and it
afterward appeared that, as soon as they got
into the catacomb, the two principal villains
put light in Willams's hand and set him
in corner to hold it-a gentle hint that if
he attempted to go out he would be likely to
receive dose of lead or a knock on the head
with the ak which they had brought to split
off the sealed cap of the crypt
In this situation the work went on in the
catacomb at the north end of the monument
and the officers waited in the memorial hall
in the south end for the signal that the
time had arrived for them to rush
around and make the arrests The
crypt was opened, as stated, the sarcopha-
gus was dragged out about two-thirds of its
length, the head of it being placed on a
trestle for support; the marble top and end
piece were pried off and set up in the corner
and the metallic case containing the cedar
box which holds the body of the President
was drawn half way out of the sarcophagus
and there left in a convenient
position to be picked up and
carried away. Then Williams was directed to
set down his light and go to the foot of the
hill and tell the drayman to bring up his
wagon. The two chief villains walked
little way with him, as he started on this
mission and there lay down upon the ground
to await his return.
While things were in this situation at the
north end of the monument, the detectives
slid quietly out of the south end and walked
around slowly toward the door of the cata-
comb. The thieves seeing or hearing the ar
rival OF these men, seem to have supposed that
that Williams and the drayman had re-
turned and started toward them, but as soon
as they got near enough to see through the
darkness that there were five men instead
of two they broke and ran, and there the at
tempt to steal Lincolns body ended The
place was guarded till morning and after
ward the sarcophagus was sealed up and
placed upon two marble blocks in the center
of the catacomb. 1t has never since been put
back in the crypt.
THE CATAcoMB AT PRESENT.
Now this catacomb is protected from in
trusion only by grated door, or, more cor
rectly speaking by small iron gate, which
q man could break down by a few blows
with an ak or a sledge. Naturally the
question is often asked why the body
is left in such an insecure situation.
The answer received is almost in
varably, that the officers of the National
Lincoln Monument Association have un-
doubted and satisfactory assurance from off
GERS of the United States secret service, and
from other sources, that the grave-robbers
have become so discouraged by the outcome
of the attempts to steal the body of Lincoln