The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-05-26
THE EODY OF LINCOLN
The Remains Have Been Removed
ManY Times

In the razing of the Lincoln monu-
ment at Springfield, Illinois. which on
account of it's insufficient foundation
became necessary, in order to its recon-
struction upon enduring foundations.
the work has so far progressed as to
reach the crypts and places of sepulture
OF the martyred President and the
members of his family. On Saturday.
March 10, they were all removed to a
temporary vault constructed for the
purpose. some forty feet from the mon
ument.
The several caskets contain four out
OF the five members of the Presidents
FAMILY as 1t was constituted when he
flrst took up his residence in the White
house at Washington, and another of
his children, Edward D., who died in
childhood some years previous to his
election to the presidency, and his
grandson and namesake, Abraham Lin
coin. who died in London in April 1890,
In the 18th year of his age, while his
father, Robert T. Lincoln, was Minister
to the Court Of st. James.
Circumstances have, since the time
or the obsequ1es in Springfield on the
4th DAY OF May, 1865, and the placing of
the casket of the martyred President in
the public receiving tomb at Oak Ridge
cemetery, been such as to necessitate
several removals previous to this last
one on March 10. During the summer
OF 1865 temporary tomb was built on
the hillside, few rods from the site of
the proposed monument. and the re-
mains of the President removed there
to, on the 21st day of December of that
hn not.
ment was so far advanced that on the
18th day of September, 1871, there was
second removal of the casket to the
catacomb therein, which was intended
for Its permanent resting place.
On the 18th of October, 1874, the mon
ument having been completed, it was
dedicated with appropriate ceremonies
From that time on the casket was, as it
had been since 1871, contained in a
white marble sarcophagus within the
catacomb, through the iron grating
door of which it was in full view of
visitors. On the It'll Of November, 1876,
an attempt was made by vandals to
steal the body and hold it for a large
reward. The attempt was fortunately
thwarted, and the two villains in due
time arrested, tried, convicted and sent
W the penllentlary.
After this attempt it was deemed pru-
dent that the remains should be taken
from the sarcophagus and secretly in
TERED, far within the inner chambers
of the monument, and six feet beneath
the surface of the eartn. Mrs. Lincoln
having died before that date, her re-
mains were inferred beside those of the
PRESIDENT. After the lapse of several
years another, and presumably final. re-
mOval was deemed fitting, and accord
ingly the earth beneath the marble floor
OF the catacomb to the depth of six or
seven feet was removed, a large vault
walled up and overarched with brick
was constructed, and the two caskets
of the President and Mrs. Lincoln were
transferred thereto, and the whole COW
cred to the depth of four or five feet
with solid concrete, upon which the
marble floor of the catacomb was relaid.
That was the fourth removal.
From that time until the present they
remained undsturbed when the fifth
removal became necessary, as the earth
to the depth of twenty-five feet beneath
the entire structure, down to the solid
rock, will be removed and the noun
ment rebuilt upon enduring founda-
tons. When the work shall have been
completed a sixth removal, and final
one. will be made, and the pathetic
dust of our martyred President, with
his wife, three children and the grand
son who bore his name, be consigned to
! their final earthly resting place.