Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-08-26

vie UTSJ OF november l06y met III MS
room to complete the details of the
plot. Five days later / learned that
Tuesday, November Z, had been chosen
as the night to commit the crime. this
date being chosen on account of it's
being presidential election day, on the
night Of which, the criminals Judged.
the excitement incident to the receiv-
Ing OF the returns would serve to
shield them from any attention they
might attract under ordinary circum-
stances Hughes, Mullen anu Swegles
were to open the tomb, extract the cas-
ket and load it into the waiting wag-
on. Swegles' part OF. the preliminaries
was to secure the wagon and driver,
which he assured his coconspjratorS
had been done, and after the work at
the tomb had been done he was to ac-
company the contractor furnishing the
conveyance into Indiana. 1t had also
been decided that the trio should go
to Springfield on the night of Novem-
Der 6, in order to be able to make such
preliminary surveys and arrangements
as might be found necessary.
On the theory that, with the infor-
nation in hand, there could be no diff
Guilty in preventing the conspirators
from carrying out their plan, there
had been no dissent among the govern
ment employees as to the wisdom of
going further and permitting the
tomb robbers to progress far enough
with their work to enable the law off,
GERS to capture the criminals red
handed. Robert 7. Lincoln, son of the
martyr president, and Leonard SWEET
had been kept fully informed of the
conception and development Of the
plot and had agreed that the capture
of the counterfeiters in their initial
grave-robbing effort would be prefer
able merely to frightening them out
Of the attempt, a course that had been
pursued in the instance of the plot Of
eight months before. At conference
at which Mr.. Lincoln was present the
services of Elmer Washburn, who had
in the meantime been superseded in
1.-The chiefship Of the secret service;
John Mcdonald, who had assisted in
the capture of Ben Boyd, and John
McGinn and George Hay, Pinkerton
men, were provided for to assist in the
capture Of the vandals. Owing to the
Importance of the case Allan Pinker-
ton had assigned his best two men.
Mr.. Lincoln protested against the
plot being allowed to proceed to the
point where profane hands might
actually be laid on his fathers coffin,
but Mr.. SWEET insisted that an overt
act must be committed by them before
the vandals could be successfully pros
ecuted, and our plans were not
changed.
This conference was held in the aft
ernoon, and at nine o'clock the evening
Of the same day Mullen, Hughes and
SWegles swung aboard the front plat
form of the front coach of the Alton
train just as it moved out of the Chi.
cago station. McGinn, Hay and
boarded the last sleeper of the same
train, after having satisfied ourselves
by careful shadowing that the profess
sional counterfeiters, now amateur
tomb robbers, were aboard. Washburn
and Mcdonald were to go to Spring
field on the next train and arrive there
a. four o'clock on the afternoon of the
day set for the robbery. We arrived
at Springfield two hours late and reg
istered at the ST. Nicholas hotel under
assumed names. We found that Null
len and Hughes, also under false
names, had registered at the ST.
Charles hotel, small house not far
from the st. Nicholas. They had re-
tired to gain rest before entering on
their bold work and had left orders
to be called at ten o'clock in the morn
ing.
An hour before that time I received
a call by appointment from John T.
Stuart, of the Lincoln guard of honor,
in whose Office Abraham Lincoln had
read law. We proceeded at once to
the Lincoln monument, in Oak Ridge
cemetery, where | was introduced to
John G. Power, custodian Oh the Lin
coin tomb, with whom l made a thor
ough examination and mental survey
Of the monument structure and sur.
rounding grounds spot was select
ed at which one of the detectives could
be stationed from which he could hear
the robbers at work on the sarco-
phagus. Custodian Power was told
that during the afternoon two men
whose descriptions were given would
appear at the tomb and that any ques-
tions asked by them should be an
swered with the customary courtesy
accorded visitors to the monument.
1t was about three o'clock in the
afternoon that Hughes and Swegles
appeared, paid the usual fee and en-
tered false names IN the visitors reg
lister. Hughes asked many questions,
which were fully and truthfully an
swered Mullen, as we found later,
had remained in the city to collect
such tools as he thought necessary
for forcing open the tomb and marble
sarcophagus. At five o'clock Detec-
tive Hay was dispatched to the GENE
terry to inform Custodian Power that
Il