Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-18

| pear at the tomb and that any questions
| asked by them should be answered with
! the customary courtesy accorded visitors TO
| 1t was about 3 o'clock in the afternoon
| that Hughes and Swegies appeared. paid
| the usual fee and entered false names in
| the visitors register. Hughes asked many
| questions which were fully and truthfully
| answered 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 sircophagus. At
| O'Clock Detective Hay was dispatched TO
| the cemetery to inform Custodian POWER
| that the other officers were coming. and
| two hours later. after conference in the
| hotel, where the work of each man had
| been assigned to him, We reached the monu-
ment.
| The day had been dark, and at o'clock
| all daylight had faded from the cemetery.
| Inside Memorial Hall the darkness was
! intense. BY those OF my readers who
| have seen the burial place of Abraham
| Lincoln 1t will be remembered that Memo
| rial Hall is at the south end of the monu-
ment structure. and the catacomb contain
| ing the body at the north end, IT'S feet
away. had selected Memorial Hall the
| best hiding place for our men. Swegles hav-
| ing promised to inform US In our hiding
place when the right moment was at hand
Tor us to appear at the door of the cata-
comb and thereby cntrap the ghouls at
| their work. Swegles was to work with
Hughes and Mullen until the sarcophagus
was opened and the casket ready to be
loaded into the wagon Then he was to go
for the conveyance. which was supposed TO
De hidden near by. While this mission
he was to make his way around the base
of the hill. come to the door Of Memorial
Han and give the signal that the time for
action had come. That there might be no
mistake in the darkness a countersign. the
| word Wash" had been agreed upon.
We had been concealed in Memorial Hall
in almost breathless quiet for about two
hours when suddenly the fare of a bulls
eye lantern was shot through the bars of
the iron door leading into the hail. and we
knew that the conspiracy was rapidly being
put into actual execution. From their hur-
ried examination Of the hall by the aid of
the lantern the ghouls evidently satisfied
themselves that no one was inside. At any
rate, they departed In a moment and made
around the base of the monument to the
north end. where lay the body they were
running such desperate risks to secure We
knew that the next few minutes would be
fraught with events that might mean death
TO any OF us. l now had more reason than
ever before to believe In the truthfulness
OF Swegles and that he would keep his
promise to signal when the right time
arrived. So we waited for this signal and
at last It came. ~
II this story were a fancy Of my brain
| instead OF a narrative of facts the current
OF 1t would here take sudden turn from
the lines am compelled to PEN For more
than year I had plotted to outwit the
shrewd and desperate criminals with whom
| we were dealing, and up to this point had
been successful. AS soon as Swegles had
given the signal we moved cautiousIv o,t
OF memorial Hall and ordered the others
| to follow me- ,
At At the giving of this order every man
Grew his revolver to be prepared for the
| night that we all believed ineyita Bile In
| ooing so Detective Hay of the Piukerton
| aoree accidentally discharged a percussion
cap In the old-style Colts revolver he Gar
| RED AS the defamation was not loud T
PAID little attention to 1t. and ran swiftly
| around to the door of the catacomb. with
the others behind me- The staple contain
| ing the lock of the iron door had haen
sawed and filed eff and the door stood a
rev inches ajar. O
caiied on whomsoever was within tn
surrender. There was no response 7 oa,,aS
again and then listened Not even the
sound OF breathing was audible. / then
| struck match. The tools used hv The
| shouls lay scattered over the fioor ana th o
sarcophagus was battered to pieces In snnb
| d way as to allow the casket to he n,o..oa
h tehst ay toward the door. The vandaIs
- out one word that adequately de-
Des Inc sensation that came over me.
ana that is "cheapness." After weeks, az
careIui Planning to catch red -handed tho
men whose criminality had taken on co de-
! PRAYED turn that they would resort 70 III.
the1t of the body of the most he,o,,ad
niM n we found that they had out
mI.teu US. As quickly as 1 could recover
my presence of mind after the shock or
surprise over finding the catacomb enn,tv
Except Ior the desecrated sarcophagus / or
~ my assistants to separate and scour
'iie shr uDDery surrounding for the ghouls
| SONG back. it occurred to me thar tha
shouis might have sought concealment on
lhe upper parts of the structure In the
Shaoow saw the figures of two men whom
l could not discern clearly enough TO iden-
u!y, II never occurred to me that they
nnight De other than Hughes and Mullen.
ana called out for the men below TO coma
up nred at them. and they returned the
Hre, running at the same time to the north
enS corner OF the terrace L fired again
anu AGAIN the shot answered the
bullets whisting past my head. Then one
o. the men shouted:
Tyrrell, is that you?'
made no answer, believing that one Of
the men was Hughes and knowing he would
recognize my voice. Again the excited
question was asked. and l still kept silent
| IL look but moment. however for the
pursued men to make themselves known as
MctIinn and Hay, the Pinkerton men who
| ing the ghouls hidden there. 49,
mus for time the most serious and
oastardly plot ever devised turned into a
farce. Our prey had escaped, and in order
to Justify ourselves against the ridicuie
that would be heaped on us when the
events of the night became known l imme-
dlateiy took up the trail of Hughes and
Mullen. After finding they had break fastei
az farm house about seven miles from
Springfield the next morning they were
again lost to us. There could now be no
rest TIL the men We're run to earth. Ten
days later they were located in the saloon
at 24 West Madison street and arrested by
Detectives Simmons OF the Chicago city
force, McGinn of the Pinkertons and Elmer
Washburn and myself OF the secret service.
They were taken to Springfield. indicted
and tried on the charges of robbery and
larceny. there being specific statute at
that time against grave-robbing and sent
to the penitentiary for year. Their coun-
sci. In the trial of the case at Springfield,
raised the cry that the secret service had
put up job on his clients in order to