The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-06-18

| the cOnSDlratOrS calculated, plan
would have to be devised by which the
federal authorities could be easily con-
WINGED that Boyd could actually furnish
the information concerning the location
OF the body-in short, they fOresaw
that Boyd would have to be in position
to prove to the authorities that he had
accurate knowledge of its wherea bouts.
IN order to overcome this obstacle it
was decided that a COPY of an English
or some other foreign newspaper should
he secured. a foreign paper being de-
cided upon SO that Boyd could convince
the government representatives that the
copy of the paper of which he had a
part was not one that could have been
obtained IN any other way than the one
claimed by him. This newspaper was to
be torn into two pieces, in an Irregular
fashion One piece WAS 10 he left. in
the Lincoln tomb. where it was certain
to be found when the discovery OF the
loss of the body was made and the 9TH
er piece was to be sent to Boyd in pris-
on. After the discovery of the work OF
the ghouls Boyd was TO let it be known
that he could solve the mystery and
to prove he told the truth, could pro-
duce the missing part of the foreign
paper which of course. would demon
strate to the authorities that the tomb
robbers had sent Boyd the paper ana
with it the key TO the location of the
body.
In its details the plot was carefully
worked out SO far had Swegles wormed
himself into the confidence of the con-
spirators that on the night of the LIST
of November they met in his room TO
complete the details of the plot Rive
DAYS later I learned that Tuesday
Nov. =. had been chosen as the night
to commit the crime. this date being
chosen on account of its being presi-
Dental election day. on the night OF
which the criminals judged. the excite
ment incident to the receiving of the
returns would serve TO shield them
from any attention they might attract
under ordinary circumstances. Hughes,
Mullen and Swegles were to open the
tomb extract The casket and load IT into
the waiting wagon SWegles part OF
the DreIininaries was to secure the
wagon and driver. which he assured
his co-cOnspiratOrs had been done, and
after the work at the tomb had been
done he was to accompany the contrac-
tor furnishing the conveyance into In
diana. 1t had also been decided that
the trio should go to Springfield on the
night of Nov s. in order to be able to
make such preliminary surveys and ar
engagements as might be found neces-
sary-
=
On the theory that, with the informa-
ton in hand. there could he no difficult
tv in preventing the COnspirators from
carving out their plan. there had been
no dissent among the government en-
pI0ves as to the wisdom Of going fur
Their and permitting the tomb-robbers
to progress far enough with their work
to enable the law officers 10 capture the
criminals redhanded. Robert T. Lin
e z ,a RI TOrpEi6Pnr
Leonard SWEET had been kept fully in
formed of the conception and devel-
Opment of the plot. and had agreed that
the capture of the COunteTfeiters in
their initial grave-robbing effort would
be preferable merely to frightening
them out of the attempt. course that
had been pursued in the instance OF
the plot Of eight months before. At a
conference at which Mr.. Lincoln was
present the services of Elmer Wash
burn. who had in the meantime been
superseded in the Chiefship of the Sc
cret service: John Mcdonald, who had
assisted In the capture of Ben Boyd
and John McGinn and George Hay, Pin
kerton men. were provided for to assist
in the capture of the vandals- Owing
to the importance OF the case Allan
Piukerton 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 van
dals could be successfully prosecuted,
and our plans were not changed.
This conference was held in the after
noon. and at o'clock the evening of
the same day Mullen. Hughes and
SwegIes swung aboard the front plat
form of the front coach Of the Alton
train lust as II 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
| siOnaI COunteTfeiteTs, now amateur
tOmb-rObbers. were aboard. Washburn
and Mcdonald were TO 90 to Springfield
on the next train and arrive there at 4
| O'Clock on the afternoon of the day set
/ for the robbery We arrived al Spring
field two hours late and registered al
the St Nicholas hotel under assumed
names. We found that Mullen and
l Hughes. also under false names, had
| registered at the st. Charles hotel. They
had retired to gain rest before enter
| ing on their bold work and had left or
| ders to be called at 10 o'clock in the
morning
An hour before that time ] received a
/ call by appointment from john T. STU
art 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 GENE
! terry. where I was introduced 10 John
| c. Power. custodian of the Lincoln
/ tomb. with whom I made thorough
! examination and mental survey of the
/ monument structure and surrounding
/ grounds. 4 spot was selected at which
one of the detectives could be stationed
/ from which he could hear the robbers
at work on the Sarcophagus. Gus
/ todian Power was told that during the
] afternoon two men. whose descriptions
! were given. would appear at the tomb
/ and that any questions asked by them
| should Be answered with the custom
arv courtesy accorded visitors to the
/ monument.
1t was about 3 O'Clock in the after
| noon that Hughes and Swegles APP
1 peared paid the usual fee and entered
| false nance in the visitors register
| Hughes asked many questions, which
Z were fully and truthfully answered
Mullen as we found later. had re-
manned i'm the city to collect such tools
| as he thought necessary for forcing
op=n the tomb and marble sarcOpha-
! gus At O'Clock Detective Hay was
! dispatched to the cemetery TO inform
/ Custodian Power that the other officers
| were coming. and two fouTs later, aft
er a conference in the hotel where the
work Of each man had been assigned
! to him. we reached the monument.
I
The day had been dark, and at
O'Clock all daylight had faded from
! the Gem terry. Inside Memorial hall the
darkness was intense BY those of my
/ readers who have seen the burial place