Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1906-01-25
By CAPTAIN PATRICK D. TYRRELL
GCopyright, 1903, by Marion G. Scheitlin
PART II.-Continued.

copyright, 1903, by Marion G. Scheitlin.] !
PART IL-Conunued.
In it's details the plot was carefully |
worked out. So far had Swegles |
wormed himself into the confidence of |
the Conspirators that on the night Of
the first OF November they met in his |
room to complete the details of the |
plot. Five days later | learned that
Tuesday, November T. had been chosen |
as the night to commit the crime, this |
date being chosen on account of its
being presidential election day, on the
night of which, the criminals judged, |
the excitement incident to the receiy-
ing of the returns would serve to
shield them from any attention they
might attract under ordinary circum-
stances. Hughes, Mullen ana 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 coconspiratOrs
had been done. and after the work at
the tomb had been done he was to aC-
company the contractor furnishing the
=
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 robhe", to progress far enough
with ...4eIr work to enable the law Off
GERS to capture the criminals red
handed. Robert T. 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 Counterfeters in their initial
grave-robbing effort would be prefer
able 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 Washburn, who had
in the meantime been superseded in
the Chiefship of the secret service;
John Mcdonald, who had assisted in
the capture of Ben Boyd and John
McGiun and George Hay, Pinkerton
men, were provided for to assist in the
capture of the yandals. 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 vandal5 could be successfully pros
eculed, 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 counterfeiteTs, now amateur
tomb robbers were aboard. Washburn
and Mcdonald were to so to Spring
field on the next train and arrive there
8, 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 81. Nicholas hotel under
assumed names. We found that Null
len and Hughes. also under false
names, had registered at the St
Charles hotel, a small house not far
from the St. Nicholas. They had re-
tired TO gain rest before entering on
their bold work and hal left orders
90 De called at ten O'Clock in the morn
lag
An hour before that time [ received
a call by appointment from John T.
Stuart of he Lincoln guard Of honor
IN whose office Abraham Lincoln had
read law. We proceeded at once te
the lincoln monument. in Oak Ridge