1 00:00:02,120 --> 00:00:05,600 Speaker 1: You're listening to American Shadows, a production of I Heart 2 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:17,120 Speaker 1: Radio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Minky. His footsteps 3 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:20,160 Speaker 1: echoed as he walked to the White House hallway. As 4 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:22,479 Speaker 1: he did, he heard the sound of sobbing from the 5 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 1: East Room. Inside, among the lace curtains partially covered by 6 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:32,720 Speaker 1: heavy crimson damask, drapery soldiers stood guard, and there, beneath 7 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:36,360 Speaker 1: the painted ceilings and massive crystal chandeliers, a crowd of 8 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:42,239 Speaker 1: mourners gathered around a body, mostly shouted in cloth. The 9 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:45,639 Speaker 1: soldiers he had expected, after all, the room had frequently 10 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:50,000 Speaker 1: hosted Union troops and leaders, Ulysses S. Grant among them. 11 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:53,720 Speaker 1: Grant's reception had been hosted there the year before. No, 12 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:56,319 Speaker 1: it was the body he found there that was out 13 00:00:56,360 --> 00:01:02,280 Speaker 1: of place. The mourners continued to weep and wail. Who died? 14 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: He asked one of the soldiers, the president, sir. The 15 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:11,600 Speaker 1: soldier replied, killed by an assassin. He glanced at the corpse, 16 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:16,200 Speaker 1: a man he did not recognize, and, after determining it 17 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:20,480 Speaker 1: was not his own body lying in state, Abraham Lincoln awoke. 18 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:26,200 Speaker 1: It's unclear how much stock Abraham Lincoln took of dreams 19 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 1: He talked about them, sure, but then don't we all 20 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:35,320 Speaker 1: His interest seemed more of a curiosity, well, except when 21 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:39,119 Speaker 1: they were dark dreams regarding his family. He had had 22 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 1: those dreams before. Once, while traveling, Lincoln wrote a letter 23 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:46,399 Speaker 1: to his wife Mary, asking her to make sure their 24 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 1: son Tad's pistol was safely hidden. It had a terrible dream, 25 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:54,880 Speaker 1: he told her, one regarding guns and their son. He 26 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 1: had recalled other dreams too, less violent but disturbing in 27 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 1: their own way. On the morning of April eighteen sixty five, 28 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:05,480 Speaker 1: he told members of his cabinet about a dream from 29 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:08,799 Speaker 1: the previous night. It had been a recurring dream. Actually, 30 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:12,200 Speaker 1: in it, he was crossing a body of water, although 31 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:14,280 Speaker 1: he was moving so fast he couldn't tell if it 32 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 1: was an ocean or a lake. Abraham Lincoln was an 33 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:21,240 Speaker 1: intelligent man, There's no question about that. But there were 34 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:25,240 Speaker 1: two things. He was unaware of the significance that someone 35 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: later place on his dreams, and that this new one, 36 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:31,040 Speaker 1: of a funeral in the White House would be his last. 37 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 1: I'm Lauren Vogelbon, Welcome to American Shadows. It was April nine, 38 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 1: and Robert E. Lee had just surrendered three thousand Washington 39 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 1: residents converged on the city in wild celebration parades with 40 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:55,200 Speaker 1: bands playing the Star Spangled banner marched down the streets. 41 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:58,760 Speaker 1: Before long, the party moved to the White House lawn. 42 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:02,400 Speaker 1: They stood beneath one of the balconies and began to 43 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 1: chant speech speech. Unlike the triumphant crowd outside, Lincoln was 44 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:13,480 Speaker 1: more sullen. War was war. After all, it had taken 45 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:15,799 Speaker 1: one to bring about the end of slavery, as well 46 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:18,520 Speaker 1: as the increasing tension between the North and South over 47 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:21,919 Speaker 1: states rights and expansion, but all of that had come 48 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:26,880 Speaker 1: at a tremendous price. Upon hearing their continued boisterous chants, 49 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:30,079 Speaker 1: President Lincoln stepped onto the balcony and addressed to the crowd. 50 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: He had often gone against suggestions before to not make 51 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 1: himself so public. It was risky, his friends and family 52 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 1: had warned it was dangerous. Lincoln believed in making himself available, 53 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:45,440 Speaker 1: though he had found value in it during his run 54 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:48,480 Speaker 1: for office. When he couldn't stand in front of a crowd, 55 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 1: he made sure to sit for photographers so that people 56 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:53,640 Speaker 1: could put a face to the man aspiring to become 57 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: their president. During his campaign, had even passed out buttons 58 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 1: with his picture on them. Since then, he had been 59 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 1: photographed a hundred and thirty times. He hoped it might 60 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 1: give the public a better look at the presidency and 61 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 1: helped put a face to the wartime efforts. For those 62 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:14,600 Speaker 1: who loved him, photos were another form of access, but 63 00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:18,720 Speaker 1: he also enjoyed the conversation, and so on the night 64 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:21,039 Speaker 1: of April tenth, as he looked out into the sea 65 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:23,840 Speaker 1: of citizens, he promised them that he would deliver a 66 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:27,159 Speaker 1: speech the next evening. We want to hear you now, 67 00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:32,120 Speaker 1: someone shouted, and Lincoln smiled politely at their request. He 68 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:34,160 Speaker 1: wanted to be sure of his words, though, and he 69 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: told the crowd as much. He'd be better prepared. He 70 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:42,520 Speaker 1: told them to say all he had to say, no mistakes. 71 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:44,800 Speaker 1: Someone in the crowd called out, you haven't made a 72 00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:48,919 Speaker 1: mistake yet. Tomorrow, he assured them he'd give them a 73 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:53,840 Speaker 1: proper speech. Then Lincoln remained true to his nickname and 74 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 1: true to his word. The next evening, the crowds returned, 75 00:04:57,520 --> 00:05:00,880 Speaker 1: despite the misty weather, singing and cheering the White House lawn. 76 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:04,760 Speaker 1: He stepped out onto the north portico's second floor balcony 77 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:08,960 Speaker 1: to a standing ovation, though he still felt a bit somber, 78 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 1: he began his speech more cheerfully. He promised a day 79 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:15,599 Speaker 1: of national thanksgiving before moving on to the heart of 80 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:19,440 Speaker 1: the matter. After a moment of applause, the crowd settled 81 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 1: in to listen to what else the great emancipator had 82 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:26,000 Speaker 1: to say. The nation had a monumental task before it. 83 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:29,039 Speaker 1: He told them. The new amendments to the Constitution not 84 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:32,240 Speaker 1: only outlawed slavery, but they also granted the right for 85 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:35,600 Speaker 1: black and white citizens to access the same public schools 86 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:39,799 Speaker 1: and allowed states to enfranchise black men, giving them voting rights. 87 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:45,120 Speaker 1: Having heard enough, one man stepped forward, a twenty six 88 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:48,880 Speaker 1: year old actor named John Wilkes Booth. He might have 89 00:05:48,920 --> 00:05:50,960 Speaker 1: lived in the North, but his allegiance had always been 90 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:54,200 Speaker 1: with the South. Lincoln's talk of granting black men the 91 00:05:54,279 --> 00:05:57,720 Speaker 1: right to vote had been the final straw. Face contorted 92 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 1: and fists clenched in fury, he shouted racial slurs that 93 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:07,279 Speaker 1: addressed the crowd. Now, by God, I'll put him through today. 94 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:11,320 Speaker 1: Those words would get you arrested. Back then, Booth simply 95 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:14,640 Speaker 1: stormed off, all the while forming a plan in his head. 96 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:18,880 Speaker 1: He wouldn't take the abolishment of slavery, nor black citizenship 97 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:24,040 Speaker 1: lying down. Though his words of running the president through 98 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:27,280 Speaker 1: sounded like a plan unto itself, Booth came up with 99 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:32,120 Speaker 1: a different idea, albeit not entirely alone. There were initially 100 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 1: six men as part of the plot. Two friends and 101 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:39,600 Speaker 1: fellow sympathizers had been aiding Confederate spies. They knew secret 102 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: roots in southern Maryland, and one of them figured he 103 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:46,320 Speaker 1: was physically strong enough to subdue Lincoln if needed, and 104 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:51,279 Speaker 1: the plan, it was admittedly a pretty lofty one, abduct 105 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:55,160 Speaker 1: the President, take him to Richmond, and hold him for ransom. 106 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:58,200 Speaker 1: Lincoln was to be exchanged for Confederate soldiers being held 107 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:02,480 Speaker 1: in Union prisons, but when his friends backed out, Booth 108 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:06,160 Speaker 1: decided on a different approach, the one he infamously carried 109 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:12,240 Speaker 1: through with on April fourteenth of eighteen sixty five. We're 110 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:15,600 Speaker 1: all familiar with what happened that night. The Lincolns entered 111 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 1: the Ford Theater Playhouse and made their way to the 112 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:21,360 Speaker 1: Presidential Box along with two guests. For the evening. With 113 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:24,120 Speaker 1: the Lincoln seated in their walnut rocking chairs and with 114 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:27,040 Speaker 1: the audience engaged in the performance of Our American Cousin, 115 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 1: Booth snuck in and shot the president in the back 116 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:32,840 Speaker 1: of the head. While his wife Mary and guests Henry Reid, 117 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:37,520 Speaker 1: Rathbone and Clara Harris looked on. Rathbone attempted to tackle 118 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:40,680 Speaker 1: the president's assailant, Booth, who was carrying a knife as 119 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:43,560 Speaker 1: well as the pistol, cut Rathbone from elbow to shoulder. 120 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:46,680 Speaker 1: Mary looked down at her dress, now covered in her 121 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:51,240 Speaker 1: husband's blood. She and Clara screamed. Making a bold escape, 122 00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 1: Booth leaped the stage below. Shouts went out to stop him, 123 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:58,720 Speaker 1: but Booth fled into the night. As a man hunt emerged, 124 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:02,240 Speaker 1: an army doctor and other physicians converged on the presidential box. 125 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:08,680 Speaker 1: Lincoln was bleeding but alive, Barely suspecting the wound would 126 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:11,000 Speaker 1: be fatal, the decision was made to move Lincoln to 127 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:14,000 Speaker 1: a more comfortable spot. A man with a room for 128 00:08:14,040 --> 00:08:16,880 Speaker 1: rent across the street from the theater offered it to them, 129 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:19,480 Speaker 1: and six men carried Lincoln to the house and laid 130 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:24,080 Speaker 1: him onto a bed. Abraham Lincoln died the following morning. 131 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:28,760 Speaker 1: Church Bell's toll and people began to mourn further north. 132 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:32,040 Speaker 1: The fireworks and celebration had barely ceased when word of 133 00:08:32,040 --> 00:08:36,839 Speaker 1: the assassination reached them. A while Lincoln's body lay in state, 134 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:42,280 Speaker 1: a photographer's flash went off once more. Afterward, doctor's cut 135 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:45,719 Speaker 1: away part of his scalp and removed his brain. As 136 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:51,000 Speaker 1: they held it, the bullet fell out. Undertakers worked skillfully, 137 00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:54,440 Speaker 1: doing what they could to preserve the president's appearance despite 138 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:57,520 Speaker 1: the man's devastating head wound, and arranged his features to 139 00:08:57,559 --> 00:09:01,320 Speaker 1: resemble a man at peace. Then they dressed him and 140 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:03,920 Speaker 1: the Brooks Brothers suit had worn on his second inauguration, 141 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:08,520 Speaker 1: along with a pair of white dress gloves. The North 142 00:09:08,559 --> 00:09:11,960 Speaker 1: thought his death might bring the nation closer, but sadly 143 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:15,200 Speaker 1: it did not. Some in the South believed his death 144 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:17,679 Speaker 1: might reverse their loss and restore life as it had 145 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:22,160 Speaker 1: once been. Thankfully, they were just as disappointed, although that 146 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:25,880 Speaker 1: didn't stop many Southerners from expressing their sentiment that Lincoln 147 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:31,040 Speaker 1: had got what he deserved. Back in Washington, scavengers took 148 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:33,560 Speaker 1: whatever they could find after Lincoln's body had been moved 149 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:37,000 Speaker 1: to a pine casket, scraps of his blood soaked shirt 150 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:40,280 Speaker 1: a lock of hair. Doctors who had removed his brain 151 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:45,200 Speaker 1: had taken their own morbid souvenirs as well. Around noon 152 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:48,680 Speaker 1: on April nineteenth, four days after his death, over six 153 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:53,040 Speaker 1: hundred distinguished guests from generals to politicians, crammed into the 154 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:55,679 Speaker 1: East room of the White House, where Lincoln's casket sat. 155 00:09:56,840 --> 00:10:00,679 Speaker 1: Soldiers stood guard as mourners paid their respects. It was 156 00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:04,080 Speaker 1: exactly as Lincoln himself had dreamed not too long before. 157 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:09,280 Speaker 1: Mary Lincoln and twelve year old Tad stayed upstairs throughout 158 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:12,360 Speaker 1: the four days of morning. With so many people coming 159 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:15,720 Speaker 1: and going, and considering how her husband had died, Mary 160 00:10:15,760 --> 00:10:19,800 Speaker 1: took the safer path of grieving in private. Finally, a 161 00:10:19,920 --> 00:10:23,559 Speaker 1: smaller group consisting of Lincoln's cabinet, the Supreme Court, and 162 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:27,040 Speaker 1: Lincoln's twenty one year old son Robert, paid their last respects. 163 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:33,120 Speaker 1: But while we've all heard the story of lincoln'ssassination, what 164 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:37,720 Speaker 1: happened next is much less well known. Our story begins 165 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:41,600 Speaker 1: ten days after his murder, when Abraham Lincoln's casket was 166 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:45,040 Speaker 1: loaded onto a funeral train headed for its final resting 167 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:49,120 Speaker 1: place back in his hometown of Springfield, Illinois. Far from 168 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:52,080 Speaker 1: a stranger to the public eye, Lincoln would be in 169 00:10:52,120 --> 00:11:08,440 Speaker 1: front of them once more. Back in Springfield, President Lincoln's 170 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:12,040 Speaker 1: former political friends at the State Capital prepared for his interment. 171 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:14,920 Speaker 1: They had purchased a site close to the train depot 172 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:18,559 Speaker 1: downtown where they planned to build him a tomb. There 173 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:22,160 Speaker 1: was only one problem. They hadn't discussed their plans with 174 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:26,520 Speaker 1: Mary Lincoln. Her husband and children had been the center 175 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:30,520 Speaker 1: of her life. Obviously, watching her husband die was devastating, 176 00:11:30,679 --> 00:11:35,120 Speaker 1: but it hadn't broken her. She argued with Illinois politicians 177 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:37,480 Speaker 1: that her husband's last wishes were to be buried in 178 00:11:37,559 --> 00:11:41,440 Speaker 1: the rural Oak Ridge Cemetery just outside Springfield, and she 179 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:45,760 Speaker 1: intended to make sure that happened. Though they disagreed, they 180 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:49,560 Speaker 1: had little choice but to oblige. She was, after all, 181 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:54,520 Speaker 1: the legal custodian of her husband's body. So on April 182 00:11:55,160 --> 00:11:59,480 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty five, Lincoln's funeral train, dubbed the Lincoln Special, 183 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:03,640 Speaker 1: to hearted Washington. A large photograph of the president had 184 00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:05,680 Speaker 1: been secured to the front of the engine, just above 185 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:10,079 Speaker 1: the cattle guard. But before reaching its final destination in Illinois, 186 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:12,840 Speaker 1: the train was scheduled to make a number of stops 187 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:15,720 Speaker 1: in major cities so that mourners could pay their respects. 188 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:20,000 Speaker 1: Nearly three hundred people rode the nine car train on 189 00:12:20,040 --> 00:12:23,800 Speaker 1: any given segment from national and state officials, to military 190 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:27,640 Speaker 1: and service personnel, as well as the president's oldest son, Robert. 191 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:33,120 Speaker 1: The ninth car was reserved for two coffins, actually one 192 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:37,080 Speaker 1: for Abraham Lincoln and one for William Wallace Lincoln. Abraham 193 00:12:37,160 --> 00:12:41,079 Speaker 1: and Mary's third son, Willie, as had been called, had 194 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:44,160 Speaker 1: tragically died just before Christmas in eighteen sixty two at 195 00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:48,240 Speaker 1: the age of eleven, the victim of typhoid fever. Abraham 196 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:51,640 Speaker 1: had taken his son's death particularly hard, so Mary thought 197 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:54,439 Speaker 1: it was best to have Willie reinterred next to his father. 198 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:59,800 Speaker 1: Aside from cities slated for public services, the train had 199 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:03,719 Speaker 1: to other scheduled stops as well. Oil lanterns provided light 200 00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:06,480 Speaker 1: at night, and wood stoves kept the guest cars comfortable. 201 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:09,800 Speaker 1: The train needed to make stops for additional oil and wood, 202 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:12,520 Speaker 1: as well as water for the trains boilers, and meals 203 00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:17,280 Speaker 1: for passengers, making the journey even more cumbersome. Over eighty 204 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:21,640 Speaker 1: different passenger cars were used to make the seventred mile journey. 205 00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:25,640 Speaker 1: Back then, train tracks often had different gauges or widths 206 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:29,000 Speaker 1: that required passenger cars to be switched out at various stations. 207 00:13:29,720 --> 00:13:33,600 Speaker 1: Planners coordinated with newspapers notifying them when the train would 208 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:36,760 Speaker 1: pull into their town, not an easy task, as time 209 00:13:36,880 --> 00:13:41,840 Speaker 1: zones weren't standardized back then. Major locations where the train 210 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:46,120 Speaker 1: was scheduled to stop planned ahead. Cities constructed decorative arches 211 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:48,720 Speaker 1: over the tracks and adorned them with flowers and flags, 212 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:53,160 Speaker 1: Bells told, cannons were fired, and guns saluted, all to 213 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:57,240 Speaker 1: mark the train's arrival. People who lived in those less 214 00:13:57,240 --> 00:14:02,239 Speaker 1: publicized locations simply gathered along the track. They came from everywhere, 215 00:14:02,520 --> 00:14:06,320 Speaker 1: traveling by foot, horseback, buggy, and sometimes even other trains, 216 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:09,600 Speaker 1: all for the chance to watch the President's train passed through. 217 00:14:11,480 --> 00:14:14,480 Speaker 1: Other times, people waited in the dark, holding torches or 218 00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:17,200 Speaker 1: sitting by bonfires, hoping to be at the right place 219 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:20,560 Speaker 1: at the right time. Some dropped to their knees in prayer. 220 00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:25,040 Speaker 1: Others wept. Parents held children high, hoping they had catch 221 00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:27,560 Speaker 1: a glimpse of a historic site that they remember for 222 00:14:27,600 --> 00:14:32,320 Speaker 1: the rest of their lives. And at each stop, armed 223 00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:35,720 Speaker 1: guards watched over the bodies. Some stayed on the train 224 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:38,640 Speaker 1: to guard Willie's coffin while the President's was loaded onto 225 00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:43,600 Speaker 1: an extravagant horse drawn hearse. Long processions followed the Hearse 226 00:14:43,600 --> 00:14:48,600 Speaker 1: from the train station to State Capitals for services in Philadelphia, 227 00:14:48,720 --> 00:14:51,960 Speaker 1: his body lay in state inside Independence Halls, East Wing, 228 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:56,440 Speaker 1: where the Declaration of Independence had been signed. Newspapers reported 229 00:14:56,440 --> 00:14:59,080 Speaker 1: that people waited upwards of five hours just for the 230 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:06,800 Speaker 1: chance to quit. We walked past his open coffin, Many 231 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:08,920 Speaker 1: of those who got the chance to pay their respects 232 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:13,080 Speaker 1: walked away, shocked. The corpse before them bore little resemblance 233 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:15,800 Speaker 1: to the pictures of the man they had seen. The 234 00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:19,200 Speaker 1: thinning chin, the sunken face, the dark pallor that had 235 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:22,240 Speaker 1: settled on his skin that morticians could no longer disguise. 236 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:27,040 Speaker 1: The dead President didn't look how they'd expected to some 237 00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:30,160 Speaker 1: he did not resemble what they'd call a great man. 238 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:36,120 Speaker 1: The problem, of course, was decay. Embalming back then wasn't 239 00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:38,440 Speaker 1: what it is today, and by the time the train 240 00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:41,520 Speaker 1: pulled into Springfield on a particularly hot and May fourth, 241 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:44,840 Speaker 1: he had been dead and on the move for nineteen days, 242 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:49,640 Speaker 1: all without refrigeration. The mortician on board did his best, 243 00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:52,120 Speaker 1: but no amount of powder could hide the blotches on 244 00:15:52,160 --> 00:15:56,320 Speaker 1: the president's face. Those public services had been intended as 245 00:15:56,360 --> 00:15:59,600 Speaker 1: a way to honor him, but now those involved began 246 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:02,920 Speaker 1: to see it differently. Were they respecting the President or 247 00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:06,000 Speaker 1: had they disgraced him by parading his corpse across the coast. 248 00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:10,160 Speaker 1: It's no wonder that Mary Lincoln stayed behind in Washington. 249 00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:14,000 Speaker 1: Just because we can do something doesn't mean we always should. 250 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:18,240 Speaker 1: The two coffins were removed from the train for the 251 00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:22,440 Speaker 1: last time that Thursday afternoon. An Illinois regiment made their 252 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:26,080 Speaker 1: way along the procession route with gunfire salutes behind them. 253 00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:30,800 Speaker 1: Drummers marched in a choir saying six horses drew the Hearse, 254 00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:33,920 Speaker 1: followed by Robert Lincoln and a group of black Americans. 255 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:37,600 Speaker 1: The procession marched past Lincoln's home at the corner of 256 00:16:37,640 --> 00:16:42,520 Speaker 1: Ethan Jackson, and then finally toward the Oak Ridge Cemetery. There, 257 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:45,160 Speaker 1: Abraham Lincoln and his son would be laid to rest 258 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:49,520 Speaker 1: next to one another alongside a clear running stream. The 259 00:16:49,560 --> 00:16:53,480 Speaker 1: afternoon sun shone down bright and hot. Robert and no 260 00:16:53,600 --> 00:16:56,440 Speaker 1: less than a thousand mourners solemnly stood by as the 261 00:16:56,440 --> 00:16:59,040 Speaker 1: two coffins were carried from the hearse to a fifteen 262 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:03,520 Speaker 1: by fifteen foot public vault. Inside, the walls were draped 263 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:08,679 Speaker 1: in black velvet and embellished with evergreen branches. After everything 264 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:12,399 Speaker 1: had been through his assassination, the embalming countless days of 265 00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:16,800 Speaker 1: travel and public viewings, Lincoln's body would finally rest in peace. 266 00:17:18,320 --> 00:17:22,560 Speaker 1: Souvenir hunters, though, had a different plan. Within days, an 267 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:25,359 Speaker 1: entire company of soldiers had to be stationed at the vault. 268 00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:28,200 Speaker 1: The hunters took everything near the tomb that they could 269 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:33,439 Speaker 1: carry away. Some weren't satisfied with trifles and mementos, though, no, 270 00:17:33,760 --> 00:17:37,720 Speaker 1: they wanted something bigger, something more personal. But the thing 271 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:40,879 Speaker 1: they wanted was beyond priceless. Some might even call it 272 00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:46,200 Speaker 1: a sacred national treasure. They wanted the body of Abraham Lincoln. 273 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:57,720 Speaker 1: Jim Kennelly had a problem. Big Jim, as he was 274 00:17:57,760 --> 00:17:59,960 Speaker 1: known to his friends, had been running a profit of 275 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:03,480 Speaker 1: all counterfeit business until a recent setback shut him down. 276 00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:07,520 Speaker 1: His best engraver, a man named Boyd, had been thrown 277 00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:11,200 Speaker 1: into a prison cell, and to spring him, Kennelly needed 278 00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:15,840 Speaker 1: some serious leverage. In the spring of eighteen seventy six, 279 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:18,440 Speaker 1: Kennelly went to the town of Lincoln, which is about 280 00:18:18,480 --> 00:18:22,680 Speaker 1: thirty miles north of Springfield in Logan County. And yes, 281 00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:26,320 Speaker 1: the town was named after the sixteenth president, but before 282 00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:30,600 Speaker 1: he became president. Twelve of Kennelly's men called the town 283 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:35,600 Speaker 1: their home, including gang leader Thomas Sharp. Other members included 284 00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:40,080 Speaker 1: Robert Splain, James Fox, James Fox Jr. Benjamin Sheridan, and 285 00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:44,840 Speaker 1: Vine Williams. Collectively, they were known as the Logan County 286 00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:49,439 Speaker 1: Gang and were notorious for using counterfeit money. Now the 287 00:18:49,480 --> 00:18:52,679 Speaker 1: gang all wanted their engraver boyd out of prison, and 288 00:18:52,800 --> 00:18:55,960 Speaker 1: Kennelly had a plan to make it happen. They were 289 00:18:55,960 --> 00:18:59,399 Speaker 1: going to steal President Lincoln's body and then hold it 290 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:03,520 Speaker 1: for ransom in exchange for Voyd's release. But while that 291 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:08,200 Speaker 1: idea probably sounded ridiculous on paper, recent events had suddenly 292 00:19:08,240 --> 00:19:12,400 Speaker 1: turned it into a very attainable goal. Oak Ridge Cemetery, 293 00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:14,560 Speaker 1: where Lincoln's body had been taken at the end of 294 00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:18,480 Speaker 1: his funeral train journey, dates back to eighteen sixty five 295 00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:21,800 Speaker 1: years before the president's death. The site had been chosen 296 00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:24,760 Speaker 1: for the beautiful topography and a large number of oak trees. 297 00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:27,400 Speaker 1: Not much had been done in the way of care 298 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:30,760 Speaker 1: and landscaping after its creation, though, nor had the planned 299 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:34,520 Speaker 1: stone entry or iron gates yet been added. The burial 300 00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:36,880 Speaker 1: of President Lincoln and his son had changed all that. 301 00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:40,760 Speaker 1: Three years after their caskets arrived in eighteen sixty five, 302 00:19:41,359 --> 00:19:45,400 Speaker 1: construction of the Lincoln Monument began. Then six years later, 303 00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:48,720 Speaker 1: on September nineteenth of eighteen seventy one, Lincoln and his 304 00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:51,160 Speaker 1: son were moved from their hillside crips to a more 305 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:55,879 Speaker 1: secure location in the cemetery's catacombs. Three years after that, 306 00:19:56,160 --> 00:19:58,760 Speaker 1: and with lingering concern about the safety of their remains, 307 00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:01,639 Speaker 1: the bodies of Lin and his son were moved yet again, 308 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:05,800 Speaker 1: this time to a marble sarcophagus inside the newly completed monument. 309 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:09,879 Speaker 1: It was a historic occasion, and President Ulysses S. Grant 310 00:20:09,920 --> 00:20:14,480 Speaker 1: attended the dedication ceremony. At last, Lincoln's remains were safe, 311 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:18,600 Speaker 1: and now that the President's body had been moved from 312 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:23,800 Speaker 1: its secret, inaccessible hiding place, the gang's outlandish plot was possible. 313 00:20:25,080 --> 00:20:28,119 Speaker 1: But Kennelly had already made some changes to the plan. 314 00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:31,920 Speaker 1: Not only would they ask for Boyd's release, that also 315 00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:35,240 Speaker 1: demand that the governor pardoned him of all charges and 316 00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:38,040 Speaker 1: fork over a hefty sum of cash to sweeten the deal. 317 00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:41,520 Speaker 1: Little by little, each of the men took a guided 318 00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:44,879 Speaker 1: tour of the cemetery from tomb custodian John Carrol Power 319 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:48,280 Speaker 1: Power liked his job and was happy to answer the 320 00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:52,560 Speaker 1: guests questions. The men couldn't believe their luck. Not only 321 00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:56,359 Speaker 1: was Lincoln's coffin inside and above ground sarcophagus, but a 322 00:20:56,440 --> 00:20:59,679 Speaker 1: single padlocked door between the tomb and the burial chamber 323 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:03,159 Speaker 1: was all that stood in their way, no digging required. 324 00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:06,800 Speaker 1: Even better, they learned that no one guarded the tomb 325 00:21:06,880 --> 00:21:12,200 Speaker 1: at night that June. They finalized the plan on July three. 326 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:15,000 Speaker 1: They would break into the tomb, then move the coffin 327 00:21:15,119 --> 00:21:18,639 Speaker 1: to a bridge about two miles north. There, they planned 328 00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:21,600 Speaker 1: to rebury the president until Boyd walked free and they 329 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:25,320 Speaker 1: had their cash in hand. The gang leader Sharp was 330 00:21:25,359 --> 00:21:28,120 Speaker 1: the most excited about the plan and decided to treat 331 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:31,080 Speaker 1: himself to a pre victory celebration at a local brothel. 332 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:35,119 Speaker 1: He drank heavily and spent time with Bell Bruce, who 333 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:38,439 Speaker 1: knew many of the other gang members as well, and 334 00:21:38,920 --> 00:21:42,000 Speaker 1: during their time together, Sharp couldn't help but share the 335 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:45,400 Speaker 1: news with Bell. Soon, he bragged he and the gang 336 00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:48,320 Speaker 1: would be rich. Maybe afterward, he said, Belle and the 337 00:21:48,359 --> 00:21:52,120 Speaker 1: girls would help them celebrate in style. Belle held down 338 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:55,680 Speaker 1: a profession viewed increasingly as immoral by much of society, 339 00:21:55,760 --> 00:22:00,960 Speaker 1: but grave robbery stealing the president's body. Told another friend 340 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:05,040 Speaker 1: of hers, Abner Wilkinson, who just happened to be Springfield's 341 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:09,119 Speaker 1: chief of police, and wouldn't you know it, Chief Wilkinson 342 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:12,240 Speaker 1: met tomb Custodian Power the very next day and informed 343 00:22:12,320 --> 00:22:16,159 Speaker 1: him of the plot. Of course, Sharp awoke from his 344 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:19,639 Speaker 1: drunken stupor and realized the mistake had made. With their 345 00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:22,960 Speaker 1: chances diminished and cover blown, he and his gang loaded 346 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:26,080 Speaker 1: everything up and skipped town, leaving all their debts unpaid. 347 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:29,600 Speaker 1: Kennely was annoyed, but he still believed there was a 348 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:32,600 Speaker 1: way to get the job done, so he headed to 349 00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:36,119 Speaker 1: Chicago for more professional accomplices, which he found at a 350 00:22:36,160 --> 00:22:40,560 Speaker 1: shady saloon and pool hall called the Hub. Before long, 351 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:43,760 Speaker 1: Kennelly had recruited a man named Jack Hughes who had 352 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:46,600 Speaker 1: a long rap sheet for counterfeiting, as well as Jack's 353 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:51,880 Speaker 1: friends Terrence Mullen and Herbert Nelson. This time, Kennelly's plan 354 00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:54,920 Speaker 1: involved stealing Lincoln's coffin and loading it onto a freight 355 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:58,320 Speaker 1: wagon headed to the Indiana shores of Lake Michigan. There 356 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:00,240 Speaker 1: they would bury it in the sand for safe. Keyping 357 00:23:01,119 --> 00:23:03,440 Speaker 1: BOYD would then contact the governor and make the deal 358 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:07,000 Speaker 1: his release plus twenty thousand dollars in exchange for the 359 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:11,159 Speaker 1: safer turn of Lincoln's body. Kennelly believed the plan was solid, 360 00:23:11,800 --> 00:23:14,280 Speaker 1: except that the shores of Lake Michigan were two hundred 361 00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:16,800 Speaker 1: and twenty miles from the cemetery and the trip would 362 00:23:16,800 --> 00:23:20,520 Speaker 1: take roughly ten days. Kennelly left the men to sort 363 00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:24,040 Speaker 1: out those details on their own, but as soon as 364 00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:27,120 Speaker 1: had left the saloon, things went downhill and what might 365 00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:31,600 Speaker 1: be best described as a bumbling comedy of errors. One 366 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:34,760 Speaker 1: of them, Herbert Nelson, had second thoughts about stealing the 367 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:38,160 Speaker 1: president's body and left the group. Mullen and Hughes knew 368 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:40,760 Speaker 1: they needed another hand, so they brought in a wise, 369 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:43,879 Speaker 1: cracking horse thief named Lewis Swiggles, who was also a 370 00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:47,320 Speaker 1: regular of the Hub. Little did the two know that 371 00:23:47,359 --> 00:23:50,439 Speaker 1: Swiggles had been moonlighting as a government informant to the 372 00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:54,439 Speaker 1: tune of five bucks a day. The entire idea stunned Swiggles, 373 00:23:54,440 --> 00:23:57,159 Speaker 1: but he convinced them he was indeed their man, and 374 00:23:57,200 --> 00:23:59,439 Speaker 1: told the men he had worked as a body snatcher before. 375 00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:03,920 Speaker 1: The gang decided that November seventh, election night was perfect 376 00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:07,200 Speaker 1: people would be in town and busy with more important matters. 377 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:10,399 Speaker 1: All they needed to do was slip into the cemetery 378 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:15,000 Speaker 1: and break the padlock. But like Bell, Swuggles wasted no 379 00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:19,399 Speaker 1: time telling the authorities, who in turn informed custodian power, 380 00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:24,000 Speaker 1: local law enforcement, and even Robert Lincoln, and with that 381 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:28,719 Speaker 1: the trap was set. On the night of the heist, 382 00:24:28,960 --> 00:24:31,520 Speaker 1: the hack saw, Mullen and Hughes brought with them snapped 383 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:34,440 Speaker 1: while cutting the padlock, so they spent the next thirty 384 00:24:34,480 --> 00:24:37,800 Speaker 1: minutes using a file. Once the lock was freed, they 385 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:41,560 Speaker 1: stepped inside the tomb. After breaking the seal on the sarcophagus, 386 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:45,160 Speaker 1: they set to work removing the marble. They ran into 387 00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:47,960 Speaker 1: another snag when they discovered that the lead coffin inside 388 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:51,240 Speaker 1: was too heavy to carry, so Swuggles was sent to 389 00:24:51,280 --> 00:24:54,639 Speaker 1: retrieve their lookout, a man named William Neelie to provide 390 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:58,680 Speaker 1: some extra muscle. Neelie, though had been recruited by Swuggles 391 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:02,760 Speaker 1: himself and was all so an informant, so when Swiggles 392 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:06,919 Speaker 1: stepped outside the tomb, he gave the signal. As the 393 00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:10,400 Speaker 1: officers rushed over, one man's gun misfired, warning the gang 394 00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:14,159 Speaker 1: inside by the time officers entered the tomb, Mullen and 395 00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:18,600 Speaker 1: Hughes were gone, but the fiasco didn't stop there. Police 396 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:20,960 Speaker 1: ended up in a shootout with one of their own detectives, 397 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:25,280 Speaker 1: giving the would be thieves ample time to flee. Each 398 00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:29,439 Speaker 1: of them, though, were later arrested in Chicago. Mullen, Hughes, 399 00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:33,000 Speaker 1: and Kennely were all eventually charged with various crimes, and 400 00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:36,560 Speaker 1: the gang was broken up for good. They'd come within 401 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:39,520 Speaker 1: a few heartbeats of making their own misguided mark on 402 00:25:39,560 --> 00:25:43,320 Speaker 1: the pages of history, but thanks to their own incompetence 403 00:25:43,560 --> 00:25:47,199 Speaker 1: and a good helping of covert intelligence, Abraham Lincoln was 404 00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:51,440 Speaker 1: allowed to rest in peace, and after all had been through, 405 00:25:52,040 --> 00:26:03,200 Speaker 1: that's the least he deserved. Fearing future heists, Lincoln's body 406 00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:05,879 Speaker 1: was moved several times more over the years before coming 407 00:26:05,920 --> 00:26:11,160 Speaker 1: to its final resting place in seventeen times to be exact. 408 00:26:12,480 --> 00:26:15,000 Speaker 1: The first move took place just days after the failed 409 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:18,359 Speaker 1: attempt by Kennelly and his gang. No one notified the 410 00:26:18,400 --> 00:26:23,160 Speaker 1: higher authorities, though, and that new location a moldy basement 411 00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:27,000 Speaker 1: right beneath the tomb. From there it was moved to 412 00:26:27,040 --> 00:26:29,960 Speaker 1: a shallow, unmarked grave in a different basement, where he 413 00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:34,080 Speaker 1: remained for another decade. When Mary Lincoln passed away in 414 00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:38,399 Speaker 1: two she was also buried in the basement. For a 415 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:41,399 Speaker 1: good long while, tourists never knew that the sarcophagus they 416 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:44,600 Speaker 1: paid tribute too was empty, and very few people knew 417 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:49,879 Speaker 1: the real location. In seven, the coffins were hauled from 418 00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:52,879 Speaker 1: the dingy basement and reburied yet again in a different 419 00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:57,120 Speaker 1: below ground site within the memorial. Lincoln's three sons, who 420 00:26:57,119 --> 00:27:00,720 Speaker 1: had also died, removed there too and buried alongside their parents. 421 00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:04,120 Speaker 1: In nineteen o one, the bodies were moved yet again 422 00:27:04,160 --> 00:27:08,040 Speaker 1: when the memorial had to be reconstructed. Then, on September 423 00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:11,760 Speaker 1: twenty six one, before in turning Lincoln and his wife 424 00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:15,280 Speaker 1: for the final time, the president's coffin was opened to 425 00:27:15,440 --> 00:27:19,800 Speaker 1: ensure that the remains inside were indeed his. It was 426 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:22,800 Speaker 1: something that had happened four other times to ensure Lincoln 427 00:27:22,840 --> 00:27:26,840 Speaker 1: was present and accounted for, on December twenty one, eighteen sixty, 428 00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:31,359 Speaker 1: September nineteenth of eighteen seventy one, October nine of eighteen 429 00:27:31,359 --> 00:27:37,600 Speaker 1: seventy four, and April seven. But despite this, theories have 430 00:27:37,680 --> 00:27:41,000 Speaker 1: evolved over the years that suggests the president's body doesn't 431 00:27:41,080 --> 00:27:43,800 Speaker 1: lie in the tomb at all. With such a weird 432 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:46,800 Speaker 1: and twisted journey to the grave, it's easy to see 433 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:50,600 Speaker 1: why some people would have their doubts. Some suspected that 434 00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:53,679 Speaker 1: Robert Lincoln's visit in eighteen seventy one was part of 435 00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:56,679 Speaker 1: an elaborate ruse to throw off further attempts at stealing 436 00:27:56,720 --> 00:27:59,919 Speaker 1: the president's body. The rumors state he had made a 437 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:02,240 Speaker 1: arrangements with the Guard of Honor to have his father's 438 00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:07,600 Speaker 1: body hidden elsewhere. Yet by all accounts, twenty three people 439 00:28:07,640 --> 00:28:10,600 Speaker 1: were present when the tomb was last opened in n one. 440 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:15,760 Speaker 1: Witnesses stated that even after thirty years, President Abraham Lincoln 441 00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:20,760 Speaker 1: was instantly recognizable. His hair and beard had been perfectly preserved, 442 00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:24,639 Speaker 1: and it's no wonder when you think about it, to 443 00:28:24,760 --> 00:28:27,600 Speaker 1: keep him presentable during all those stops on the funeral train. 444 00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:30,800 Speaker 1: He had been embalmed enough times that he had become mummified. 445 00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:33,679 Speaker 1: The fabric of his suit and the gloves on his 446 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:36,840 Speaker 1: hands had molded, and across his chest there were still 447 00:28:36,880 --> 00:28:42,160 Speaker 1: fragments of the American flag that had been buried with him. 448 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:45,280 Speaker 1: When all the moving and rebottles were done, Lincoln's body 449 00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:49,440 Speaker 1: was safe beneath ten feet of concrete. That didn't stop 450 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:53,720 Speaker 1: souvenir hunters, though, when the tomb needed reconstruction. In one 451 00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:57,840 Speaker 1: they chipped away pieces of the original marble sarcophagus while 452 00:28:57,840 --> 00:29:01,960 Speaker 1: it sat outside. The tune m They say, you are 453 00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:06,120 Speaker 1: in death as you were in life. Abraham Lincoln had 454 00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:09,280 Speaker 1: made himself widely available to the public during his presidency, 455 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:13,320 Speaker 1: and in odd ways he probably never dreamed of. It 456 00:29:13,400 --> 00:29:24,520 Speaker 1: seems he continued to do so even in death. There's 457 00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:27,640 Speaker 1: more to this story. Stick around after this brief sponsor 458 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:35,280 Speaker 1: break to hear all about it. Abraham and Mary Lincoln 459 00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:40,840 Speaker 1: had four sons together, Robert, Edward, Willie, and Tad. The 460 00:29:40,880 --> 00:29:43,360 Speaker 1: Lincoln's were very fond of children, and it was said 461 00:29:43,400 --> 00:29:48,040 Speaker 1: they weren't overly strict with their sons. Sadly, Robert was 462 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:51,840 Speaker 1: the only one to survive into adulthood. His younger brother 463 00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:56,160 Speaker 1: Eddie died of tuberculosis, Willie died of typhoid, and although 464 00:29:56,200 --> 00:29:59,160 Speaker 1: Tad survived his father, he passed away when he was 465 00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:04,600 Speaker 1: just eighteen. Reports vary on the cause of his death, tuberculosis, pneumonia, 466 00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:08,560 Speaker 1: even heart disease. Robert resigned his post in the U. 467 00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:11,400 Speaker 1: S Army a month after his father's funeral, and moved 468 00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:15,920 Speaker 1: to Chicago to care for his distraught mother. Eventually, Robert 469 00:30:15,960 --> 00:30:18,840 Speaker 1: married and had children of his own. Following in his 470 00:30:18,880 --> 00:30:22,360 Speaker 1: father's footsteps, he practiced law and even started his own 471 00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:27,040 Speaker 1: successful firm. He remained active in politics too. Although he 472 00:30:27,080 --> 00:30:29,480 Speaker 1: never ran for office, he did take the post of 473 00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:35,120 Speaker 1: Secretary of War President James Garfield in one Despite the 474 00:30:35,160 --> 00:30:38,240 Speaker 1: family's tragedies, it all sounds as though the rest of 475 00:30:38,320 --> 00:30:43,440 Speaker 1: Robert Lincoln's life was charmed. Robert, however, believed something different. 476 00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:50,880 Speaker 1: To him. It was cursed. Ec In July, Robert was 477 00:30:50,920 --> 00:30:53,640 Speaker 1: traveling with President Garfield, who had barely been in office 478 00:30:53,640 --> 00:30:57,479 Speaker 1: for two months. As they waited at the Washington train station, 479 00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:01,920 Speaker 1: a lone gunman shot the president. Garfield never fully recovered 480 00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:05,560 Speaker 1: and died a couple of months later. Then, in nineteen 481 00:31:05,560 --> 00:31:08,960 Speaker 1: o one, Robert Lincoln accepted President William mc kinley's invitation 482 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:10,880 Speaker 1: to join him in Buffalo, New York for the Pan 483 00:31:10,920 --> 00:31:15,040 Speaker 1: American Exposition. While they were there, a gunman shot McKinley 484 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:17,360 Speaker 1: in the abdomen and chest, killing him in front of 485 00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:22,200 Speaker 1: a group of well wishers. Many years later, Roberts said 486 00:31:22,240 --> 00:31:25,720 Speaker 1: that there was a certain fatality about the presidential function 487 00:31:25,920 --> 00:31:30,400 Speaker 1: whenever he was present. Sometimes real life is stranger than fiction, 488 00:31:31,240 --> 00:31:36,240 Speaker 1: and sometimes it gets even stranger. One day in late 489 00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:39,920 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty four, Robert Lincoln stood on a train platform 490 00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:42,600 Speaker 1: in New Jersey with a crowd of other travelers making 491 00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:45,480 Speaker 1: their own connections. He had been away on a trip 492 00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:47,440 Speaker 1: to New York, and he was ready to head back 493 00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:51,160 Speaker 1: home to Washington. Standing at the edge of the busy platform, 494 00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:53,760 Speaker 1: he leaned his back against a train car to let 495 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:58,200 Speaker 1: other passengers squeeze by, and that's when the train lurched forward. 496 00:31:58,880 --> 00:32:02,040 Speaker 1: Unable to regain his back, he pitched backward. At the 497 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:05,880 Speaker 1: last moment, another passenger reached out and grabbed Lincoln's collar, 498 00:32:06,280 --> 00:32:10,680 Speaker 1: pulling him to safety. The stranger didn't recognize the president's son, 499 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:14,840 Speaker 1: but Robert Lincoln recognized him, even if he couldn't put 500 00:32:14,840 --> 00:32:18,080 Speaker 1: a name to the face. The older man had been 501 00:32:18,080 --> 00:32:20,960 Speaker 1: a devoted Union supporter during the war and was a 502 00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:25,040 Speaker 1: staunch admirer of Robert's father. Lincoln thanked the man for 503 00:32:25,080 --> 00:32:28,280 Speaker 1: saving his life, and then the two went on their way. 504 00:32:28,960 --> 00:32:32,000 Speaker 1: It was only later that Robert Lincoln's savior was identified 505 00:32:32,360 --> 00:32:35,080 Speaker 1: thanks to a mutual friend who worked for the Union Army. 506 00:32:36,320 --> 00:32:38,720 Speaker 1: The stranger had been an actor who came from a 507 00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:43,720 Speaker 1: whole family of famous stage performers, including his brother John Wilkes. 508 00:32:44,880 --> 00:32:57,840 Speaker 1: His name was Edwin Edwin Booth. American Shadows is hosted 509 00:32:57,840 --> 00:33:01,080 Speaker 1: by Lauren Vogelbaum. This episode, it was written by Michelle 510 00:33:01,120 --> 00:33:05,400 Speaker 1: Muto with researcher Robin Miniter, and produced by Miranda Hawkins 511 00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:10,000 Speaker 1: and Trevor Young, with executive producers Aaron Minky, Alex Williams, 512 00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:12,920 Speaker 1: and Matt Frederick. To learn more about the show, visit 513 00:33:12,960 --> 00:33:16,080 Speaker 1: Grim and Mild dot com. For more podcasts from my 514 00:33:16,160 --> 00:33:19,680 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 515 00:33:19,840 --> 00:33:21,600 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts.