Stealing Lincoln's body / Thomas J. Craughwell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Craughwell, Thomas J., 1956-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Grave robbing--Illinois--Springfield--History--19th century.

Grave robbing.

Crime and the press--United States--History--19th century.

Crime and the press.

Grave robbing--United States--History--19th century.

Counterfeits and counterfeiting--United States--History--19th century.

Counterfeits and counterfeiting.

Irish American criminals--History--19th century.

Irish American criminals.

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865--Tomb.

Lincoln, Abraham.

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865--Family.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (ix, 250 p., [22] p. of plates ) ill., ports.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. : Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2007.

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

On the night of the 1876 presidential election, a gang of counterfeiters attempted to steal the entombed embalmed body of Abraham Lincoln and hold it for ransom. Craughwell returns to this bizarre, and largely forgotten, event with the first book to place the grave robbery in historical context. This rousing story of hapless con men, intrepid federal agents, and ordinary Springfield citizens offers an unusual glimpse into late-nineteenth-century America.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Acknowledgments

Contents

Prologue: "Lay My Remains in Some Quiet Place"

1. The World of the Counterfeiters

2. Big Jim Kennally's Big Idea

3. The Boss Body Snatchers of Chicago

4. "The Devils Are Up Here"

5. The Body in the Basement

6. "The Tools of Smarter Men"

7. The Lincoln Guard of Honor

8. A Pullman-Style Burial

Epilogue: Safe and Secure at Last

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Originally published: Harvard University Press, 2007.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 235-244) and index.

ISBN:

9780674029972

0674029976

OCLC:

1049674894