Stealing Lincoln's Body

Download or read book Stealing Lincoln's Body written by Thomas J. CRAUGHWELL and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-30 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.