In a daring and audacious scheme in the 1870s, a notorious counterfeiting ring based in central Illinois found itself in dire straits when their master engraver, Ben Boyd, was incarcerated, leading to a scarcity of counterfeit money.
To rescue Boyd and replenish their dwindling resources, the gang concocted a plan to abscond with Abraham Lincoln’s body, intending to hold it for ransom until the government paid $200,000 in gold and secured Boyd’s freedom.
However, their covert operation was jeopardized when one of the conspirators divulged the entire plot to a woman in Springfield, sparking a chain reaction of rumors that spread like wildfire through the town.
Faced with exposure, the grave robbers hastily fled the city, but their leader, “Big Jim” Kinealy, refused to abandon the audacious heist, relocating the gang’s operations to Chicago.
Recruiting an unwitting accomplice named Lewis C. Swegles, Kinealy plotted to covertly extract Lincoln’s body from its resting place in Springfield.
The intricate plan involved secreting the revered remains in a lengthy sack, stowing it in a horse-drawn wagon, and transporting it to northern Indiana, where it would be concealed among the sandy dunes as the nation reeled from the shock.
The ransom demands were set at a staggering sum, and the fateful date for the macabre caper was chosen: November 7, 1876, coinciding with the tranquil election night when Oak Ridge Cemetery was anticipated to be deserted.
Under the cover of darkness, the gang breached the iron door of Lincoln’s tomb, dislodged the marble lid of the sarcophagus, and attempted to hoist the cumbersome coffin, albeit with limited success.
As the conspirators strained to lift the coffin, Swegles was tasked with bringing the getaway wagon closer to the tomb.
However, unbeknownst to Kinealy, Swegles was an undercover Secret Service agent who promptly alerted the hidden detectives.
In a swift and decisive maneuver, the law enforcement officers confronted the tomb robbers, who had been lying in wait in the shadows nearby.
Despite a desperate attempt to flee through the cemetery’s eastern gate, the thieves were apprehended in Chicago just ten days later.
Robert Lincoln, the late president’s son, spared no expense in prosecuting Kinealy’s gang, securing their conviction and sentencing them to a year in Joliet State Prison after a protracted legal battle.
The brazen robbery attempt not only shocked the nation but also prompted legislative action in Illinois to stiffen penalties for grave desecration, signaling a turning point in the state’s legal approach to such heinous crimes.
Robert Lincoln’s subsequent actions in 1901, culminating in the permanent burial of his father’s body, underscored the enduring impact of the thwarted theft on the Lincoln family.
The saga of the ill-fated plot to pilfer Lincoln’s remains serves as a cautionary tale of greed, deception, and ultimately, justice prevailing against nefarious designs.
As the echoes of history reverberate through time, the foiled attempt to snatch Abraham Lincoln’s body stands as a testament to the resilience of a nation determined to safeguard the legacy of one of its greatest leaders.
The intricate web of deceit woven by Kinealy’s gang unraveled in the face of vigilance and valor, underscoring the unwavering commitment to honor and protect the memory of the revered 16th President of the United States.
In the pantheon of infamous criminal endeavors, the failed grave robbery remains a stark reminder of the lengths to which some will go in pursuit of ill-gotten gains, only to be thwarted by the steadfast resolve of those dedicated to upholding justice and preserving the sanctity of history’s sacred relics.
