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LINCOLN THE UNKNOWN• 251with relays of fresh horses, would drive with all possible speedto nor<strong>the</strong>rn Indiana; and <strong>the</strong>re with only <strong>the</strong> water-fowl tosee <strong>the</strong>m, <strong>the</strong>y would hide <strong>the</strong> body among <strong>the</strong> lonely dunes,where <strong>the</strong> wind from over <strong>the</strong> lake would soon wipe out all telltaletracks in <strong>the</strong> shifting sands.Before leaving Chicago, Swegles bought a London newspaper;and, tearing out a piece, he stuffed <strong>the</strong> rest inside <strong>the</strong>bust of <strong>Lincoln</strong> that stood over <strong>the</strong> bar at 294 West MadisonStreet. That night, November 6, he and two of Big Jim's gangclimbed aboard a Chicago & Alton train headed for Springfield,taking with <strong>the</strong>m <strong>the</strong> fragment of torn newspaper, which<strong>the</strong>y proposed to leave beside <strong>the</strong> empty sarcophagus as <strong>the</strong>ydashed off with <strong>the</strong> body. The detectives finding <strong>the</strong> paperwould naturally keep it as a clue. Then while <strong>the</strong> nation wasrocking with excitement, one of <strong>the</strong> gang would approach <strong>the</strong>governor of <strong>the</strong> State and offer to return <strong>Lincoln</strong>'s body for twohundred thousand dollars in gold and <strong>the</strong> freedom of BenBoyd.And how would <strong>the</strong> governor know that <strong>the</strong> self-styledspokesman was not an impostor? The gangster would carry withhim <strong>the</strong> London newspaper; <strong>the</strong> detectives, fitting <strong>the</strong>ir fragmentinto <strong>the</strong> torn page, would accept him as <strong>the</strong> bona-fiderepresentative of <strong>the</strong> ghouls.The gang arrived in Springfield, according to schedule. Theyhad chosen what Swegles called "a damned elegant time" for<strong>the</strong>ir adventure. November 7 was election day; for months <strong>the</strong>Democrats had been denouncing <strong>the</strong> Republicans for <strong>the</strong> graftand corruption that had besmirched Grant's second administration,while <strong>the</strong> Republicans had waved <strong>the</strong> "bloody shirt" of <strong>the</strong>Civil War in <strong>the</strong> face of <strong>the</strong> Democrats. It was one of <strong>the</strong> mostbitter elections in United States history. That night, while excitedcrowds were milling about <strong>the</strong> newspaper offices and jamming<strong>the</strong> saloons, Big Jim's men hurried out to Oak RidgeCemetery—dark now, and deserted—sawed <strong>the</strong> padlock off <strong>the</strong>iron door of <strong>Lincoln</strong>'s tomb, stepped inside, pried <strong>the</strong> marblelid off <strong>the</strong> sarcophagus, and lifted <strong>the</strong> wooden casket half out.One of <strong>the</strong> gang ordered Swegles to bring up <strong>the</strong> horses andspring-wagon which he had been delegated to have ready andwaiting in a ravine two hundred yards nor<strong>the</strong>ast of <strong>the</strong> monument.Swegles hurried down <strong>the</strong> steep bluff until he was lostin <strong>the</strong> darkness.Swegles was not a grave-robber. He was a reformed criminal