What are the key takeaways from this Everything Everywhere Daily episode?

Key insights include: **Security through obscurity:** After the 1876 attempt, Lincoln's coffin was relocated at least 17 times between 1876 and 1901 within the monument to prevent further theft attempts, with only a small circle of trusted individuals knowing its precise location at any given time.; **Legal gaps enable leniency:** Illinois had no law prohibiting corpse theft in 1876, forcing prosecutors to charge conspirators Mullen and Hughes with minor conspiracy and attempted coffin larceny. Both received only one-year sentences at Joliet, despite nearly ransoming a president's remains.; **Informants as the decisive factor:** The plot failed entirely because body snatcher Louis Swiggles was a Secret Service informant. Authorities allowed the crime to proceed to catch perpetrators in the act — a deliberate controlled operation authorized by Robert Todd Lincoln himself.

How long is this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily?

This episode is 15 minutes long. SignalCast provides an AI-generated summary so you can get the key insights in about 3 minutes.

Everything Everywhere Daily

The Plot to Steal the Body of Abraham Lincoln

March 5, 2026

15 min episode · 2 min read

Episode

15 min

Read time

2 min

Topics

Software Development, Books & Authors

AI-Generated Summary

Published Mar 5, 2026

Key Takeaways

✓Security through obscurity: After the 1876 attempt, Lincoln's coffin was relocated at least 17 times between 1876 and 1901 within the monument to prevent further theft attempts, with only a small circle of trusted individuals knowing its precise location at any given time.
✓Legal gaps enable leniency: Illinois had no law prohibiting corpse theft in 1876, forcing prosecutors to charge conspirators Mullen and Hughes with minor conspiracy and attempted coffin larceny. Both received only one-year sentences at Joliet, despite nearly ransoming a president's remains.
✓Informants as the decisive factor: The plot failed entirely because body snatcher Louis Swiggles was a Secret Service informant. Authorities allowed the crime to proceed to catch perpetrators in the act — a deliberate controlled operation authorized by Robert Todd Lincoln himself.
✓Permanent security via engineering: In 1901, officials ended 25 years of vulnerability by encasing Lincoln's coffin in a steel cage buried under 10 feet of concrete beneath the monument floor, a solution still in place today at the publicly accessible Oak Ridge Cemetery tomb.

What It Covers

In 1876, a Chicago counterfeiting gang attempted to steal Abraham Lincoln's corpse from Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois, planning to ransom it for $200,000 and the release of imprisoned engraver Benjamin Boyd.

Key Questions Answered

•Security through obscurity: After the 1876 attempt, Lincoln's coffin was relocated at least 17 times between 1876 and 1901 within the monument to prevent further theft attempts, with only a small circle of trusted individuals knowing its precise location at any given time.
•Legal gaps enable leniency: Illinois had no law prohibiting corpse theft in 1876, forcing prosecutors to charge conspirators Mullen and Hughes with minor conspiracy and attempted coffin larceny. Both received only one-year sentences at Joliet, despite nearly ransoming a president's remains.
•Informants as the decisive factor: The plot failed entirely because body snatcher Louis Swiggles was a Secret Service informant. Authorities allowed the crime to proceed to catch perpetrators in the act — a deliberate controlled operation authorized by Robert Todd Lincoln himself.
•Permanent security via engineering: In 1901, officials ended 25 years of vulnerability by encasing Lincoln's coffin in a steel cage buried under 10 feet of concrete beneath the monument floor, a solution still in place today at the publicly accessible Oak Ridge Cemetery tomb.

Notable Moment

When agents rushed the tomb to apprehend the thieves, the operation collapsed into chaos — agents collided in darkness, a gun discharged accidentally, and Mullen and Hughes simply walked out unchallenged into the night.

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Episode Transcript

The 1876 plot to steal the body of Abraham Lincoln is one of the oddest and most audacious attempted crimes in American history. The scheme aimed to ransom the corpse of the assassinated president in exchange for the release of a jailed criminal and a whole bunch of money. Although the attempt totally failed, it triggered years of secrecy, multiple reburials of Lincoln's remains, and the creation of a private guard to protect the tomb. Learn more about the plot to steal the body of Abraham Lincoln on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. This episode is sponsored by Quince. I've been telling you for a while now how Quince works directly with top factories and cuts out the middleman. As such, they can sell top quality merchandise at a fraction of the price of luxury brands. But they aren't just selling products that look just as good. Their products are also made out of the exact same materials. Their cashmere is 100% Mongolian, the same stuff that luxury brands use. The pima cotton is long staple, which means it stays soft and doesn't pill. The European jersey linen is breathable and lightweight. Everything is built to hold up to regular wear and still look good. I've been wearing my cashmere sweater every other day for months now, and it's held up great. Right now, go to quince.com/daily for free shipping and three hundred sixty five day returns. That's a full year to build your wardrobe and love it, and you will. Now available in Canada too. Don't keep settling for clothes that don't last. Go to quince.com/daily for free shipping and three hundred sixty five day returns. Quince.com/daily. This episode is sponsored by Mint Mobile. Spring is finally around the corner, which means spring cleaning, and it's also a good time to get rid of your unnecessary subscriptions and expensive mobile contracts. Mint Mobile is here to rescue you with premium wireless plans starting at $15 a month. All plans include high speed data and unlimited talk and text on the nation's largest five g network. Bring your own phone and number, activate with eSIM in minutes, and start saving immediately. No long term contracts and no hassle. That's why I've been telling people to switch to Mint Mobile. If you like your money, Mint Mobile is for you. Shop plans at mintmobile.com/eed. That's mintmobile.com/eed. Upfront payment of $45 for three month five gigabyte plan required equivalent to $15 a month. New customer offer for first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details. And before I get into the details of the plot to steal the remains of President Lincoln, it's necessary to understand why this was such a big deal and why it was considered more scandalous than if someone had tried to do the same thing with, say, the bodies of Zachary Taylor or William Henry Harrison. When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, it truly shocked the …

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