Description
The first edition of History of an Attempt to Steal the Body of Abraham Lincoln, edited by John Carroll Power, the first custodian of Lincoln’s tomb.
Octavo, viii, 287pp, [1]. Publisher’s maroon cloth, title stamped in gilt. The first edition, with the title page dated 1890. Complete with frontispiece plate and 13 additional illustrations, plates, and plans. Publisher’s purchase instructions affixed before the first free endpaper. Light rubbing to cloth boards, some wear to tips of the boards. Internally clean, solid text block. Plates all in fine condition.
(Monaghan, 1073)
A scarce piece of Lincolniana.
Includes an account of the 1876 plot to steal Abraham Lincoln’s body from the Lincoln Tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery, together with the subsequent formation and work of the Lincoln Guard of Honor. Power served as custodian of the National Lincoln Monument and secretary of the Lincoln Guard of Honor, giving this account direct association with the events described.
John Carroll Power (1819-1894) was the first custodian of Abraham Lincoln’s tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery. He was appointed custodian of the Lincoln Tomb on October 28, 1874, the day before it opened to the public, and remained in that position until his death in 1894. During his tenure, he cared for the tomb, guided visitors, and was present on November 7, 1876, when counterfeiters attempted to steal Lincoln’s body.
