Lincoln's ransom

the long version

It was regarded by many as the crime of the century: on 4th July 1876, the corpse of President Abraham Lincoln was stolen from its mausoleum in Springfield, Illinois, and held for ransom. The thieves, signing themselves "The Coney Men", demanded from Governor Beveridge of Illinois the release of Ben Boyd, a counterfeiter serving time in Joliet, and $200,000 ransom money. Of course, the theft of the body should never have succeeded. Sterling Packard, a U.S. Secret Service agent, had infiltrated the gang of counterfeiters, posing as a professional grave-robber. But, at the crucial moment, Packard was unable to provide a signal to prevent the crime. Following the theft, as a nationwide pursuit was launched, the train on which the body was being secretly transported is held up in Missouri by the James gang! Based on an actual historical occurrence.