Bethel Author

To Speak At Library

Bethel author Thomas Craughwell will be at C.H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street, on Tuesday, September 18, at 7:30 pm, to present a book talk on his latest book, Stealing Lincoln’s Body (Harvard University Press, 2007).

Mr Craughwell’s book focuses on a largely forgotten event, when on the night of the 1876 Presidential election a gang of counterfeiters out of Chicago attempted to steal the entombed body of Abraham Lincoln and hold it for ransom. It is the first book to place the grave robbery in historical context.

Stealing Lincoln’s Body explores the planning and execution of the crime and the outcome of the investigation, as well as the reactions of Mary Todd Lincoln, Robert Todd Lincoln, and a nation that was silent about the attempt.

Mr Craughwell also delves into the rise of counterfeiting in America and the establishment of the Secret Service to combat it; the prevalence of grave robbing; the art of 19th Century embalming; and the emergence among Irish immigrants of a middle class and a criminal underclass as sidelights to the attempted theft.

Mr Craughwell is the author of more than a dozen books on history, religion, and popular culture. His articles have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The American Spectator, Emmy magazine, and Inside the Vatican. He has been a guest on CNN, the BBC, CSPAN, The Discovery Channel, and the international Catholic cable network EWTN.

The talk is free and open to the public. Call the library at 426-4533 to reserve a place.

Copies of Stealing Lincoln’s Body will be on sale at the talk for $25.