Stealing Lincoln's Body

Originally broadcast on the History Channel, Trey Nelson's documentary details the bizarre 1876 plot hatched by a band of Chicago counterfeiters to steal the remains of Abraham Lincoln from the slain president's tomb in Springfield, IL. The counterfeiters hoped to use the stolen body to secure the release of a jailed gang member along with a bounty of $200,000. The plot was foiled thanks to a paid informant, who tipped off the Secret Service and local police. Stealing Lincoln's Body goes beyond this peculiar crime to cover related subjects, including the introduction of embalming in the United States (Lincoln was the first embalmed president) and the story of Lincoln's elaborate tomb itself, which at one point had to be dismantled and rebuilt due to structural problems (even more curious: for years, Lincoln was buried in the tomb's basement, with the grave hidden beneath a pile of rotting wood!). Combining expert interviews, dramatic reenactments, and enhanced CGI animation to create mock-newsreel footage (depicting a three-dimensional Lincoln walking down stairs, strolling along a street, and being fatally shot by John Wilkes Booth), Stealing Lincoln's Body offers an interesting look at an off-kilter chapter in 19th-century American history. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (P. Hall)