A headache ruse foiled the assassins in 1861 — Lincoln Commemorative Silver Dollar Coin

Today, the Lincoln Commemorative Silver Dollar Coin remembers when the President-elect arrived in Washington DC on February 23, 1861 after avoiding a plot to assassinate him in Baltimore.

From the Literary Digest of November 24, 1894:

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How Allan Pinkerton Thwarted the First Attempt to Assassinate Lincoln.

Out of the archives of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, Cleveland Moffett has brought to light a detailed story of the plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln on his way to Washington to be inaugurated President in 1861.

History, as everyone knows, has recorded the fact that such an attempt was anticipated, and that Lincoln changed the plan of his journey so as to pass through Baltimore at night, and, so far as the public was concerned, in secret.

Moffett gives us (McClure’s Magazine, November) a connected and dramatic account of the journey and the developments immediately preceding it.

The narrative opens with a conference in the St. Louis Hotel, Philadelphia, on the evening of February 21, 1861, between Norman B. Judd, of Chicago, one of Lincoln’s closest friends, Mr. Felton, president of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railway, and Allan Pinkerton, the already famous detective.

They talked over the revelations of the plot to assassinate Lincoln on his way through Baltimore, which had been unearthed by Pinkerton’s agents, and then proceeded to the Continental Hotel, in the parlor of which Lincoln was holding a crowded reception.

They secured a private room, and sent a message to Mr. Lincoln to come to the room at once, to which he promptly responded.

Mr. Pinkerton addressed Mr. Lincoln as follows: “I have reason to know, Mr. Lincoln — the very best reason — that there is a plot to assassinate you the day after tomorrow, on your way through Baltimore. I have come here in that connection.”

The President-elect received the startling news calmly enough, and the detective proceeded to tell how the plot was discovered.

It had first taken the form of a plot to destroy property on the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railway, to prevent the President’s reaching Washington and to prevent also the massing of Federal troops at Washington.

Washington was then to be seized and Secession declared. President Felton, of the railroad, had called in Pinkerton’s services, and he had discovered, through his agents, that the plot involved also the assassination of Lincoln.

The narrative proceeds as follows:

“On February 9, Mr. Pinkerton learned on reliable authority that a distinguished citizen of Maryland had joined with others in taking a solemn oath to assassinate Mr. Lincoln before he should reach Washington.

“On the evening of February 8, twenty conspirators in Baltimore had met in a dark room to decide by ballot which one of them should kill the President as he passed through the city.

“It was agreed that the task should be entrusted to that one of their number who should draw a red ballot. Whoever was thus chosen was pledged not to disclose the fact, even to his fellow conspirators.

“To make it absolutely sure that the plot would not be defeated at the last moment, by accident or cowardice, eight red ballots instead of one were placed in the box from which they drew, unknown to the conspirators themselves, and eight determined men regarded themselves as thus chosen, by high destiny, to rid the country of an infamous tyrant.

“So they professed to believe, and their plans for the assassination were perfected to the smallest detail.

“The hour of the President’s arrival in Baltimore was well known, and the line of march to be followed by his carriage across the city had been announced.

“In case there should be any change in the programme, agents of the conspirators in the various Northern cities passed through by the Presidential party were ready to apprise them of the fact.

“There would be an immense crowd in Baltimore at the Calvert Street station when Mr. Lincoln arrived, and it was a matter of common knowledge that the Baltimore chief of police, George P. Kane, was in sympathy with the conspirators and had promised to send only a small force of policemen to the station, and to furnish no police escort whatever through the city.

“As soon as the President should leave the train, a gang of roughs was to start a fight a few hundred yards away, and this would serve as a pretext for the police force to absent themselves for a few minutes.

“During this time the crowd would close around the hated Northerners, pushing and jostling them, and in the confusion someone of the conspirators would strike the deadly blow or fire the fatal shot.

“Each man was left free to accomplish the murder either with dagger or pistol, as he saw fit.”

Confirmation of the plot had also been received from Miss Dix, a well-known Southern philanthropist, and it was then proposed to Mr. Lincoln to start at once for Washington, and thus “steal a march” on the conspirators.

The reply of Mr. Lincoln was:

“Gentlemen, I appreciate these suggestions, and while I can stand anything that is necessary in the way of misrepresentation, I do not feel that I can go to Washington tonight. I have promised to raise the flag over Independence Hall tomorrow morning, and after that to visit the Legislature at Harrisburg. These two promises I must fulfill, whatever the cost, but after that I am ready to accept any plan you may adopt.”

Finding Mr. Lincoln firm in this resolve, his friends adjusted their plans accordingly, calling in to their conference G. C. Franciscus, general manager of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and E. S. Sanford, of the American Telegraph Company.

On the following day, Mr. Lincoln raised the flag over Independence Hall, and proceeded to take the special train that was to convey him to Harrisburg.

On the way to the train, he was intercepted by Frederick W. Seward, son of Senator Seward, bearing dispatches in regard to the plot which had come to the Senator’s knowledge from independent sources.

On reaching Harrisburg, the President-elect, in the evening, was in attendance at a public dinner given in his honor.

It had been planned that he should quietly withdraw from the dinner at a certain time, without arousing suspicion, as the conspirators had spies watching for any change in the programme of the journey.

The room was so crowded, however, that this part of the plan was difficult to carry out.

The narrative then continues as follows:

“Seeing the difficulty of leaving the room, Mr. Lincoln hit upon a clever idea, and whispering to Governor Curtin a hasty explanation, called upon him to assist in his departure. Grasping the situation in a moment, Governor Curtin made some remark to the effect that the President was suffering with a headache and would withdraw to his room for a moment.

“Then, giving Mr. Lincoln his arm, the two men passed out of the dining-room and walked down the hall to the front door, where Mr. Franciscus, general agent of the Pennsylvania road, was waiting with a closed carriage. The President did not go to his room at all, not even to get his hat and overcoat, but stepped quickly into the carriage just as he had been at the table, covering his head with a hat of soft wool that he drew from his pocket.

“Later on, during the journey, Mr. Franciscus gave the President his own overcoat, and thus attired, without any disguise whatever, Mr. Lincoln made the journey to Washington.

“To disarm suspicion among those who saw Mr. Lincoln get into the carriage, Governor Curtin entered after him, giving instructions in a loud voice to the driver to take them to the Executive Mansion. Mr. Franciscus, seated on the box-seat, whispered to the driver what to do, and the carriage did go to the Executive Mansion, but only stopped there a moment and then drove on, no one having left it.

“They then drove directly to a road crossing at the lower end of Harrisburg, where the superintendent of the Pennsylvania Railroad had, at Mr. Pinkerton’s request, provided that a locomotive and passenger car should be waiting.

“The only member of the party who accompanied Mr. Lincoln and Governor Curtin in the carriage was Ward H. Lamon, it having been decided that all the others should remain in Harrisburg over night and keep themselves as much as possible in evidence, so as to confirm the belief that the President was in the city.

“Colonel Sumner, a staunch old soldier, who had sworn that he would go to Washington with Mr. Lincoln, was only prevented from getting into the carriage by a clever ruse of Mr. Judd’s, which made the colonel violently angry for the moment, but which he afterward forgave, recognizing its wisdom.

“It was about dusk when the carriage reached the special train, consisting only of a single passenger car in which the lamps were left unlighted, so extreme were the precautions taken.

“Mr. Lincoln stepped aboard the train first, followed by Messrs. Franciscus, Lamon, and Enoch Lewis, and immediately the signal was given to the engineer, and the train started for Philadelphia.

“In addition to the engineer and fireman, the only persons who rode on this special train with Mr. Lincoln from Harrisburg to Philadelphia on the evening of February 22, 1861, were Ward H. Lamon; G. C. Franciscus, division-superintendent of the Pennsylvania; Enoch Lewis, general superintendent; T. E. Garrett, general baggage agent; and John Pitcairn, Jr., in charge of a special telegraphic instrument, provided in case of any accident on the way.”

Mr. Pinkerton had taken the precaution to arrange with the telegraph officers in Philadelphia to stop all dispatches from Harrisburg excepting those for himself, and followed this up on the very eve of departure by detailing a lineman, accompanied by Superintendent Westervelt, to cut the wires over the Northern Central Railroad to Baltimore.

The train reached Philadelphia again without incident, and the trip to Washington is described as follows:

“The train drew out of the Philadelphia station at 10:55, having been delayed five minutes for the delivery of the ‘important package’ into the hands of Conductor Litzenberg. As a matter of fact, this package contained nothing more important than a bundle of old New York Heralds, but it served its purpose admirably in allaying any suspicions.

“As soon as the train had started, Mr. Lincoln partially undressed, and was soon sleeping quietly in his berth, untroubled by any thought of the dangers around him.

“Leaving his ‘invalid friend’ under the protection of Kate Warn and George D. Bangs, who were both armed and would have shot every soul on the train rather than let a curtain of the President’s berth be disturbed, Mr. Pinkerton himself took up his station on the rear platform, from which he could readily receive the signals he had arranged for with guards stationed at all danger points along the road.

“Mr. Pinkerton had been informed by his operatives scattered through Maryland that three companies of railroad men had been drilling for weeks with the alleged purpose of protecting the property of the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad, but really with the intention of burning the bridges, cars, and ferry-boats, as soon as the proper moment should arrive.

“It was possible, therefore, that these desperate men, if through treachery or in any unforeseen way they had learned of Mr. Lincoln’s hastened departure, would attempt to burn the bridges, place obstructions on the track, or in some other way stop the progress of the train.

“Therefore, Mr. Pinkerton had taken the most elaborate precautions in view of such an emergency. At his suggestion, the railway officials had stationed gangs of trusted men at the various bridges, which they were supposed to be painting and whitewashing; and, as a matter of fact, they did give the bridges a complete white coating of a preparation to render the woodwork fire-proof.

“Their greatest usefulness, however, was as a loyal force in case they should be needed. In addition to these, Pinkerton had placed a man fully armed at every bridge and cross-road through the entire dangerous region, and as the train rolled by, each one of these sentinels, as instructed, flashed signals from the dark lantern hanging at his waist to the tireless chief on the back platform.

“The most critical point in the journey, as Mr. Pinkerton felt, was Havre de Grace, where the train would be taken across the Susquehanna on a ferry-boat, and here he had posted the detective in whose zeal and abilities he trusted beyond everything, the dauntless Timothy Webster.

“As the train drew near this point, and began to slow up for the ferry, Mr. Pinkerton’s heart beat quick, and he strained his eyes through the darkness for the hoped-for signal. It came, two flashes in quick succession, telling him that Timothy Webster was ‘on deck’ and all was well.

“Without accident the train ran upon the boat, was ferried across the river, and starting on the last stretch for Baltimore, running now through the very stronghold of Mr. Lincoln’s enemies. From every bridge the white lights flashed out twice into the night, and the train rushed on. ‘All’s well!’ ‘All’s well!’ ‘All’s well !’ came the signals from the faithful fellows watching in the darkness, and every time the white lights streamed into his face, Allan Pinkerton breathed forth a ‘Thank God.’

“He had pledged his life to take the Nation’s President to Washing ton, and he was doing it. No harm had come so far, and as they drew near to Baltimore, with its plans of murder and infamy, the detective braced himself for the final crisis.

“What would happen here? Had any suspicion got abroad of the President’s arrival? If an attack was made, would they be able to defend him? All these thoughts ran through his brain as the lights of the city came in sight.

“It was half- past three in the morning when the train drew up in the Baltimore station, just on time. The platforms were empty, the city was asleep, the conspirators had suspected nothing, the danger was past.

“The run on to Washington was made without accident or event, and at 6 a.m. Abraham Lincoln, leaning on the arm of Allan Pinkerton, left the train and was received by William H. Seward and General Winfield Scott, who gripped his hand with a grasp much the stronger for the anxiety they had felt. Mr. Seward’s words were:

“‘I was never so glad to see any one in my life as I am to see you this morning. “‘

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The Lincoln Commemorative Silver Dollar Coin shows with a head and shoulders portrait of Allan Pinkerton, circa 1861.

Lincoln Commemorative Silver Dollar Coin