Description:

Abraham Lincoln
various, ca. 1898-1970
Lincoln Avoids Assassination - Engineer & Firemen Tell Story of Taking Him Quietly to Philadelphia
Archive

This small collection provides the reminiscences of Engineer Edward Black and Fireman Daniel E. Garman who took President-elect Abraham Lincoln from Harrisburg to Philadelphia on the first leg of his surreptitious journey from Harrisburg to Washington, D.C. on the night of February 22-23, 1861, to avoid rumors of an assassination attempt in Baltimore.

[ABRAHAM LINCOLN.] Archive of documents relating to planned assassination in Baltimore in February 1861, 1898-1970.

Contents and Excerpts
- Photograph of Daniel E. Garman. Lebanon, PA: Rise & Gates. 1 p., 4.25" x 6.5". Small crack on corner of backing board with minimal effect on photograph.
"Daniel E. Garman, Lebanon, Pa, Fireman of Engine 161 that carried Pres.-Elect Lincoln from Hbg to Phil on eve of Feb. 22, 1861."

- Daniel E. Garman, Manuscript Document, Reminiscence, ca. 1898. 5 pp., 4.5" x 7".
"Engineer Edward Black, and I, Daniel E. Garman, fireman with Engine No. 161 took President Abraham Lincoln to Harrisburg, from Philadelphia, where he was to take the Northern Central train to Washington."
"I did not know that we had the President aboard until we arrived at Lemonplace to take water, then I got back, slipped on the hose; in stooping down I looked into the car door and I saw the President sitting with his back turned toward me, but I knew him because he was so much taller than the rest of the inmates. I went back and cried to Ed Black the railsplitter was on the train, then I saw Franciscus run to the door & said to me, Dan, you must not mention that the President was on board. You bet I kept quiet then.... As soon as we stopped, the Superinten[den]t came up to us and handed us two ten dollar gold pieces with the President's compliments, one for the engineer & one for me. So we can say that we got the first money in protecting the President."

- Edward R. Black, Autograph Letter Signed, to Martin G. Brumbaugh, January 10, 1898, Philadelphia, PA. 2 pp., 4.5" x 7".
"In regard to your request, if you will kindly wait till I have the time, and can think long enough to bring back all the incidents of that trip I will do my best to give you such an account as you desire.... I have always thought less of the whole matter than other people seem to."

- Celia S. Black, Autograph Letter Signed, to Martin G. Brumbaugh, May 26, 1898, Philadelphia, PA. 1 p., 4.5" x 7".
"You asked Mr Black for a statement of the Lincoln incident. He has so little time, but he scribbled it down, and I have copied it."

- Edward R. Black, Manuscript Document Signed, Reminiscence, ca. May 1898. 9 pp., 4.5" x 7".
"I had been told quietly that Lincoln would not be allowed to pass through Baltimore alive, and we must secretly get him to Washington another way. In a short time I had my train in readiness awaiting further developments....
"I remember well how he looked. He wore a long circular cloak, and a Scotch cap.
"Awaiting him on the train was Enoch Lewis, General Superintendent Thomas A. Scott, and Division Superintendent Charles Franciscus.
"There are one or two men in public life today who claim to have been in that car. I am sorry to spoil a good story, but they were not there.... I was told to make no stops (and when obliged to take water, to do so at the most secluded places I could, to keep a sharp look out) and to arrive at Thirtieth Street, West Philadelphia by 10 o'clock sure....
"Everything was so timed and arranged that he arrived just as the night line for Washington was ready to start, and was quietly on board without anyone being the wiser. The next morning when the whole United States was at breakfast, the news had been flashed over the wires that President Lincoln was safe in Washington, while the nation thought he was in Harrisburg."

- Organization and Objects of the Lincoln Guard of Honor, and First Memorial Service, Held on the Fifteenth Anniversary of the Death of Abraham Lincoln, Springfield, Illinois, April 15th, 1880 (Springfield, IL: State Journal, Printers, 1880). 16 pp., 5.5" x 8.75". Front cover separated; edge chipping on cover.
Includes remarks by Governor Shelby M. Cullom.

- Ernest E. Johnson, Autograph Letter Signed, to "Dear Doctor," November 27, 1906, Philadelphia, PA. 1 p., 8.5" x 11". Toning
"I respectfully beg to remind you of the story about David Black, the engineer, and David Garman, fireman, of the historic Lincoln train. If you can favor me with the data in your possession I shall take it as a great favor."

- Claude R. Flory, "Garman, Black, and the ‘Baltimore Plot,'" offprint from The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography (January 1970). 3 pp., 6.625" x 9.875".

Historical Background
When Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States in the deeply divisive election of 1860, many of his supporters began to worry for his safety. He left Springfield, Illinois, by train on February 11, 1861. Railroad officials in the East hired Allan Pinkerton, the head of the Pinkerton Detective Agency to investigate any acts of destruction or suspicious activities along Lincoln's route, especially through the slave state of Maryland.

After leaving Philadelphia, President-elect Lincoln would have to change trains in Baltimore, a city with deep Confederate sympathies where he had received only 2 percent of the vote in the presidential election. Pinkerton and his detectives, including Kate Warne, the first female private detective in the United States, discovered several possible plots in Baltimore. When Lincoln and his family arrived in Philadelphia on February 21, they were warned of threats to his life, especially in Baltimore.

Lincoln spoke in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on February 22. After being convinced of the danger of an assassination plot in Baltimore, Lincoln quietly left Harrisburg by train, changed trains in Philadelphia, passed through Baltimore in the middle of the night, and arrived at Washington early in the morning of February 23, several hours before his scheduled arrival. Illinois Congressman Elihu Washburne met Lincoln at Washington's Union Station and accompanied him to the Willard Hotel, where he had breakfast with William H. Seward.

Public reaction to his decision made Lincoln regret it. The New York Times published Joseph Howard Jr.'s account of the President-elect, disguised in a scotch cap and long cloak that ridiculed Lincoln. Other newspapers also criticized Lincoln's actions, indicating he was weak and indecisive. The President later said: "I did not then, nor do I now believe I should have been assassinated had I gone through Baltimore as first contemplated, but I thought it wise to run no risk where no risk was necessary." The existence and severity of the plot have been disputed both by Lincoln's contemporaries and historians ever since.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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