blood on the moon page 2

 blood on the moon page 2 by ric gustafson

As soon as Abraham Lincoln became President in 1860, the death threats started. He would receive presents from people in the South. All of them were poisoned. One day, Lincoln received a letter warning him of an assassination plot. Some of the letters Lincoln received were from deranged people venting their hatred. Death threats against Lincoln continued throughout his presidency. According to John Milton Hay, who was one of Lincoln's 2 private secretaries, Lincoln kept a folder with all the threatening letters sent to him.

One threat to Lincoln was very serious. It was called the Baltimore plot. It was started by a group called the ' National Volunteers'. It was started in the summer of 1860 by William Byrne. Byrne was a Baltimore businessman. At first, the group wanted to aid the presidential candidacy of John Breckinridge. When Lincoln became president, the group became violent. The group came up with a plan to intercept and kill the president when he would make a stop in Baltimore.

Lincoln's train was scheduled to stop at the Calvert Street Station in Baltimore shortly after 12 noon on February 23. Then Lincoln was to travel by carriage to a luncheon in the city. Then the president was to board another train to take him to Washington. 

Luckily, Allan Pinkerton's detective agency discovered the plot before hand and warned Lincoln before his scheduled stop. Lincoln changed his travel plans and passed through Baltimore nine hours ahead of schedule.

United States Marshal for the District of Columbia Ward Lamon pleaded with Lincoln to have a bodyguard or some kind of protection. It was not until October of 1864, that Lincoln agreed to White House protection. Lincoln felt protection was a discomfort than help.

What Lincoln did not know was that a young actor was watching his every move.

research help: ' Blood on the Moon' by Edward Steers Jr

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric