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Slightly off the subject, but connected, was an article I read as a teen while waiting to get my haircut. It was by a man whose dad had been one of several who were present when Lincoln's grave and casket were opened to disprove persistent rumors that his body had been stolen and was not the the grave at all. I forget a lot of the details, it's been 50 years or so, but I recall he told how his dad had let him tag along since it would be an historic moment whether the body was in there or not. He said the man in the casket apparently was indeed Mr. Lincoln, and that his skin was covered with a greenish mold.

Seems to me like the article was in a major news magazine, like Time or Look. Maybe someone else here saw it and remembers more than I do!

I remember it being a very interesting read, but I was always into strange things. My favorite magazine of the day was Fate. I'm sure many (most!) of the articles in Fate were grossly overstated if not completely fake.

It was Life Magazine sometime in 1964 I believe. I found the issue once but for some reason didn't buy it.

Slightly off the subject, but connected, was an article I read as a teen while waiting to get my haircut. It was by a man whose dad had been one of several who were present when Lincoln's grave and casket were opened to disprove persistent rumors that his body had been stolen and was not the the grave at all. I forget a lot of the details, it's been 50 years or so, but I recall he told how his dad had let him tag along since it would be an historic moment whether the body was in there or not. He said the man in the casket apparently was indeed Mr. Lincoln, and that his skin was covered with a greenish mold.

I heard the same story. It was told to the class by our teacher in 6th or 7th grade (almost 40 years ago!). IIRC, there was an attempt to steal Lincoln's body. Before reburying the casket (under a slab of concrete), the casket was opened. This occurred around 1901, or thereabouts, and supposedly, photos were taken.

There was actually an attempt to kidnap Lincoln's body in 1876 and hold it for ransom. Fortunately the Secret Service got wind of the plot and were able to foil it. The plotters were arrested a couple of weeks later. I've got a bunch of articles I've collected over the years on the assassination itself and the conspiracies surrounding it. I just pulled out my folder and found the article I was thinking of. It's entitled: The Plot to Steal Lincoln's Body by Deane and Peggy Robertson. I'm sorry to say that I don't have the name of the magazine it appeared in, but it shouldn't be hard to find through a database. According to an insert at the end of the article, Lincoln's body was moved 17 times from its first burial in the vault at Oak Ridge Cemetery until it was finally put to rest in its present resting place in 1901. Most of the moves were done because of construction, and then repair to the tomb, but it was also moved by local citizens a couple of times after the kidnap plot was uncovered and the plotters caught. Lincoln's coffin was opened and the body identified one last time before it was laid to rest on September 26, 1901.

The event you are thinking is detailed at this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln's_burial_and_exhumation

I remember hearing the story as a kid when I went to Lincoln's Tomb on a school field trip.