mr. lincoln fallen at that time? road pinkerton? it is frightful to think what the consequences might have been. there is no question that pinkerton's methods were highhanded and at times on lawful but many of the criticisms that were heaped upon him in 1861 would not be unexpressed or even considered today. is now understood that there are dangers to be apprehended when a president moves freely through a vast crowd or rides in an open conveyance. those apprehensions would not exist at the start of the lincoln presidency. as one new york newspaper noted that the time, fascination is not congenial to the american character. perhaps not but it would soon become all too real. the events about to be related here have been for a long time shrouded in a veil of mystery, pinkerton wrote in a memoir published near the end of his life. many are aware of plot existed at this time to assassinate the president elect to is contemplated journey to the capital but few have any knowledge of the mode by which the conspiracy was detected or the means

mr. pinkerton no crime is on the increase. but i got the job done and involves the big 10. i think i made the right choice in terms of what to write the book about. but to nancy your question how 1 cubic a book topic, a strange to say as serendipitous as that but you have to dig deeply enough that it will support the full telling of the story that is the part them of i like to be up to buy back in the research. anyone else? >> i have heard this book has been nominated a for a couple of words recently. >> what's that? [laughter] >> yes. it has. i am deeply flattered. think you. the check is in the mail. if there are no other questions. or there? thank you for your attention will be happy to talk with you or some made your copy is. [applause] [inaudible] >> but lincoln was a nightmare for him to drive his friends and would be protectors crazy please come up he would like to have your copy signed by the author. [inaudible conversations]

mr. pinkerton, now that crime seems to be on the increase. [laughter] but it got the job done. and since the other reading in the treehouse that day involved the girls of the big ten -- [laughter] i think i made the right choice in terms of what to write, what to write a book about. [laughter] but to answer your question of, you know, how one picks a book topic, strange to say it can be as serendipitous as that, but you have to dig deeply enough to make sure that the bones of the story are there, that it's going to support the full telling of a story. and that's the part of it that i love. i like to be up to my neck in the research. thank you. anyone else? >> [inaudible] [laughter] >> yeah. >> i have heard say that this book has been nominated both for an edgar award and an agatha award just recently. >> what's that? [laughter] i'm sorry. yes, it has, and i'm deeply flatter ored by that, and i thank you -- flattered by that, and i thank you, and the check is in the mail. thank you. laugh if there are no other questions, i thank -- are there any other questions? then i thank you

mr. lincoln's life. well it's a good plan and it needs a better plan if it's going to be foiled. and pinkerton had one. pinkerton had a strategy that has many years of service as a railroad that enabled him to devise and put into practice. for more than a week lincoln had been tethered to a moment by moment timetable of speeches and receptions. the plans of the conspirators had been laid accordingly. they knew exactly where he would be at any given moment. anybody would. all you have to do was look in the newspaper and you would know where lincoln would be at any given moment and pinkerton knew the only way of thwarting this plot was to get lincoln to breakaway from the well-publicized itinerary and proceed directly to washington ahead of schedule under the detective's personal protection. if pinkerton who would make the president-elect through baltimore ahead of time the assassins would be caught off guard. by the time they took their places for the scheduled arrival of lincoln's train, lincoln himself would already be safe in washington. but, pinkerton knew that what he was proposing was foolhardy an