Lincoln Funeral Car Mystery Solved

[Lincoln Wonk]

The diary of Sgt. Luther E. Bulck or Bulock, who was assigned to carry President Lincoln’s coffin on its 25-day funeral journey, contains a mystery.

The hand-written diary includes this entry for May 3, 1865: “On the way near Bloomington a young lady was found dead — supposed to have been killed by the pilot engine.”

The train stayed very close to its timetable state-by-state, but it was an hour late arriving in Springfield, Ill. The last stop prior to Springfield was Bloomington, Ill.

Dr. Wayne Wesolowski, co-author of “The LIncoln Train is Coming” and the researcher who is working on the exact color of the Lincoln train, wants to solve the mystery. He could not find accounts of a death in the area newspapers or in other personal accounts of the train stops in that area.

If you have any information about the event, the identity of the young lady, any delay because of a death or names of the trainmen or those who worked at the Bloomington station, please contact Dr. Wesolowski at weso@email.arizona.edu

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The diary of Sgt. Luther E. Bulck or Bulock, who was assigned to carry President Lincoln’s coffin on its 25-day funeral journey, contains a mystery.

The hand-written diary includes this entry for May 3, 1865: “On the way near Bloomington a young lady was found dead — supposed to have been killed by the pilot engine.”

The train stayed very close to its timetable state-by-state, but it was an hour late arriving in Springfield, Ill. The last stop prior to Springfield was Bloomington, Ill.

Dr. Wayne Wesolowski, co-author of “The LIncoln Train is Coming” and the researcher who is working on the exact color of the Lincoln train, wants to solve the mystery. He could not find accounts of a death in the area newspapers or in other personal accounts of the train stops in that area.

If you have any information about the event, the identity of the young lady, any delay because of a death or names of the trainmen or those who worked at the Bloomington station, please contact Dr. Wesolowski at weso@email.arizona.edu