Who are the plumbers?

[loetar44]

I reread Lloyd Lewis’ ”Myths After Lincoln” today, because he claimed that Leon P. Hopkins made the openings and closings of Lincoln’s lead lined coffin in 1865, 1871, 1887 and 1901. The last two I believe true, because that is documented. The first two I still doubt. Who convince me?

On page 288 Lewis wrote: “September 26, 1901. Only three of the Guard of Honor were left. They came. Thirty people, in all, some of them State officials, some townspeople, crowded Memorial Hall. Once more Leon P. Hopkins, the plumber, who had for fourteen years been calling himself the last man to see Lincoln's face, opened the casket, THIS TIME UNSOLDERING HIS OWN SOLDERING.” [capitals mine].

I only can conclude that this is in contradiction with what Lewis said on page 265, that Hopkins opened (and closed) the lead lined coffin in 1865 and 1871. Otherwise he had not written that in 1901 Hopkins unsoldered his OWN soldering for the FIRST time. Okay, Lincoln changed coffins in 1871, but It’s my understanding that he did not change the lead inner coffin. Lewis wrote (p. 265): “It had been seen that the mahogany casket in which he had been brought from Washington was breaking up, and the committee substituted for it an iron coffin, a curiously ill-fated iron coffin, into which the inner coffin of lead was transferred.” And on p. 266 re. October 9, 1874 when Lincoln’s coffin was placed in the white marble sarcophagus and he again changed coffins: “The iron coffin was too long by inches for its new home, and a new OUTER coffin—a red cedar box—was brought.”