Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation Owes Big $$$

[L Verge]

Wow! Didn't know all this was going down, only that the provenance of the hat was in question and that there was still a large debt to pay off after the acquisition of the Taper Collection. Knowing Louise Taper, that transaction was done in good faith on her part, I'm sure. Of course, there is always hanky-panky behind large deals like this -- and the State of Illinois is not known for running a perfect ship in many areas...

I have had only a few communications with James Cornelius, but I did find him helpful and courteous. In fact, without my contacting him, he offered moral support years back when I was being sued by the owner of a spurious "deathbed" photo of Lincoln. Why do I get the feeling that Mr. Cornelius might be a pawn in the "Lincoln hat" controversy? When that amount of money is involved, someone has to be the sacrificial lamb. I just hope that the ALPLM hss solid evidence to justify this firing.

BTW: The question of DNA testing seems ludicrous at this stage of the game and did come back with no firm conclusion. I have one question - Did Abraham Lincoln use macassar oil to control his hair? Most men of means during the 1800s used it. If he did, would traces of the oil remain in the interior of the hat? Was it detected during the testing? Could residue of it skew the test results? This inquiring mind wants to know...