Mr. Lincoln's Opera Glasses-- Part 2

Continued from June 11th.

McCamly "picked them (the opera glasses) up and put them in his pocket. he stayed with the body until it was taken to the White House at which time...he returned to his quarters and...discovered he had the glasses."

In 1968, McCamly's great grandson was told by the National Park Service that the glasses fit nicely into an opera glass case that had been "picked up in the Lincoln box" which still has the black leather, red-satin-lined case in the NPS's Ford's Theatre Collection.

The former curator of the theatre's Lincoln artifacts, Gloria Swift, thinks the box belonged to Mary Todd, whose opera glasses weer also found in the box.

Many are skeptical of the McCamly story as doctors examined Lincoln in the theatre and doubt that the glasses would have still been on his person. However, the glasses have been tested in the collectors' market and found to be authentic. Sotheby's claims it is as close to authentic as you can get.

More to Come. --Old B-Runner