Sources and Footnotes

Sources

This section was written using The Beacon News archives and Chicago Tribune historical archives.

Footnotes

n Because of space limitations, the role of Kane County Sheriff W.E. Orr was downplayed in these stories. While not as involved as Michels, Orr and his officers actively investigated the crime, including pumping the Batavia quarry dry in a search for Lincoln’s body, according to the May 7, 1923, Beacon News.

n According to the May 2, 1923, Beacon, Orr’s men also followed up on reports about a handless, badly burned body found on a lonely Geneva road a few weeks before Lincoln disappeared. Although the body was displayed for several weeks in the coroner’s office, no one identified the man, and the body was later buried, unclaimed.

n The details about the Abrams test came from the May 10, 1923, edition of the Beacon. The same paper notes that the energy for the test comes from the magnetic waves of the Earth, which were contained within the blood.

n According to the May 5, 1923 edition of the Beacon, Milo Durand supposedly submitted another green personal ad to the Chicago Tribune. The letter said: “Geor. J. — I am in Seattle. Quit W.J. for keeps. Come. Lina.” Unable to find the writer for confirmation, the Tribune rejected the note, thinking it was code for a spy.