Spray-Painting Vandals Deface Lincoln Tomb

Vandals attacked the Lincoln Tomb with spray-painted swastikas and obscenities, police said Sunday.

Police Lt. Mike Geiger called it “random and mindless vandalism.”

The walls on the observation deck and the base of the Lincoln bust that greets visitors at the entrance to the tomb were spray painted. Human excrement and a T-shirt were found on the observation deck.

The damage to the monument was found by Lincoln Tomb staff early Sunday. Black plastic sheets will cover the paint until it can be removed, officials said.

Lincoln, the nation’s 16th president, is buried in the tomb with his wife, Mary Todd, and three of his four sons, Edward, William and Thomas. The fourth son, Robert, is in Arlington National Cemetery.

Lincoln spent most of his adult life in Springfield, where he practiced law before leaving for the White House. His body was returned to Springfield after his assassination in April 14, 1865.

The monument was built between 1869 and 1874 and features a 117-foot obelisk. It attracts 100,000 to 200,000 visitors annually to Oak Ridge Cemetery.