Time Capsule in Downed Lee Statue Said to Contain Photo of Lincoln’s Dead Body Not Found

Before the massive Confederacy-glorifying Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond, Virginia, was erected in 1890—131 years before its long-awaited removal on Wednesday—builders stowed a time capsule in its base. Since the Lee likeness was pulled from its podium this week, searchers have been looking for the mysterious object, but now say they have no idea where it is. It’s thought that a copper time capsule was inside or under a cornerstone of a 40-foot tall granite pedestal that the statue was hoisted upon. After a 12-hour search Thursday, officials admitted defeat. Gov. Ralph Northam’s chief of staff, Clark Mercer, said: “It’s disappointing not to find the time capsule... We looked where we thought it was. It doesn’t preclude [us] in the future from finding it, but for right now, the mystery will continue.” According to the Associated Press, a newspaper article from 1887 suggests that the capsule contains a U.S. silver dollar, a collection of Confederate buttons, as well as a “picture of Lincoln lying in his coffin.”