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The Hour of Peril

Harper's Magazine, March 9, 1861

Monday, we're telling the astonishing story of a plot to kill Abraham Lincoln on the way to his first inaugural. Our guest is biographer Daniel Stashower, who says the President-elect hadn't even left Illinois when the threats started to arrive. In 1861, it was hard for Lincoln to believe that political hatred could lead to murder. Legendary detective Allan Pinkerton believed though and it was his team of operatives that raced to thwart the "Baltimore Plot."

Daniel Stashower is a journalist, biographer and mystery writer. Among his books are The Beautiful Cigar Girl: Mary Rogers, Edgar Allan Poe, and the Invention of Murder and Teller of Tales : The Life of Arthur Conan Doyle. His new book is The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War.

Stashower recommends Edwin Fishel's book The Secret War for the Union: The Untold Story of Military Intelligence in the Civil War

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Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.