Lincoln's sword replaced with replica

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill., May 13 (UPI) -- A Chicago sculptor created a replacement for a copper sword that was stolen and broken from Abraham Lincoln's tomb, officials said.

The 3-foot sword was stolen from Lincoln's tomb last fall by a teenager, the Chicago Tribune reported.

However, when police caught up to the thief, the sword was broken in two.

Marshall Svendsen, director of an art production house, volunteered to create a new sword from the pieces. The entire process for Svendsen and colleague Loc Hong about 40 hours.

Svendsen and Hong installed the finished product Friday.

"The whole experience was a real pleasure," Svendsen, 32, said Saturday. "I feel I've been compensated in how much attention the project has received and to be part of such an important historical monument."

This is the second time the sword has been replaced, the news report said. The original bronze version was stolen in the 1890s.