The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-10
THEY KNEW LINCOLN
WICHITA MEN WHO GAME IN CON.
TACT WITH HONEST ABE

| Anecdotes of Him--Nicholas Bird and
His Experience With Abe on His Native
Heath-Farmer Doolittle and Lincoln's
Words on Slavery-L. b. Speed, Who. as
Some of His Franks.
Next Tuesday is Lincoln day all over
the country. It is the anniversary of
Abraham Lincoln's birthday. 1t is sing
ular that many men in Wichita came
| in contact with the greatest of all
presidents, and that so many are still
living, each TO tell how the hero i'm
pressed him.
| Among them are Nicholas Bird, Far
mer Doolittle and L. 3. Speed. Mr..
| Birds rememberances of Lincoln are
interesting and have the valuable ele-
ment of newness. Farmer Doolittle
| saw Lincoln on his native heath and his
| anecdotes are of historical worth. L.
! B. Speed, a son of Attorney General
| Speed. was a boy when he knew Lincoln
and his estimate Of the man We're with
a boys eyes and mind.
The experiences of the three men are
given:
HOW BIRD KNEW HIM
Mr.. Nicholas Bird said yesterday:
ut is related of Maccaulay that when
necessary, he would travel hundreds of
miles and examine every newspaper.
pamphlet, and manuscript he could
find, in order to be accurate in very
line of his great history of England.
Among the authenticated facts in
Abraham Lincoln's life, are-that he
was born Kentucky on the 18th Of
February. 1909. raised in Indiana, lived
in Illinois until the year 1861; was clerk
in country store; rail splitter; fiatboat
man; lawyer; president of the United
States; assassinatd; and buried at
Springfield, Illinois. If to this record,
1 can contribute single fact which
may aid the future historian in describ-
ing the personnel of the man, who
above all others led us from the posi-
ton that negro slavery should forever
remain the corner stone of the Amerl-
can republic, to absolute freedom for
all, the purpose of this article will be
accomplished. 1t is often easy To re-
member the occurrences of forty years
ago, while we fail to remember those
of recent date. and that is especially
so when the intervening years have
added Importance to the man or the in
cident not imagined at first.
In the early SOS I held the response
BILE position of printers devil in the
Star" newspaper office at Cincinnati,
Ohio, of which John A. Gurley was pro-
prietor and editor, and in d few years l
had charge of the business affairs of
the office. AS we'll as l can remember,
it was in the fall of year 1855 had in
structionS to represent Mr.. Gurley
business interests as far west as Des
Moines, Iowa, and there being then
very few miles of railroad in Indiana
or Illinois, and not a single mile in
Iowa, the horse back route was Hob
sons choice, and to boy under twenty
a journey of over eight hundred miles
each way, and all alone, was an i'm
menSe affair.
ACROSS THE PATHLESS PRAIRIE.
Il followed the old national road
through Richmond, Indianapolis, and
Terre Haute, and thence westward to
my destination The population of
Illinois did not exceed half that of Kan
sas at the present time. and her future
seemed to depend mainly upon the conf
pletion of the Illinois Central-which
was then under way-and the posi-
tility of a railroad from Chicago TO
Gaiena, which it was commonly said
was too great an enterprise for west
ern state and that it was not probable
III
than one ride of over thirty miles across
the painless, grand prairie, without
seeing house, fence Or furrow-nothinS
but the tall grass. and occasionally
when near q river or creek, a ciump OF
red plum trees, while the quail. prairie
chicken, antelope and the boisterOuS
horse-f1y, big as bee and twice as ag
gresSive, kept constant company with
the lone traveller.
When night came and no tavern in
sight the substantial, unpretendinS
log house with the latch string out
side" and a hearty welcome from peo-
pie who always appeared Well stocked
with civility and captivating intelli-
gence, was easily found. Paris, Bloom
ington and Decatur. which Were then
centerS only because they We're county
seats, and had the court house and tav-
erns, and perhaps fifty families each,
are now pretentious cities and have
public institutions comparing favora-
bly, with those of the principal cities
of the United States at that day.
II think / was ten days out, when /
reached the eastern border of Spring
field, and it being Saturday afternoon
l was anxious to find good quarters I'M
til the following Monday. AS l neared
the center of the town, noticing tall
man of about middle age, wearing a
heavy gray shawl, such as were COM
monty worn by gentlemen at that
time, whom thought could give me the
information l desired, l checked my
horse and / said:
LINCOLN WANTED TO KNOW.
Mister. can you tell me where I'll
find a good TAVERN" The answer was,
The - hotel is near by, and the
City hotel is about four blocks further
off" After returning thanks l made
for the City hotel. 1t was easy to I'M
stand that my friend was not a runner
for hotels. but that by travelling a few
blocks / would be well suited. After
breakfast Sunday morning l was seat
ed in the hotel office-a room about 12
by 10 feet nearly half of which was cut
off by a counter and paling, and which
was used as a safe place for saddle
bags. lanterns. whips. etc, and also as
the sanctum of Mr.. Johnson. who was
proprietor and clerk. The same man
who had answered my inquiry Satur-
day afternoon was an early caller. and
after examining the hotel register, ne
wrote on a card and handed il TO Mr..
Johnson; the card was sent upstairs,
and within a few minutes a gentleman
came into the office. The two men Were
strangers to each other but they i'm
mediately engaged in friendly CONVEX
sation 1 soon learned the guest was a
member of the famous Hutchinson
Family, who were known throughout
the country as singers of abolition
songs, and also that the gentleman
who called was one Of the audience
and greatly enjoyed the songs. The
questions and answers throughout the
conversation, which lasted an hour or
more. were exceedingly interesting.
What description OF people usually
attended the concerts? What appeared
to be the impression produced? What
difference OF opinion respecting the sub
ject Of slavery appeared TO exist be-