Omaha daily bee., 1906-07-28
FIRST VISIT IN FIFTY YEARS
Dr. sanohs Of Detroit Views Omaha He
Knew half Century AGO
AMAZED At CHANGES TIME HAS WROUGHT
Venerable Visitor Heard Abraham
Lincoln Make Famous speech
Clearing ola Friends SON
of Murder Charge.

The visit Of DR.. H. sanche Of Detroit,
Mich, who Is staying at the Paxton hotel,
TO Omaha lie OF unusual interest to him. as
II brings him over a territory which he
has not passed through since the early
days. DR.. sanche has many "reminiscences
n relate OF the sos, when he first came
~ this section as a soldier. marching over
land TO Utah. where the Mormon troubles
were In progress. That was in 1856 and the
Young man had been in this country but
three yenrs. He had struck westward into
Illinois and enlisted there, but the trip
sull farther west ended abruptly at Coun-
Gil BLUFFS. as peace in Utah had been de-
clared
DR.. Sanche and bis wife arrived in
Omaha Thursday and he Immediately tried
TO establish some connection between the
big city he found here and the blank
shores Of the Missouri which he saw when
young man. He inquired about a village
where his regiment had camped for four
months on the Iowa side and which was
the end of the march. II probably was
Council Bluffs he had reference to. then
known Kanesville. Omaha, he said, he
Just heard mentioned In those days. He
was here again shortly after the civil war.
but not even then was there much here to
remember.
oh" Lincoln nj HeAruetOWms
However, in spite * the interest Omaha
people naturally take in stories about the
early days OF this neighborhood, DR..
Sanche becomes even more interesting in
the tales OF his young days when he speaks
of his life at Beardstown. Ill, where he
settled to practice medicine, because II was
there he saw Abraham Lincoln during the
session of the circuit court, ate at the
same table with him at the hotel, and is
among the few still living who heard the
great mans closing speech to the jury
when he was defending young Anderson on
q charge of murder.
Anderson and a companion named Metz
ger were charged with the murder of an
other young man. Metzger already had
been sentenced to the penitentiary from
Pekin, but a change Of venue had been
secured for Anderson to Cass county.
Young Anderson's father was the man who,
back In Sangamon county, had assisted
Lincoln In his laborious Notwithstanding,
and lincoln looked upon him much as a
father. The old man was dead then. but
when Lincoln heard of the trouble the son
= was In he FASTENED to lend his aid and re-
fused to accept any pay.
DR.. sanche tells how we'll he remembers,
, on entering the crowded court room, how
Mrs. Anderson sat at one end Of a long
table with Lincoln at the other, and how
she seemed TO annoy him greatly by loud
and furious talking across the table Of
what she was going to do to the sheriff
and everybody else.
Lawyer Gould Not Talk.
"She was a tall, lean woman, about 81
years old, with red hair and freckes, and
could talk any ones arm of. She was
Always talking Of the trial, and at meals
nothing else could be heard but her
harangue. Lincoln never had a chance to
talk, nor did the others.
II was not present during much of the
trial. but a friend Of mine told me when
the time came for Lincoln's closing speech
and / went over. remember very well
the trend OF the lawyers argument and its
simplicity makes 1t to me the best story
have ever heard of the martyr president
This was but a short time after the ex-
pIration OF Lincon's term as states at
torney for that district, and the trial drew
an immense crowd. Lincoln recounted Il
a jury OF young German-Americ1n Jurors
which he had selected, his close connec
ton with the family OF the accused. tbs
Kindness Of the father. and the debt h,
was trying to repay by defending the son
He almost put each one of the jurors OF
trial in place OF young Anderson, of who's
age they all were, and told them as Ions
as MetzgsF had already been sent to tn,
penitentary as the murderer, why senC
Anderson
Woman Hugs Lincoln.
ut was perhaps less than fifteen min
utes when the jury returned with tn
verdict not guilty. and Mrs. Anderson
turned toward Lincoln, threw her arm