100 years ago in Spokane: In honor of his birthday, the few remaining city residents who had met President Lincoln shared their stories

In 1922, there were still a few aged Spokane residents who had met Abraham Lincoln in the flesh.

“I met and shook hands with Mr. Lincoln in 1862, on Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington D.C.,” wrote William H. Cook of Spokane. “Being a lad of 18 and having recently enlisted in the army, this greatest of all Americans stopped long enough to say, ‘Well, my little soldier, how are you today?’ ”

This was one of several letters received by the Spokane Daily Chronicle in which readers shared their memories on the occasion of Lincoln’s birthday.

Mrs. Will H. Wharf of Spokane said that she was born only 3 miles from Lincoln’s home in Illinois.

“On several occasions, I sat on the lap of Mr. Lincoln, then being about the age of 5 years,” Mrs. Wharf said.

Mrs. Sarah Davis said her family were near neighbors to Lincoln in Springfield. “As an infant, Mr. Lincoln held me in his arms many times.”

From the weather beat: Deep snow and high winds prevented any auto stages (buses) from getting from Spokane to Medical Lake, Reardan and Davenport.

Drifts up to 7 feet high made the roads west of the city impassable. The worst conditions were in the open country along the Sunset Highway.

Also on this date

(From the Associated Press)

1633: Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei arrived in Rome for trial before the Inquisition, accused of defending Copernican theory that the Earth revolved around the sun instead of the other way around.