The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-12-13
MONTANA SILVER STATUE
The Chicago Lady Who Desires 70
Pose Is an Old Resident OF
Montana.
Her Name Is Mrs. A. I. Beach and
She Is Going on the
Stage.
In an Interview She Tells How IT Was She
Sent Her Picture to Executive Com
missioner Bickford.

Several weeks ago THE INDFPEaDEsT
a story TO the effect that Executive
Commissioner Bickford, Of the board of
Worlds fair managers. had received two
photographs from a lady now living In Chi
cago, but formerly n resident OF Helena,
who desired to Jose aa n model for the
statue OF Justice. Tho lady re-
quested that her name be kept secret, and
this Mr.. Bickford did. Hundreds of Hell
sna people had their curiosity aroused and
many were the guesses az to the identity OF
tie lady. Last Saturdays Chicago Herald
has a two column story about the Montana
model. illust nted with a cut Of the mys-
terious Montana Indy. who proves TO be
Mrs. A. i. Beach. y Tn lady is and hhs
been for nearly two'years a student at Prof.
Kayzsr's conservatory and lives ut 5l
Wabash avenue. TH~EINDKPESDENT gave a
description of the lady as she appeared
from her photograph, Here is the Herald
reporters description of her az she ap-
peated to MIN in life:
at was a woman of rare beauty that
came down stairs to the rarlor OF the
Wabash avenue boarding house in response
to the request OF a reporter for the Herald
TO see Mrs. Beach. She ia about five feet
seven inches in height. A face lovely in its
expression and perfect in its lines Ia sur
mounted by a luxurious mass OF dark brown
hair. Her mouth is small, the lips red and
inclined to tirmness. The nose is Grecian
and the eyes q hazel of peculiar depth and
marvellous expression. Her head rests upon
we'll rounded and sloping shoulders in elias.
sic poiss. The hand is small and perfect
in outline. 1t takes a No. "a shoe to incase
the dainty foot that peeped last night from
beneath the rustling skirts. Mis-. Beach
Possesses u figure that will delight the
artist
Then the paper describes the meeting
with Mrs. Beach as follows:
''The Herald is informed, Mrs. Beach,"
suid tina lady's visitor. that You have
been selected as the model for Montana's
silver statue of justice"
M, q. Beach almost Ieaped from her chair,
go great was her stonishment. She looked
at her visitor with wide-open, wondering
ey es, then sat down with a graceful sudden.
meas, and exclaimed: "You astound me!
Why-you eay-me. 1t is the most remark
able news that could come to me-"
"1hen you had not been informed OF the
decision of the conmitteeY"
mo, indeed. Why. you take my breath
away"
'PleR6e tell me now You came 10 Do b
candidate for the honor"
Mrs. Beach told her story in n decidedly
charming way. At times her dainty foot
would beat the carpet in excitement, and
then when a humorous incident connected
with the affair would occur to her her face
| would break into dimples, and the room
! would echo with ripplinR laughter
Il said she: "A friend of mine read in the
papers that the Montana judges wanted
portraits of Montana wemen willing to pos
for ths statue. Ibis ftlend is impressed
y with the idea that ! am-well. not ',osi
nv portrait. We had a good deal of fur
o over this for two or three days. She kept
: urging me to send my picture. and at last
e purely as a jest, | consented. We wen,
t down to Miss Garrity's studio and there
8 posed in accordance with the commission
e eer's directions. All! if you were a girl ant
could have seen us in that studio. YOU
: never could guess what that drapery ia. l
q ID a sheet,' and the fair model laughed
r until the tears started from her brillian
ewes. such a time as we had pinning l
about me-"
II had two pictures taken-one a from
view and the other a profile. After the.
had been forwarded to Montana l received
n several papers. They spoke real NIGEL,
about my personal appearance. One write
remarked the fact that in neither photo
graph was my foot shown, and then SAT-
that although / was a Montana girl my fee
q must have become of a Chicago size and re
oulred much drapery to hide them. Hor
ID rid, wasn't it," and the gi \ to be done II
d silver involultarily glanced DOWNWARD
- This reporter couldn't have helped dom
- likewise, and be didn't Try. What he say
. was n perfectly fitting boot, of l~ilirutial
. dimensions, and the presumi ton ID tina
T. the share and size of the piiable kid re
x fiected the size and shape of the usefu
!" member il continued.
.,Whan raai Tint. t"9Ip0rAnhed TIL
:. commissioners TO give them TO unGe stan
that such Il statement WAS out and OF
u slander," and again Ears. Bench's peals C
y, laughter made the air ripple.
II sent them this releRiam: 'Two-and-t
l. half shoe. No sandal, hence foot covered
30 Now, rn tell you how 1T came. l had thu
sheet. and that's all the 'Grecian' atti .
1t did have. Wouldn't l have looked a friaf
III to have shown Il leg iaoased In tlah'
through the drapery with a street shoe
the owe extremity? NV! that would ha,
been dress reform with a venpeance.
O. didn't have a sandal. and 80 ! covered IL
ks foot"
you might have, ah-removed the shoe.
Va suggested the visitor. -.
~ Mrs. Beach laughed again, and 1t IN to I
"a suspected that 1t was AT the reporter tn
" time. At any rate abe said something
ey the effect that anoieut maidens-maidens
"a ancient times, to be exact-wsre suppose
ks to have some kind of foot gear. Then 81
PC continued; II fecolVed a ietter from MOI
Ill tana a fow days ago telling mo to expect
visit rom Commissioner Bickford. Hon
bright, had no idea what he was comii
for. i can hardly believe yet they ha'
W selected me-"
tn "Why not?"
p" "Well-why-now that's funny que
to tion."
viii you pose if selected?"
why, u SUPPOSE so. II 10 really
honor, you know M then am e Mo
tana girl and l love my state. If they wa
re- me to pose for the statue all right. 1t nj
nd then again all right. ! might do on
i.- pinch"
II" do? of course you-"
&C. eyes, | know. and of course you are We
Der kind TO say it ana l only hope others "
Jay think the same"
Oh Mrs. Beach has been studying at the co
servatory for about two years. She PC
eesses histrionio talent to II remarkable
:, gree and il immensely popular with proft
ite- sors and fellow students. She lives in
tho most quiet way at her boarding place, a
according to everyone having knowledge
her career her whole life ia bound up in |
art. Competent critics predict for her
ss- career of unlimited stage triumphs. s
leir