The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-05-30
A TALK WITH MIR. GAGE.

Was Always a Pet Project of His to Build
the Monument.
It has been remarked elsewhere that
Mr.. Gage is very modest man. He had
no idea that any such prominence would
be given his splendid act of kindliness
toward his fallen comrades or it is likely
he would have shrunk from it.
The subject of such u monument has
long interested him. In speaking of it
he said to STATE JOURNAL reporter
today:
"lhe idea Of erecting monument to
the memory of the fallen warriors of the
Blue is not a new one nor was it sud-
den one. Mother was it original with
me. Soon after the battle. the subject
of a monument, to be erected by the
state, was discussed at large, and the leg
islature was asked for an appropriation
for it. but the bill got lost somewhere
and that's the last anyone has heard
of it."
SLOW did you happen to do it alone,
then?" asked'the reporter.
''lt was a question of affection and re-
spect with me- The men who
we're killed there were personal
friends of mine. We had been
young men together, chums, compan-
ions. They were heroes, for they fought
their fight most nobly, and gave their
lives 10 their country unfinchinglv.
did not think it right that the public
should be allowed to forget them. and
made up my mind some thirty years ago
that if the state did not do something
about it, l would.
this?"
"Not exactly. had thought 1 would
erect fitting one some day if l could
spare the money, but l had not felt able
to do it until last year."
when did you first begin your defin-
ite plans?"
Sometime last summer 1 formulated
some idea of what l wanted and told my
plans to Mr.. Guild. His firm took the
contract and we went to work Nothing
was done hurriedly. More than month
was spent on the plans alone
Did you have any particular monu-
ment in mind in making the design"
mo. the monument is entirely original
OF course some of the details were
copied. For instance, when the coat of
arms was first agreed on, man was sent
to Gettysburg to photograph the best
representations there. The photographs
were then sent to US for acceptance. The
contract allowed no looseness."
The design was practically your own
then?"
es, one might say that.
"Who directed the wording of the in
scriptions?"
81 did"
81 presume" observed the reporter,
"that when you first thought of the mon
ument you hardly expected demonstra-
tion like this
Mr.. Gage laughed. "No, did not"
he said; 81 had never thought any more
about it than that we would simply haul
the monument out there and put it up in
the same manner as a grave stone, but
the G. A. R. got wind of the matter and
insisted on making day of it. Decora-
ton Day was certainly the best day of
the year for it,
"How much did the monument cost?''
"Well, we don't know exactly. All the
bills are not yet in.'
"Will-it cost $1O,0o0?"
"Oh. no, not that. They were limited
to that, but they won't reach it."
'It cost more than $4,000 suggested
the reporter.
sob, yes; considerably more"
"Say about $8,0OO," guessed the re-
porter.
well, yes; about $8,OO0," said Mr..
Gage.
The reporter wondered why Mr.. Gage
had not made the presentation speech
himself and said so, to which Mr. Gage
replied:
'You see I am not much of speech
maker nor a reader. My brother is more
used to it SO let him do it." and Mr.
Gage smiled.
But Mr.. Gage has given Topeka and
| his comrades fine present.
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