The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-09
A Hoodoo Has Hung Over
the Memorial for
Ten Years.
R. sCHMID GETS NO NEWS
Remarkable Mortality Among
the Ranks of Its
Promoters.
TWO MEN STILL INTERESTED.
The Sculptor Will Be the Loser if the
Bust and Ornaments Do
Not Materialize.
TWO MEN STILL INTERESTED.

A hoodoo seems to have hung over the
Grant monument from the time the idea
of erecting a monument to the famous
general was first started until the present
day.
The latest development in the history OF
the ill-fated monument is that the marble
busts and the bronze scrolls and orna-
ments which were being imported from
Europe have disappeared and no news has
been obtained of them for the last four
months. Rupert Schmid. the sculptor,
COMPLETED his heroic bust of Grant at Car
rara last spring. The bronze ornaments
to adorn the monument were also made
during Sehmid's visit to Europe, and like
the Christmas cheer of Little Billee and
his studio friends in "Trilby" the bust and
trimmings were dispatched by "petite
vitesse."
1t must have been the slowest of petite
vitesse''; tardier than the most tagging of
French freight trains, because the consign-
ment OF art goods was que in San Fran
cisco four months ago ana it still tarr les.
Letters have been sent by the anxious
sculptor and kilograms dispatched, but be-
yond the news that the Grant bust and the
bronze ornaments were sent on their way
by 'petlte vitesse," no news can be gath
cred of them. Schmid is still hopeful and
the committee has not yet begun to worry
for one reason-because there are very few
of them left to do so.
There is another feature of the hoodoo
hanging over the Grant monument,
namely, the extraordinary morta litv
among the promoters of the scheme for
clarifying great and good man. Ten
years ago last August twenty-eight Of the
City's most prominent men met together
- Il frr
Frandiose memorial to General Grant; to-
day, with few exceptions, these men have
passed beyond mortal ken. Leland Stan
ford was the president of the organization,
John +. Miller the first vice president and
J. c. Flood the second vice president.
Among the, other officers and the commit
tees there is only remnant left who have
not gone TO join the great majority.
Leland Stanford promised to give large
contribution if the sum of 100000 could
be raised, for the original idea was $780,
COO monument. But the scheme Ian
guished from its very initiation; no second
meeting OF the committee was held and
the $2361 65 which had been at first sub
scribed remained in the bank year after
year at compound interest, but otherwise
without being added to by single cent.
1t was nearly ten years later that three
OF the survivors OF the original organiZa-
tion-Isaac Hecht, C. O'Connor and Theo-
utilize the money by erecting a monument
on much humber plan than the original
conception. Since that time Isaac Hecht
has also died.
1t was decided to enrich Golden Gate
Park with pile of masonry, ornamented
with devices in bronze and surmounted by
a heroic bust of General Grant. Sculptor
Schmid received the contract for design
that was symmetrical and artistic. His
plaster cast for the bust was life-like and
imposing likeness of General Grant, and it
was believed that when the work was
wrought in marble it would prove an orna-
ment to the City. In marble Schmid
wrought it at Carrara, he caused the work
of art to be carefully packed in strong
wooden and iron castings, and secure in
its firm packing he had it dispatched by
'petite vitesse" and returned to California
to await its arrival. Other busts that
Schmid dispatched from Carrara arrived
months ago-the Montgomery busts the
Barron busts and the bust of Cover
nor Downey-but the bust of General
Grant. where is it2 Another question is :
VIII General Reichert and G. O'Connor
tempt fate by making another effort to
secure a Grant monument for San Fran
ciScO2