The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-01-09
TO NAL THE TOMB OF HERO.
Monumen TO Be Erected on the Grave of
Cen. John c. Fremont.


Monumen TO BE Erected on the Grave of
Gen. John C. Fremont.
In the Ifar west, a mountain, capped
with eve Tasting snow, is an enduring
monumenHAto Gen. John c. Fremont,
and it is pw proposed that he shall
have one the east. The Associated
Pioneers Ri the territorial days of Cal
itornia hive started a movement to OBJ
tain funds for statue to be erected
on the gfaye of the pathfinder" who
made it Possible to settle the states of
the Paoi ic coast and who preserved
the terri DRY for the United States.
The final interment of Fremont's re-
mains tobk place in 1894. He died in
the city Z New York July -, 1890. The
body wa placed temporarily in the
vault of trinity church and was after
ward rem owed to the receiving tomb of
Rockland cemetery on the Hudson. The
site selected for his grave overlooks Tap
pan Zee and the Hudson. The pam
Drama Of nature, which the great ex-
plorer loved so well, is no more beauti
full on amy spot on the globe. The
quaint little villages of Hastings, Dobb's
Ferry, Irvington, Tarrytown and Sing
Sing are on the opposite shore. In the
distance the waters of Long Island
sound add to the beauty of the location.
The long delay between Gen. Ere
mont's 18th in 1890 and his burial in
1894 ar N part because it was unde-
ter, ether to lay his body in the
IL
| earth or in & mausoleum to be erected
above ground, and the final determine
ton was not reached until the fall of
1894, when Mrs. Fremont made a re-
quest to have the remains taken from
the receiving tomb and laid to rest in
the ground-''in the open air, for suns
and SHOWS to fall upon his grave, as he
so often unfinchingly met them in his
life of toilsome duty DONE"
1t was Mrs. Fremont's wish to have
| the final interment private and without
publicity, but his old comrades in arms
and others who loved and revered his
memory felt that the name of Fremont
and his remains belonged to the nation,
and that they should be permitted to
attend his burial In Difference to this
feeling the final interment and services
| incident thereto took place under the
auspices of the Associated Pioneers.
When the question of erecting a me-
mortal was spoken of at the grave of tho
Pathfinder, and afterwards more fully
discussed at the annual meeting of the
| pioneers, the opinion obtained that
very many, if not all of the early day
| Californians, would feel it to be a priv
| ilege and also duty to cooperate with
| the Associated Pioneers in contributing
and in raising funds necessary for n
monument. The opinion was also ex-
pressed that if the general public were
invited to contribute to this grateful
and patriotic work a fund sufficient to
erect a very expensive and imposing
structure, monument worthy of The
man, would be readily contributed; out
upon the suggestion that this great
publicity would probably wound the
feelings and the sensitiveness of Mrs
| Fremont, it was deemed best to confine
the cost of the monument to $4,000,
and also confine the movement to the
pioneers Of California, as also his mill
tary, political and personal friends.
Mrs. Fremont was notified and sent
| the following answer:
This will assure you that the idea of
u memorial by the Pioneers and Loyal
Legions is entirely congenial to my
feelings, and for some reasons better
than any personal memorial. The gen
eral did belong to his country, and did
do it great and unseltish service, and,
while | could not ask, l can value and
thankfully accept so appropriate and
friendly a tribute"
| Upon receiving this response num-
Der of artists and sculptors were asked
to submit designs for monument that
would express artistica!ly and Impress
lively the following story:
| In Fremont's first expedition across
the continent in 1912 they had made the
ascent of what is called Fremont's
peak, now in Wyoming, where, by act
of legislature, it is reserved as a state
park.
Returning to their camp of deposit
near a great rock 1000 miles beyond
the Mississippi, to which the national
name of Rock independence" has since
been given, he wrote:
Here, not unmindful of the custom
of early travellers and explorers in our
country, l engraved on this rock of the
far west a symbol of the Christian faith
i made on the hard granite the i'm
preston of a large cross, which I COW
cred with black preparation of india
rubber, well calculated to resist the in
fuence of wind and rain"
a number of designs were received;
several of them were very artistic and
beautiful, but the design submitted by
Mrs. Clio Hinton Huniker, of this city,
whose genius and fame as a sculptor
will soon become worldwide, was unan-
imously preferred and accepted. The
statue is to be of heroic size and the feet
of the figure will be OH a pedestal II
feet high, making the total height OF
the monument % feet.-Chicago Trib-
une.
The Indian Sold Him His Own Grain.
A good story is told by Jim QuiDlan
of Isaac d. Smith, who was post trader
of Casa Blanca, on the ella river, rs
years ago. 1t was after harvest, and