The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-24
An $1,000 BOOK.
Mrs. Lydia Ely of Milwaukee Was
Paid This Big sum for One.


Milwaukee, sept. Alt IS not very often
that a book of purely moderrD manufacture
brings the round sum OF eight thousand
hard American dollars. but that is just
what Capt. Pabst of Milwaukee paid the
other day, setting the price himself. for
as sumptuous and interesting a volume as
ever adorned a library table. NOW. Capt.
Psbst is not bibIiomaniac. but he is
something better. a generous hearted, pa
triotic citizen of these United States, ana
when Mrs. Lydia Ely of Milwaukee ap-
preached aim with the story of her he
ioic cudeavOrs 10 raist $4,000 necessary
for a fitting soldiers monument in her
city, she found a deeply interested lis
teusr. Mrs Ely had undertaken her task
s.ES.e-handed. and by fairs, b. raffles.
by solicitations and dozens of ingenious
devices. known TO an enterpTising. ener-
Setic tactful. feminine mind, she mad ac-
cumulated a sum that il takes many men
q lifetime 10 hoard. Armed with a know
ledge of the sacredness of her cause
and with a collection of autographs of
the most prominent men and women of
the day, she laid her project before Capt.
pabst. Those carefully gathered auto
graphs she proposed to bind in one vol
ume. ana from the sale of ii add 10 her
big monument fund That Mrs. Ely ex-
pectsd snug sum for this quite unpar-
alleled production of most valuabl hui
man documents, was natural enough, but
the reply she got 10 her proposition was
characteristic of the man she had ap-
preached. He did not ask at what the
nook was valued. how much she hoped
Tor nor his own estimate OF it.
What Is needed 10 complete the fund
for tho monument inquired his gentle
man. who once, from sheer love aud be-
lief IN the American solder. bought up
$4,000 worth of grand stand seats at one
OF the q. \. r. national enca mpments and
then gave the seats back again.
Mrs Ely admitted that 5000 was
required for the monument done by John
Severino Conway, and that. said Capt
Pabst was what he would give to own the
| book Of autographs In June the monu-
ment admittedly one of the finest in The
United States. was unveiled in Milwaukee
and not long since a huge pigskin-bound.
silver-ciasped volume containing $50
pounds of precious autographs was de-
lvered Capt. Pabst by the bookbinder
Aside from the almost romantic patri-
otto zeal displayed by the collector of the
tones invaluable contents and the not less
patriotic generosity of its purchaser and
owner, the book itself aside from all its
associa tons, is a unique wonder. Cap
tains generals. admira,s, Presidents
judges. actors. authors artists and must
cans all responded 10 Mrs. Elys request
when her motive was explained and
though here and there rather aimless in
appropriate quotations are given. in the
majority the signatures are accompanied
by gracefully fitting sentiments.
"A soldiers monument would be like
soldiers fortune were his only tool the
sword" enthusiastically writes Capt
Charles King. Fighting Bob" Evans
charmugly inscribes above his name that
A patriotic woman is the best thing in
the world" ard from his poem, The Ad-
vance Guard, Secretary of State John Hay
quotes a verse
In flowing, delicate hand. Admiral
George Dewey. with the simple straight
forwardness of man of action, writes