The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-06-26
"ADA REHAN" STATUE HAS BEEN
REsuRREcTEp.
NERVE OF A JAYHAWkER
Writes to Governor TooIe lnquiring
Whether State Wants he Frand
for Exhibition.

When every loyal and patriotic
Montanan had begun to hope and be-
lieve that the world had forgotten
the miserable %caricature and fraud
that during the memorable year OF
grace 1908, caused the state to be-
come the joke of the nation, some.
thing occurs to bring the measley
thing into prominence once more and
again Montana musts uffer the para
grapher's slings and the shafts of the
irreverent. An ~unfeeling wretch has
resurrected the Ada Rehan" statue.
Worse than this, he gives advertise
ment to the horrible feca and threat
ems to sell the imposition at public
auction. This, of course, means the
greatest possible publicity and re-
newed shame for the proud state
whose reputation and pride were in
jured when a lot of fellows secured
the aid and comfort of a pot moulder
who turned out an effigy of cast iron
which they smeared over with silver
and then advertised as "a reproduc-
ton of a famous actress, in solid sill
yer" and then dubbed it ''the Montana
| statue"
Those who visited the Columbian
exposition need not be told anything
about the bow-legged parody on a
| clever actress and theinsult to the
state and one of it's greatest industries
exhibited there. Recollection of it is
still to vivid and reference to it be-
comes no less painful at this time,
for the layse of years has not healed
the wounds that honest pride su1er;
ed. For months it stod therer, the OBJ.
ject of contempt, while the people
of a wronged commonwealth suffered
under the smart of c~ondescendlne
pity, mingled with ill-concealed scorn
They were held responsible for the
~atrocity, the thousands who laughed
at it not knowing that it was repu
dated and disowned by those blamed
for it's existence.
After the fair closed poor Ada sanl
lower in the world. 1t was leased II
habberdashers and green grocers TO
exhibition in their shop windows
where it stood to be stared at by tn
yokel and made the subject OF n
alleged humor. From place to plac
!, it was carried and for a time the OWE
ers of the fakement reaped a goOdl
harvest of guilders from men who ha'
. not yet learned how to advertise. F
nally it was not wanted for even thi
base purpose and dropped from sigh
While they may have OCCASIONAL
wondered what had become of tn
thing, nobody was really sorry ths
it had disappeared from the worl'
for good and all time, they hoped.
Now comes a man from Topeka WI
claims that he was appointed receive
for the concer that exploited tt
fraud and that by an order OF cou
it was given into his possession. +
says it is to be sold, and with on
a Kansan's nerve writes to Govern
Toole to inquire whether Montal
does not want the thing for exhibitit
at the St. Louis fair. Common T
likeness required the governor to
ply to the insolent fellow and he {
knowledgcd his note.
With a righteousness that none
lieved him capable of, it is said
exceJlency intends to refer the matt
to the slate exposition commissit
The gentlemen composing that DO
have not as yet manifested any des
to court an early death, neither ha
they given any intimation of a WI
or intention to leave the state. G.
sequently it is probably safe to
sumo that Montana will not be cal,
upon to submit to a second siege
the ada Rehan statue"
Keeping Tab.
"You should sleep on your right 81