The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-10-07
CORNER STONE LAID WITH
MUCH CEREMONY.
is WITNESSED BY MANY
Mayor Maginnis As Principal Speaker
Eloquently Tells Of Dead Gov.
ernor's Virtues.

Helena, Mont, Oct. 6.-Many citi-
zens of Montana, including represen-
tatives of every quarter of the state,
gathered at the state capitol this
forenoon and followed with eager in
terest the ceremonies incident to the
laying of the corner stone of the mon
ument that is to be erected to the
memory of General Thomas Francis
Meagher, former governor of Mon
tana, and known throughout the II
try as a brave soldier and an orator
whose power to way his hearers was
marvellous.
The monument is to stand in the
walk leading from Sixth avenue to
the main entrance to the capitol, and
here the exercises were held, being
opened with a brief address by James
H. Lynch, of Butte, president of the
Meagher Memorial association. Mr..
Lynch spoke of the organization of a
state association in 1898 and recited
the successive steps in the life of the
organization leading up to the present
date, including the letting of the con-
tract for the bronze equestrian statue
which is to surmount the massive
pedestal.
It is stipulated that the statue is to
be in place by June 10, 1905, and the
unwilling exercises are to take place
on the Fourth of July. The cost OF
the monument complete will be about
SIT, 200, more than half of which has
been raised by popular subscription.
Gather to Honor.
Major Martin Maginnis followed
with an eloquent tribute to General
Meagher. Opening, he said it was
eminently proper that this assem-
blage should gather at the capitol OF
the state to do honor to the memory
Of General Meagher by placing the
corner stone of the first monument
erected there to the memory of the
first officer of the territory, who lost
his life while in the performance of
his duty to the commonwealth in pro-
tecting the pioneers from the Indians.
George Irwin, of Butte, prominent
among the pioneers of Montana, fol-
lowed with a brief tribute to General
Meagher, in which he dwelt upon his
services to the territory. 81 had"
Mr.. Irwin said, "the honor of his &C.
quaintance. He was an, honorable
man and helped the community in the
early days. He performed his duties
faithfully and we'll. He vas a patriot,
full of humor, magnanimity and pa
thos, and altogether a man with
whom it was a great privilege to have
had personal acquaintance"
Former Senator Thomas H. Garter
was then called upon. to preside over
the exercises, having been named as
one of the committeeman, with John
T. Murphy and R. c. Wallace to raise
$4,000 of the fund in Lewis and
Clarke county.
This closed the exercises. 1t was
expected that Governor Joseph K
y Toole would deliver an address, but
he was unable to be present, having
gone to Kalispell Wednesday night te
begin his campaign tour of the state
Box Of Relics.
The corner stone if 5x2x6 feet il
size and weighs about two tons. II
the copper box deposited in the re
ceptacle were placed recent numbers
of the daily papers of the state,
copy of the Montana Catholic, volume
/ of the state historical society, a G
A. r. button contributed by Wads
worth post Of Helena, which .attende.
the exercises a loyal legion butto1
contributed by Major Maginnis an,
several other articles.
A Flower Book of Real flowers.