The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-12-20
THE GONZALES MONUMENT.
South Cardinals Memorial of True
and Fearless Editor Unveiled
Today.

Columbia, December 12.-The Con
zaies monument was unveiled today
with an interesting and impressive
ceremony in the presence Of a large
assemblage, among the crowd being
many distinguished visitors.
The shaft is Of granite and is beau
tiful in its simplicity and perfect SYM
metry, typical as it were Of the great
editors splendid character, his loving
heart his dauntless and mighty pen,
his ability to, see in clear proportion
and his strength and courage to fight,
TO move against the current. This
state needed him in his day, it needs
him now, it is profting from his eff
fort in a thousand ways, he yet lives
in the beauty Of his work and he has
a frnner hold in the hearts of mis-
countrymen than he ever had.
The shaft stands in the centre OF
Senate street recessed back few feet
from Sumter street, across which it
oyerlooks the capital grounds. 1t is
within the shadow of Trinity church,
and almost within q stones throw OF
the spot where the martyred editor
fell a victim to the asssssin's bullet
on January Is, 1903. The location
is about the prettiest in the beautiful
city he loved so well and helped to
build and caused to prosper.
The shaft is -25 feet high, the 20
foot square base it rests upon giving
it a total height Of 40 feet. It was
built by popular subscription, every
county in the State having contrib
uted. The Gonzales Monument asso-
citation, composed of patriotic men
and women Of the State, was the or
sanitation through which this popu-
lar feeling so we'll expressed itself in
the monument unveiled today.
s. For the exercises today there had
been erected around the stone a tenn
sporary stand for the accommodation
OF. !. especially invited guests. About
this stood a. large crowd Of citizens
who had gathered to pay tribute to
the lamented EDITORS worth, the
members Of the Columbia Chamber
of Commerce, the Knights of Pythias,
the typographical union and the en-
ployes generally Of the Columbia
newspapers attending in organized
bodies. Seated on the stand were the
members of the Gonzales Monument
association, members of the women s
auxiliary to this association, members
of the family Of the deceased, the
clergy Of the city and local and Wis
iting newspaper men.
Bishop Ellison Capers' opened the
exercises with prayer, after which
selected choir sang: "My Country
,Tis of Thee" President W. A. Clark
of the monument association then de.
liyered, an address and the monumen1
was finally unveiled. The grafton wa:
by Dr.. S. NJ. Smith of the First Pres
byterian church Then came tbs
formal delivery of the monument oS
Mr.. Clark to Mayor Gibbes, who re
ceived it in behalf of the city with :
short but feeling speech. The Rev
DR.. W. C. Lindsay of the First. Bap
tist church closed the ceremony witt
Ia benediction.
The inscriptions are tasteful, ap
propriate and interesting. On tn
west side this appears:
Erected
BY Popular Subscription
To the Worth and Service Of
n. G. Gonzales,
Born August 5, 1858,
Died January 13, 1908.
Faithful Unto Death.
On the north side the inscription IS
A Great Editor,
An Eminent Citizen,
,, An Honest Man.
Without Fear and Without Reproacr
His Fellow Citizens Rear this Monu
ument
To Perpetuate His Memory.
The lettering on the other side is
Founder and First Editor Of
1.-The State
For Twelve Years He Conducted it