Los Angeles herald., 1905-10-29
Monument to Jefferson Davis

A n event of more than passing in
| II terest throughout the southern
states will be the laying of the
cornerstone of the Jefferson Davis mon
ument which will take place in Rich
mond, Va, November s, under the aus
pices of the United Daughters of the
| Confederacy. In the old capital of the
Confederacy lofty monuments have al
ready been reared to George Washing
ton, Robert +. Lee, Stonewall Jackson.
| Henry Clay and others. Soon after the
death of Mr.. Davis the veterans started
a subscription fund to erect a fitting
memorial Years passed and finding the
| fund was increasing but slowly they de-
cided to ask the women of the south to
assume the task. In 1896 at the reunion
of the confederate veterans in Rich
mond a cornerstone was laid for the
monument in Monroe park with elab
crate ceremonies in the presence of
distinguished coterie of southern SOL
diers.
At the convention of the United
Daughters of the Confederacy assem-
bled in Richmond in 1899 a committee
| from the veterans appeared before the
convention and requested the Daugh-
ters to take on themselves the arduous
| undertaking. The veterans had in hand
! $4,000. This they turned over to the
Daughters and the band of noble women
have shown untiring energy. In five
years they have augmented the sum to
$4,000 and now have that amount in
hand. Serious and difficult obstacles
have been surmounted and at last the
dark clouds have been lifted. The city
| of Richmond has given the Site-a
beautiful location in the west end on
| Franklin street. at the intersection of
Lombardy, in close vicinity to the hand
some monument of Gen. r. e. Lee.
J 1o, l., Al
chosen by the veterans at the begin
ming of the movement, q second select
ed in Richmond in 1902, and finally the
present design chosen at a meeting of
the executive committee in 1903.
The monument will be made of gran
lite, with ornamentations of bronze. 1t
will be a colonnade of thirteen Doric
columns, seventeen feet high, edged
with a Doric frieze decorated with
Doric triglyphs and bronze seals of
all the states which took part in the
| secession. The colonnade terminates
at each end in massive pier four feet
square, surmounted by bronze tro-
phies, composed of Confederate flags
shields, drums, cannon, etc. The en-
tire width across the colonnade is forty
eight feet. AT the base of the column
on the inside of the colonnade is a
| stone course, which forms a continuous
seat around 1t. The seat stands on a
course raised a couple of steps above
the pavement floor of the main enclosed
portion of the monument
The figure of Mr.. Davis will stand on
a pedestal raised about twelve feet
above the. sidewalk. The top of the
pedestal will be at the level of the base
of the main shaft, which also stands
on big base. The main shaft is fluted
with plain spaces at intervals for in
scriptions. Bronze letters back of the
| figure of Mr.. Davis will read "To JEFF
ferson Davis, President of the Confed-
crate States, 1S61-1S65." Above this in
bronze will be the great seal of the Con-
| federacy about twenty inches in diam
eter, and a band of thirteen bronze
stars. The next inscription will be
Fort Sumter and BetheT'-the begin
ming of the war. In large bronze letters
above the capital of the main shaft will
be the motto of the Confederacy, "Deo
Vindice" God Being the Vindicator).
This will be surmounted by heroic
figure seven feet high, representing the
south The right hand is raised and
points heavenward, while the left rests
on her shield, which bears the crossbars
of the Confederacy