The San Francisco call., 1907-03-07

| me IOT0EOlnk LdDulatcQ ol6tCAAS~e
shows the result of the final count or
the ballots for the second series OF The
Calls $4,000 gold prize contest. In
order to have the definite announcement
of the winners of the prizes for the
| second period appear on time. IL was
necessary for the contest editor 10
absent himself from his desk in The
Call Office yesterday and lock himseir
up in a room where he would be rree
! from interruptions. With the assistance
1 of two good arithmeticians he verined
| the votes so as to make sure that no
mistake would be made in the award
! ing of the prizes.
i Every one Of the thousands of ball
lots cast was carefully inspected to see
that the number of votes 1T called for
| corresponded with the amount of the
subscription and the length of time
paid for The figures were all care
/ fully gone over and checked UP, not
only once, but thrice, to make sure that
| every contestant got credit Tor the
exact number of votes he or she was
entitled to-no more and no less Every
ballot has a special registry number.
making it impossible to duplicate IL
or to vote the same subscription more
| than once.
| 1t was a long and tedious task 70
complete the official count and 1t was
not finished until late hour last night,
but barring possible typographical err
rors, 1t is believed to be absolutely cor
rect as given above. The ballots and
all data bearing upon them are open
| to the inspection of any one who may
question the correctness of the count,
and If any error is detected and proved
The Call will be very glad to correct
| It and make any amends that the cir
cumstances may call for.
1t was the intention to send the
checks for the gold prizes to the win
ners today, but as the result is very
| close between some contestants who
may question the correctness of the
official count, payment of the prizes
will be withheld until next Saturday,
in order to allow reasonable time for
the correction of mistakes il any can
be pointed out.
SQUARE DEAL FOR ALL
There is an Impression in the minds
/ of some people. perhaps due TO ex-
perience, that all newspaper contests
are not conducted on the square, The
Call determined at the outset that
whatever might be the history of such
| contests in San Francisco, the public
i should have a demonstration that at
least one newspaper could conduct a
contest in which air promises would be
! fulfilled and exact justice meted out to
1 all contestants.
The Call is not among the "welch-
! ing" class of journals that promise
much in the way of prize distribution
and give little or nothing after the
contestants have earned their rewards.
There is no string to any portion of the
/ $4,000 in gold that The Call has prom
| ised to contestants. Two thousand dol
/ lars of this grand sum has already
gone into the pockets OF contestants.
! without protest that the awards were
~ &r1
with promises. Another $4,000 will be
! distributed In like manner before the
lclose of the present week, and to cap
/ the climax, $4,000 more will be award
| ed on or about April 1S, the anniver-
| sary of the great San Francisco disas-
/ ter, as a fitting celebration of the
| speedy recovery of The Call and San
| Francisco.
Although but $4,000 has been prom
Used to contestants, The Call is giving
them considerably more than that sum
lin the aggregate, as special cash
Icommission Is paid to contestants on all
lnew subscriptions secured by them. AS
1.-THE proportion of new business is very
large, as compared with the whole.
many of the contestants are making a
nice profit aside from the regular prizes
that they win.
ERRORS CORRECTED
In only a few instances does the Of
| fetal count vary from the preliminary
estimate of the winning scores as pub
llished a few days ago. A bad mistake
was made in the score of Miss Tillie
Hartz of Danville in the preliminary
count, gain of 10000 having been set
down inadvertently as 1900, and her
position in the list Of prize-winners was
| therefore given as No. instead of No
IN. This circumstance does not, how
ever, entitle her to any greater prize
| according to the plan of awards Miss
/ 5artz has proved herself one of the
most popular as we'll as most energetic
of the country contestants, and the rec
ord that she has made during the short
| time that she has been engaged in the
! contest was very .creditable one.
1 with the sole exception of Miss
Hartz. the positions of the other prize
| winners are the same as given in the
| preliminary estimate published last
! Monday, though there have been slight
| additions or subtractions here and
/ there.
There was a possibility that late re-
! turns might show Miss Norma Merani
in second place, instead of Sacred Heart
| College. but up to noon yesterday,
when the time limit for the reception of
votes mailed last Saturday expired, her
/ expected increase had failed to ma
/ terialize.
GOOD LOSER
| The official count has fully confirmed
Miss Breschinis overwhelming victory.
Sacred Heart College, which up to Tues
day morning thought that 1t had the
first prize cinched, takes its defeat
gracefully. Brother Lewis, president
Of the college. is gallant gentleman
and a game loser. He succumbs to the
Inevitable and extends his congratu-
lations to the little champion in the
following letter, written in all sin
Ecerity -. ,oo
San Francisco, March q 1907.
I Contest Editor The Call--Dear Sir: beg te
axtend orr warnest congratulations to Miss Rose
Breschini upon her brilliant victory The friends
/ of Sacred Heart College. matter how desirous
~ see their favorite college come out first viii
! readily admit that Miss Breschini deserves the
| nrize Success to you, Miss Breschinii
At the same time wish to express my sincere
| thanks to the many friends who gave such evil
| denf proofs OF their loyalty to Sacred Heart
College We did not win first prize. but none
| the less our friends must be pleased with the
gallant fight that the college made for hrst place
| IA such an exciting race. The little heetfooted
ssdark horse from the south ran so fast as tc
| make second place position Of honor. and such
we deem it. Very truly yours
After today the score for the third