Evening star., 1909-05-25
MONUMENT TO A GIRL
Memorial to Kate Shelly Is
Raised at Dubuque, Iowa.
YOUNG MAIDS HEROISM
Gold Medal Presented by the State
Legislature.
POCAHONTAS STATUE DELAYED
Popular Response to Call for Sub
scriptions Slow-Two Monuments
in a Memphis Cemetery.
poCAH0NTAs STATUE DELAYED
BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS

BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald
1t Is curious commentary upon the
vanity OF man that q California mil
lfonaire should erect statue Of him
self In honor Of a heroic woman.
The late Senator Hoar was unneces-
sarily conscientious. His soul used to
swell with Indignation at the beha-
vior of his fellow-men. and particu-
larly his constituents in Massachu-
setts.
Some time Mr.. Hoar will become so
wrought up with Indignation that he
Will tender his resignation" remarked
MIR. ingalls, OF Kansas one day.
No; he's too smart for that" re-
torted Senator Henderson. He will
hand in the resignation of his col
league, Mr.. Dawes
And perhaps it was a similar over
now of soul which caused the late Mr..
Cogswell of California to erect a mon
ument Of himself in the public square
Of Dubuque, Iowa. to commemorate the
mer's daughter. fifteen years old. at
Boone Iowa, some years ago.
Kate Shelly's Heroism.
Mr.. S. G. Goldthwaite. editor of the
Boone metropolitan, tells the story in
the following graphic language:
"On the night Of July 8. 1881, terrible
storm ragged in the Des Moines river val
ley. Train dispatchers became alarmed
at the rush of the waters. and ordered the
two 'pushers' at Moingona out on an in
spection trip, one west up the Ogden hill,
the other east toward Boone. The eau
tiousness Of the Ogden pusher men saved
them from fate similar to the one which
befell the other pusher. for the pilot men,
not satisfied with the looks Of the bridge,
got down and examined, and found that
it would sink under their weight To the
men on the other pusher, the Honey creek
bridge looked all right, and they gave the
signal ahead" only to be dashed into
the torrent.
From her bedroom window Kate Shelly
saw the light go down. Hastily dressing
herself she improvised lantern out of
miners lamp and rushed to the scene.
Two men were lost. and two men were
reach. To save them and also the limited
train. which she knew was due to pass in
a short time. she rushed to Moingona to
give the alarm. Her improvised lantern
was soon rendered useless by the ele
ments. and when she reached the bridge
she was compelled to crawl on her hands
and knees over stubs Of nails. where the
company. to avoid accidents. had pulled
up planking to prevent pedestrians cross
ing the bridge. The water was a few
inches from the bridge, and there was i'm
minent danger of its being torn from It's
anchors by the huge driftwood rapidly
bearing down the stream.
Kate reached Moingona station In time
to give the alarm. Of course the cold
facts are, that the Northwestern, being
a careful railroad. had dispatchers whose
forethought prompted them to hold the
limited at Ogden until the two pushers
were heard from. and so. truthful1y speak
ing. this train would never have gone into
the open gap. as romance has SO often
told But Kate Shelly actually did save
two lives. for she told of the men hanging
washed away and they were Immediately
rescued.