Silk Portrait

Of President McKinley, a Queer Gift
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TO CITY OF CANTON
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From New York Fin [sic]—Letter, Which No One Can Read, Accompanied the Memorial.

     A humble testimonial to the memory of the late President McKinley from the hands of a foreign resident of the United States was received Monday morning by Mayor Robertson in the city hall. It was in the shape of a beautiful portrait on silk, decorated in the corners with smaller pictures of the president, Mrs. McKinley and President Roosevelt.
     The man who forwarded this unique memorial, with the suggested instruction, written on the face of the portrait, that it remain as long as the building stands, is Charles Galle, or Kaarlo Lehtold, a Fin [sic], of Brooklyn, N. Y. A letter, written, probably, in Finnish, accompanied the picture, but what the man’s object was cannot be learned as a translator has not yet been found.
     A large flat box, painted dead black was received by Mayor Robertson Monday morning. It was addressed “To Mr. Mayor in Canton, Ohio,” and on another corner was the card, “Please care of Handle. Contains McKinley’s origineta picture.” The box was shipped by the American Express company from the 48th street depot, New York. The charges, amounting to $1.14, were prepaid.
     When the box was opened, with much loosening of screws and clasps two carefully framed pictures were disclosed. The larger one was the memorial of the president, and the smaller one was a tinted picture of Galle himself, standing beside the memorial with his arm thrown across the frame.
     The memorial is in a frame, about three feet high and about two feet wide. In the center, etched on the silk, is a beautiful picture of President McKinley. Festoons of black lace surround the picture, showing the white silk beneath. Under the picture, in a ground space, is traced in large characters in red ink, under the words “McKinley photograph,” the following: “In Memoriam. William McKinley, 25th Prest. U. S. A.—Died Sept. 14, 1901. God’s will be done, not ours. (His last words.)” On either side of the photo are embroidered American flags, drooping from poles, and above, a spread eagle, embroidered.
     In each of the four corners are photographs traced on aluminum cards. In the upper left hand corner is another picture of the president, over which is traced a cross and, “In Memoriam.” Under the picture is the name and the president’s dying words and practically the same words as under the larger photo. In the upper right hand corner is a picture of Mrs. McKinley, under which is her name.
     In each of the lower corners are pictures of President Roosevelt. Between these two pictures is written in red ink the following inscription, “So long as this building is to be found, shall this picture stand here, as a memory for coming generations.” This is signed Charles Galle or Kaarlo Lehtold, Finlander.
     Attached to the memorial by a chain is a small black iron box, which, when opened, discloses this inscription under a glass, written in black ink, “Leon Czolgosz shot McKinley at the Buffalo Pan Amerikan exposition 6th Sept. 1901—The murderer died in the elegtrik chair 29 Okt. 1901.”
     The smaller picture shows Galle and the memorial picture. He is a good looking, whiskered man, wearing glasses and is well-dressed. Holding the pictures in place in the black box was a board on which was pasted a letter, written in Finnish. A cancelled [sic] stamp was pasted in one corner. The letter is signed, “Charles Galle, 153 Van Brunt st., Hamilton, ave., first floor, Brooklyn, N. Y.”
     Mayor Robertson is as yet undecided where to place the curious memorial. Wherever it is placed, the instructions read, it shall remain as long as the building stands, so some substantial resting place will be determined upon.