'October 14, 1921: Statue of Burning Sorrow in difficulty: The statue of Lutis is almost erected at his grave.'

'The decoration of the statue should cost $20,000. However, the only problem preventing the execution of this plan is that the necessary $20,000 is not to be found in Laitiz's estate, whose chief asset is likely life insurance, which is heavily encumbered.

Laitiz commissioned a marble statue 8 feet tall and weighing several tons to be made by sculptor Federico Brignotti of Genoa, Italy. The cost of the statue was $2,600 and the cost of transporting it from Genoa to St. Louis was about $1,700. The commission was placed with the artist in April, 1916. It was determined that the statue should be carved from a block of flawless marble and the work should be completed within 18 months. She''was modeled after a statue by the great Italian sculptor Monteverde in a cemetery in Genoa.

It was agreed that the artist would be paid $100 per month for his work, making a total of $1,800, with an additional $800 to be paid upon delivery of the statue to St. Louis.

The executor of Laitiz's will, H.S. Werbe, said yesterday that the artist has received all stipulated payments for his work, but Laitiz has filed suit against the Express Mail Company for alleged excessive fees for handling and repacking the statue, and that suit has not yet been settled.

Laitiz made elaborate preparations to receive the marble figure. He paid to reinforce the foundation of the part of the house where the statue''was to be stored. It was necessary to remove the outer and inner doors of the front entrance to the Laitiz house. In doing so, this was very difficult to accomplish and even considered removing part of the front wall for a time.

The Laitiz home was encumbered with a $25,000 mortgage when the statue ended up there. That encumbrance persists. Ten days before his death, Laitiz mortgaged his property - $12,000 - to the Easton-Taylor Trust Co. and also obtained a $1,500 loan on his automobile.

The marble figure was one of the household items covered by the mortgage encumbrance. Easton-Taylor Trust Co. officials have openly stated that they don't know what to do with it in the event of a forced repayment. Bank lobby''would have to be enlarged to give it its proper place, and even then there would be little room left for customers.

The life insurance money cannot be used to fulfill Laitiz's plan to place a statue on his grave.