Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-07-28
g sothorn,sD Conn be- Main.


To THOSE unacquainted with the street,
of London, especially. the Strand, one OF
It's principal thoroughfares, an explana.
tory sentence or two may be necessary to
make the reader flilfy Comprehend the sit.
uatlon ON a-roya procession day in that
populous city. Picture 10 yourself 3,000;.
900 of people, full of love and loyalty,
compressed into space of eight or ten
miles, on either side Of the street, anxious
To get aview of royal face whose life a
few weeks before had been despaired OF.
The adventure we propose 10 relate oc-
CURED on tle day of the celebration of the
thanksgiving for the recovery of the Prince
of Wales, who had been i'll "nigh unto
death" The Prince was to be conveyed
through the principal avenues of the city,
accompanied by his royal mother and
the principal personages representing the
throne of England. On such day as
this, or, in fact for any turn.o where
royalty is featured to any extent, the
Royal Horse. Guards create distinct pass
age way for the procession. The line,
after having been thus formed, is guarded
on either side by policemen, who preserve
the parallels formed by the Guards, keep
ing in place the millions of people who
have been thus curbstoned into position.
With such dense crowd on each side of
the street it is almost as impossible for any
Individual to cross from that side on which
he finds himself to the other as to be
stricken down by thunderbolt on pleas
ant day, with the sun pouring down at 102
degrees in the shade. The recovery of
the Prince of Wales had been matter of
great doubt throughout the whole land,
the bulletins from day TO day having few
weeks before described his situation as
hopeless. The excitement may, there
fore, be properly arrived at when we pict-
ure these millions of people resolved TO
express their qualification upon the recov-
cry of muchloved Prince, who had been
snatched from the grave to resume -,
place as the heir apparent to the. thFSs3s'o
England. The hero of our narrative,
" Sothern, " had been invited to assist at
the celebration, forming one of the many
great literary, dramatic and other pro-
tessionGl lights of London, who were to
view the royal procession from the Punch
office, situated in Fleet street.
Sothern made the best of his way
through the least crowded streets from his
villa to Farringdon street, thinking at the
latter place to discharge the cabby,"
and by simply crossing Fleet street gain
easy access to the editorial rooms of the
celebrated comic paper.
Alas for the instability of human af-
fairs. That thoroughfare was so densely
packed that passage to the Fleet street
curb opposite Punch was one of the things
Especially on such a day not even set
down in the "Bobby's" note book as
bribable. Here was an impossible bar
rier-how to gain the vacuum which eX-
posed itself between the two densely-
crowded sides.
There was the objective point staring
him in the face. In the windows, regal
ing themselves with "cup" and an ex-
quisite lunch, were the assembled men,
bers of his club, the representatives of the
literati, the scions of Esculapius, and the
followers of Bacchus, in full view Dun
drcary exclaimed: "Thou art so near and
yet SO far" How to approach them, the
comedian was at his wits end. Along
the whole line dividing him from his
friends the inevitable policemen barred
his way from any familiar approach to his
happily ensconced friends. The festive
" Bobby" he felt, was not to be won for
"A sovereign; yet, rather than remain
prisoner among the great unwashed, the
universal channel to every avenue upon
which an embargo is placed, the soothing
bribe, was yet to be tried. Making his
way as well as he could to the front, the
following conversation ensued:
Sothern-LOok here Bobby" here
a SOW to see me across the road.
Policeman-Beg pardon, sir; can't ac-
eept. If could you couldn't get through
the crowd Stand back, sir
All hope had now flownl Southern was
about to venture retreat and leave his
nNn frian1a n 1a tl,o,,
within the sacred precincts of the Punch
office, when his great inventive power
came to the rescue A truly loyal son of
Briton barred his passage, whose avpirJu-
pois would represent at least $50 pou1ds
This son of Albion was the very persmifi-
cation of satisfaction that the heir appar-
ent had cOnvalesced. He was full of Vic
toria, full of Wales, and chock full of En-
glands glory and Thanksgiving" gen
orally. Here was the opportunity; Sothern
waXed wrath at the demonstration shown
the young Prince. He called to his aid
the brogue of the Milesian, with which he
was most familiar, asserted without stint
his Fenian proclivities, and created riot
which his immediate arrest alone could
quiet. The policeman edged his way to
the scene of the quarrel, and, hearing the
incendiary remarks of the aggressor was
about to assist him toward the direction
he had traversed in his cab, and continue
his journey to Bow street, when Sothern
whispered: No! the other way, and the
pound is yours! It's an excuse for get
ting me across the street! Get me to the
Punch office, and I'll give you frer!"
Ruthlessly did the protector of the public
peace drag Sothern through the lines un-
til he had located him in front of the
place described, when the renowned
Dundreary made clean breast of the
ruse, divulged his name, and gave him
the five pound note. In course of time
the author of the disturbance was seated
in the window he had so long and ardent
ly fought to gain. But few minutes suf-
feed to establish his identity by those who
had witnessed the scene in the street, and,
being recognized by many who had be-
held his great triumphs at the Haymar.
ket, he was greeted with reception
scarcely second to that accorded the
Prince, who passed by a few moments