The San Francisco call., 1897-06-20
HE PERIL OF QUEEN VICTORIA IN THE Day OF HER JUBILEE

--~Srlpg for an Americana man whose !
4aIuence and celebrity may be described /
as national in character-a seat in West /
minister Abbey for the celebration OF the /
golden jubilee service of the Queen. 1t
was a great favor, one which he mad been /
aIticularly anxious to obtain, and when /
II is borne in mind that the space within /
the Abbey was so restricted that only 200 /
places coulG be accorded to the 500 mem /
bers of the House OF Lords. and that |
fabulous prices were being offered for /
tickets his satisfaction, not unmiugled |
with pride, may be imagined when he /
received cards, not only for himself, but |
also for his wife. Yet at the very last |
moment he decided not to go, on the |
ground that he apprehended some un- /
toward event in the Abbey, or on the road !
thither which might lead to a panic and
cuIminaIe in catastrophe. In fact he
did not hesitate TO aunt that he dreaded
some outrage of the dynamite or nitro
g.ycerine order, and inasmuch as l was
aware that in this country he had
championed what is known as the cause
of Ireland, and had accorded lucrative
EN- ployment TO some of the Clan-na.GaeI.
Invincible and Fenian leaders, 1 was
tempted to believe that his fears were
based on something more serious than
mere imagination. Fortunately, however,
nothing occurred to justify them. Yet l
have never heard him express a word OF
regret or disappointment at having re-
Trained from making use of the cards.
which l had had so much difficulty to OBJ
tain for him, and which he was so anxious
10 receive
The apprehen sions that were manifested
on that occasion by this American citizen.
whose features are familiar to every man,
woman and child throughout the length
and breadth of the United States, are
shared to-day by most OF the leading Gov
eminent officials in London, and by no
one more so than by the Queen herself,
who regards with no little dread the pro-
cession through the streets of London on
Tuesday next, and will be heartily glad
and relieved when it is all over. In 1887
the royal procession passed up Piccadilly,
down 81. James street, along Pail Mall
and down Parliament street to the Abbey,
and back through the Bird Cage walk
That is to say the route was a short one
and was bordered by the mansions of the
wealthiest and grandest personages in the
United Kingdom, by the fashionable
clubs and by the Government Offices all
OF which NAV be regarded as having been
vigorously c-osed TO suspicious strangers
But on Tuesday next the Queen will drive
over a route at least three times as long.
which from The moment il leaves Trafal-
gar square until it reaches the Westmin-
ster Bridge on its way back, extends
through streets and thoroughfares that
are lined on either side by buildings so
diveisely occupied and so densely popu-
lated that it is idle 10 dream of their be-
ing subjected TO any adequate surveillance
on the part OF the police.
In Russia ana In Oriental countries on
such an occasion as this every owner of
house on the line of procession would be
neld crgminallv responsible for the be-
havfer OF the people VINO cross its thresh-
old uns-1I The al ir was over, and in many
instances The buildings would even be
cleared and Kept empty by the anthori-
ties. But this is out of the question in
England, which is relatively speaking a
free country, populated by citizens Jealous
OF their rig hts; and the long and short of
the matter Is that the Queen for the space
OF some three hours, and during a drive
at a foot pace over route OF more than
SIX miles, will be at the mercy of any
notoriety -crazed crank, of any fanatic
anarchist, of any reVengeful Indian, or
en- bittered "Invincible," >" who cares 10 win
everlasting celebrity-it would be more
right to call it undying infamy-by at
tempting the life of the aged sovereign,
who, beng in her seventy-eighth year,
and having com pleled the sixth decade of
her reign, may justly be considered as
having already one .oot in the grave
There is little danger of any attack of
this kind being made by any one in the
streets. For in addition to the latter be-
ing lined on either side by troops stand
ing three deep and shoulder to shoulder
along the entire route of the procession.
the crowds will be so dense that the rege-
eide would be seized. trampled down and
probably torn to pieces by the mob before
he would have anv chance of accomplish
ing his fell purpose The danger Will
come from the windows and the roofs of
the houses, and the recent terrifying out
rage at the AIdergate-street station OF the
underground railroad IN London shows
how easy it is for any one to use with
deadly effect a so-called internal machine
without much peril of detection. Accord
ing to the report of Sir Vivian Majendie.
the Government expert on explosives, and
recognized as the greatest authority on
the latter in Europe, the explosion which
shattered a railroad carriage, killing one
man anu lDIuTluE mum Der OF others,
was caused by small bomb or canister
filled with what is known in chemistry as
high explosive" and which had been
placed under the seat of a carriage and
left there by some foe of society, who
mingling with the crowd on emerging
from the carriage, had disappeared with
out leaving any trace or clew TO his iden-
tity. As the man who blew up the train
at AideTgate street was uninjured by the
explosion, and is still entirely unknown,
it IS certain that he can make and carry
his explosives safely, and there is conse-
quently nothing whatever to prevent him
or any associate with the same malignity
and nerve from repeating the outrage
whenever he sees fil-say on the day of
the jubilee cele bration.
He can then either escape, as he has
done previously = the chances being
against his capture-or else if he be pos
sessed Of that craze for notoriety, which
appears to be the weak point in the char
scler of so many regicides, be will allow
himself TO be taken. and glory in the fact
that his name will live forever in history
just as long, in fact, as that OF good Queen
Victoria herself