The age-herald., 1900-10-30
 BACK FROM THE
 WAR IN AFRICA The City Imperial Volunteers
 Reach London WERE RECEIVED WITH HONOR Streets of the British Capital Thronged With People to Greet the Heroes Message of Welcome from
 the Queen
WERE RECEIVED WITH HONOR

London, October 29-The City Imperial Volunteers, who arrived at Southampton from South Africa on Saturday on the British transport Aurania, reached here by train this morning, marched through Lon don along streets packed by thousands and received a tumultuous greeting. Such a demonstration was probably never before evoked for such a small body of volun- teers.
 The postponement of Londons welcome until today diminished the number of spec tators, but the enthusiasm could scarcely have been more general or genuine Early in the day Queen Victoria sent a message to the returning troops welcoming them and inquiring as to their health. The Prince of Wales came to town and viewed the procession from Marlborough Hin. The other royal personages watching the little band of men in khaki uniform were Prin- cess Louise, the Duchess of Argyll and Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar, who with many other distinguished people, had talk en up positions of vantage early in the morning
 The clubs in Piccadilly presented an un- usual spectacle. Hundreds of women were at the windows, these sacred precincts hav ing thrown open their doors in honor of the great occasion. All along the line of march there were festoons of flags and other such devices, presenting a brilliant spectacle, though as a matter of fact the decorations had been up since Saturday and had been drenched with Sundays rains, which had not improved the colors.
 In a10itiOn the (,itV ImnRrial VOlun- teers themselves, there were in the process sion the bands of twelve volunteer regi- ments, and A000 regulars and volunteers lined the route. Among the most interest ing features of the display was the pres ence in the procession of invalided City Imperial Volunteers in carriages flying the Red Cross flag and the assemblage at conspicuous point of the few remaining survivors of Balaklava charge.
 The locomotives which drew the Yolun- teer trains from Southampton were re- spectively named victoria Roberts" Powerful and the Maine" To the last the invalids were entrusted.
 With the exception that the volunteers were Drowned, there was little in their ap- pearance to show that they were return ing from a hard campaign. Their new khaki kits, served out at Southampton gave them a disappointingly spick and span look, though the lack of alignment in reg ularity of marching, and the frequent sub stltution of canes for rifles, suffered to dis tinguish them from the volunteers fresh from the training camps.
 Partial returns from the hospitals and police stations indicate that more than two hundred were badly hurt, eight and possi- bly, ten, being killed outright. There were four thousand police and twenty-tWo Hlou- sand troops on duty along the line of march, but they were unable to manage the crowds. Women and girls fainted and ,,,I1 loaded with sightseers fell in. Twelve per- sons out of thirty who were riding on top of a mail wagon, whose wheels gave away, had their bones broken. Two children were killed. man was leaning over the par apet of a roof of a four-story building and lost his balance and fell on group of women, killing one and hurting two others, but walked away himself apparently unin- jured.
 Many of the soldiers on the line Of march were hurt in combats with the crowds. AL together London had wild day with much fun and unfortunately a deal of grief in many households because of the accident. Indeed, the only surprising feature is that the casualties were not twice as numerous, for when night fell the streets of London would have done credit to the Commune It was a scene of unchecked saturnalia that met the eye. Fighting and swearing throngs fought vainly among themselves for the right of way. Half an hour was needed to make a hundred yards progress along the Strand, and the feat could only be accomplished at the risk of life or limb. The few isolated policemen in evidence were borne helpless on the tide of patriotic enthusiasm, partially or completely help less.
 The night was a repetition of the Mafe- king night without the redeeming excuses of that celebrated orgy. London was turn ed over to the worst elements of it's popu- lation. Women were insulted kissed or thrown down in street fights. Pursued at the sweet will of inebriate brawlers from the sidewalks, they streamed along historic thoroughfares shouting, sobbing and bran dishng peacock feathers.
 Many of them offered no exception to the rule of drunkenness. Babes in ari7:s could frequently be seen. Countless different shll- forms of soldiers of the empire, regulars, volunteers and colonials, added vivid ce4or to an extraordinary spectacle, the like 5f which was never seen in any American city.
 In justice to the heroes of the demonstra- ton 1t. must be said that few of them par ticipated in the nights celebration. Tn6es<- they seemed to be almost forgotten in the general desire to take advantage of tine oc- casion for unbridled debauch and defiance of all law, order or decency.