The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-05-19

LOndOn, May ~, a. m.-LOnoOn
millions spent half the night in the
street, and even at o'clock this morn
ing troops of young men are promenad-
ing, singing and cheering, and there
house, Marlborough house, the clubs on
Pail Mall and the war office and in par
lament square, waving flags and join
ing in the national airs.
This sustained believing and uDroar
of hundreds of thousands amazes the
Englishman who ceases for a moment
to be an actor and becomes an OBJ
server. Sober, phlegmatic London is
beside itself with emotion. Gusts of
patriotism have set the town quivering
twice or thrice before during the war.
but nothing has quite equaled to-
nights hundred square miles of al
most furious demonstrations. It was
a curious thing for the onlooker to
see solemn, gray-haired men toss their
opera hats into the air and join in the
hurricane of cheers when a wreath
crowned banner with the portrait Of
Colonel Baden-Powell on it was borne
aiOng Piccadilly. Smart women in brou-
CHAINS waved union jacks out of the
stopped at street corners to take part
in singing God Save the Queen" and
Soldiers of the Queen Everywhere
were good feelings and astonishing
roars of human voices.
All Caused By Twenty Words.
1t was all brought about by twenty
word telegram from Pretoria that Ma
feking had been relieved, although the
government apparently questions the
news.
Arthur ]. Balfour. government leader
in the house Of commons, speaking
from the government bench late last
evening, said:
The only news 1 have is through the
courtesy of the press. ~ We have no
information at the war office, nor would
we have it as soon as it would arrive
through other channels Therefore the
fact that we have not received it Meth
er confirms nor disproves the accuracy
of the information. / need hardly say
that we all trust and have good rea-
son to think it is probably true"
(Cheers.)
George Wyndham, parliamentary I'M
der secretary of war. replying to sew
eral members of the house who had
privately Intercepted him, said:
Although the government has moth
ing, L am disposed to believe the Boer
bulletin. 1t may be tomorrow and per-
hapS even Monday before the govern
ment would get dispatches from our
military commanders, even if the siege
were raised some days ago, as the news
would need to be conveyed over a long
distance by messengers on horseback,
whereas the enemy would probably be
able to avail themselves of teIegraphic
communication.
Colonel Baden-PowelPs brother in
London has received a telegram from
Dutch friend in Pretoria saying that
Mafeking has been relieved.
Stage Performances Abandoned.
The performers in London music
halls and theatres last evening had
little use for stage business or for the
lines in their pieces. The audiences
which crowded the Alhambra, the EN-
pire, Covent Garden, or the theatres,
had no desire to attend to stage per-
formances. The first sight of a bio
graph scene of the Transvaal. or the
first glimpse of a military or naval COS
tune on the stage, was sufficient 10
create an uDroar
A leading actor in ore of the Strand
theatres said: IT did not attempt to
read my lines last evening It was of
no use. The public had no interest in
me beyond the fact that 1 wore a mil
itary uniform.
At Her Majesty's theatre, at the
Garrick, where "Zaza" is being played,
and at the other houses where legiti-
mate drama holds the boards, the Oc-
cupants of stalls, boxes and galleries
sang in chorus The Absent Minded
Beggar" and Soldiers of the Queen
between acts in order to give vent to
their enthusiasm, although they set
tied down to the programme after
wards. At the music halls, however, no
one pretended to take interest in any
thing not having military color.
Princess of Wales Cheers.
The Princess of Wales, the Duke and
Duchess of York. and the Portuguese
minister Senior Pinto de Several occu-
pied a box at Covent Garden, where
'L0hengTin'' was being played and
when the relief of Mafeking was an
nounced they Joined heartily in the ap-
Dlause.
The Londcn fire Insurance laws make
fireworks impossible; and the city
lacked the blaze Of illumination char
acteristic of American cities during
similar rejoicings. The Britfsher.
therefore, relies upon lung power and
from St Paul's cathedral to Westmin-
ster Abbey and up through Piccadilly
TO HYDE Park there was a niagara
roar incessant, rising and falling hour
after hour as the surging masses