The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1901-01-25
QUEENS LAST HOURS.
VICTORIA PASSED AWAY QUIETLY
SURROUNDED BY FAMILY.

The Dying Monarch Was Conscious
Near the END and Babe the New
King Farewell In Words of Great
Moment.
Queen Victoria's career, never equaled
by any woman in the worlds story, came
to an end on Tuesday in a simply fur
nished room in Osborne House. This
most respected of all women, living or
dead, lay in great four posted bed, her
aged lace and figure giving no trace of
the fair girl who in 1887 began to rule
over England
Around her were gathered almost every
descendant of her line Well within view
of her dying eyes there hung a portrait of
the prince consort. 1t was he who design
ed the room and every part of the castle.
In scarcely audible words the white hair
ed bishop of Winchester prayed beside
her, as he had often prayed with his SOW
ereign, for he was her chaplain at Wind
sor
With bowed heads the ruler of the Ger
man empire and the man who was to be
king of England, the woman who was to
be queen, the princes and princesses and
those of less than royal rank listened to
the bishops prayers.
Six o'clock passed. The bishop contin-
ued his intercession. One of the younger
children asked a question in shrill, child
ish treble and was Immediately silenced
At exactly half past 6 Sir James Reid
held up his hand, and the people in the
room knew that England had lost her
queen The bishop pronounced the bene-
diction, and those who were now mourn
ers went to their rooms.
The Prince of Wales was very much
affected when his mother breathed her
last. Emperor William, himself deeply
affected, did his best to minister comfort
to his sorrow stricken uncle, whose new
dignity he was the first to acknowledge.
When the members of the royal family
were gathered at the queens bedside be-
fore noon, the bishop of Winchester and
the rector of Whippingham read the
prayers for those in extremis.
The queen is said to have babe farewell
in feeble monosyllable to the family.
She first recognized the Prince of Wales,
to whom she spoke few words of great
moment; then Emperor William and the
others present filed past and heard a
whispered goodby. All in the bedroom
We're in tears.
No member of the royal family left Os-
borne House during the day for custom
airy drives. A changing group of CORE
spondents and townspeople loitered about
the gates all day long, but it never reach
ed the proportions of the crowd of Mon
day.
The record of the last days of the reign
of Victoria is not easy to tell An inter
view with Sir Arthur John Biggs, pri-
yate secretary to the late queen, was the
only official statement that had been Civ
en- out. For several weeks the queen had
been failing. On Monday week she sum
moned Lord Roberts and asked him some
very searching questions regarding the
war in South Africa. On Tuesday she
went for drive, but was visibly affected.
On Wednesday she suffered a paralytic
stroke, accompanied by intense physical
weakness. 1t was her first illness in all
her 81 years, and she would not admit it.
Then her condition grew so serious that,
against her wishes, the family were sum-
moned. When they arrived, her reason
had practically succumbed to paralysis
and weakness.
The events of the last few days, de-
scribed in the bulletins, are too fresh to
need repetition. AT the lodge gates the
watchers waited nervousy. Suddenly
along the drive from the house came a
horseman who cried "The queen is deadn'
as he dashed through the crowds.
Then down the hillside rushed myriad
of messengers, passing the fateful bulle-
tin from one to another. Soon the sur
rounding country knew that IA king ruled
over Great Britain. The local inhabitants
walked as if in a dream through the
streets of CoWes but they did not hest
tate to stop to drink the health of the
new monarch.
There is little doubt that the funeral of
Queen Victoria will take place at Frog
more, Hertfordshire.