The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-01-22
QUEENS MIND
LONG FAILING

New York. Jan. 21-A dispatch 10
the World from London says:
Your correspondent has obtained from
a source within court circles the first
comprehensive and actual account of
the queens Illness that has been given
out.
The facts given place the illness of
the queen in startling and pathetic
light.
They show her mind has been fail
ing for many months. even before her
visit 10 Ireland She had been men
tai wreck for months Whenever il
was officially announced that she made
felicitOus responses TO speeches at pub
lie functions ii is a matter of cold fact
that the poor old queen was in such a
daZe that all she could say 10 her com
panions was,
Where am I2''
Several times when she has appeared
In public during the past six or eight
months she has fallen asleep.
Trouble Was SeniIe Decay.
Had it been any one else but the
queen of England it would have been
plain long ago that the malady was
senile decay And that truthfully is
what afiicts Victoria.
But for hcr physical breaking up of
the past week, an attack of paralysis
in the left side, il would have been
possible for the court and the royal
household to have kept from the Brit
ish people knowledge of her mental de-
cay for an indefinite period. for the
queen had lapSes of intellectual vigor.
but these were more distressing to her
than her periods of mental density
When her brain was clear she fmme-
diately reverted to tie horrors Of the
war in South Africa. Again and again
she harped upon the war. This war.
which she strove with all her power TO
land queen, who relgned happily
longer chan most men live, most
WretChed and miserable. In her lucid
intervals it haunted her necessarily.
The queens strong constitution man
ifeStrd the first symptoms of serious
decay during the stay of the court at
Windsor in November and December
OF 1893. when evil tidings OF the South
African war, which began the previous
October began TO arrive in rapid sue
cessiOn. The queen did not look for
any serious disaster 10 her army. She
expected nothing but a series of quick,
easy victories. Instead, disaster fol-
lowed disaster every few days.
Queen Angry at Butler.
General Butler. before leaving Eng
land for the South African campaign.
assured the queen that the war would
be difficult but not dangerous"
In consequence, the news of the many
reVerses came TO her with added Sc
verify She felt that she had been de-
CelVed and never fOrgave Butler.
When his name was submitted to her
for visit tn Windsor after his return
from South Africa, she strOked it
through with her pen.
It was at this time that the queen
had the fits of crying in an aggravated
form which Immediately preceded her
present critical illness.
The assassination of the king Of ItaIv
last July shocked her deeply.
The news of the illness Of her eldest
child. Empress Frederick. added great
" to her distress. and the fact that
she was physically unable to visit the
empress and see her before either died
made her nervous and eXcitabIe
Later came the death of her second
son, the Duke of SaXe-C Oburg- Gotha
Edinburgh. which in few weeks
was followed by the death OF her
grandson. Prince Christian Victor. son
of her daughter Helena, wife of Prince
Christian of Schleswig- HOlstein
The prospect of an indefinite prolon-
cation of the war was a trial under
which her health again began to sink
in November last.
Her spirit remained undaunted and
when it was reported that President
Kruger had said the war would claim
her as one Of its victims. the queen de-
clared. Z may die. but Mr.. Kruger
won't kin ne"
In December her feebleness rapidly
kzcreased. ,Sleepless nights were