Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-01-31
THE LAST SAD LOOK.
The Closed Coffin Lid Hides VIctoria's
Features FOrver.

Features FOrver.
Cowes, Isle of Wight, Jan. 26.-The
royal family yesterday took their last
loving look at the features of the dead
queen. About ten o'clock in the morn
ing the shell was brought into the
bedroom where were waiting King
Edward, Emperor William, the duke
of Connaught, Sir James Reid and the
royal ladies. The latter having re-
tired, Sir James Reid, with reverent
hands, assisted by three trusted
household servants, and in the pres
ence of the king, the emperor, and
the duke, removed the body from the
bed to the coffin.
In death it was lovelier than in the
closing days of life. Not a trace of
the ravages of disease vas visible. The
servants having retired, Queen Alex
andra, the princesses and the children
were recalled, and with lingering
steps and sti1ed sobs they passed
slowly before the white robed and
peaceful figure. At the foot, never
moving, stood the king, and when the
mourning crowd had passed there re-
manned only the on and grandson of
the dead.
Emperor William wept even more
bitterly than the royal ladies. Final
ly he also retired, and the king was
left alone. Sir James Reid, beckon-
ing to the servants, who were hold
ing the coffin lid, asked the kings in
structions:
For a few seconds the king stood
~speechless, stricken with emotion at
the last farewell. Then he said,
"Close it finally. It must not be
opened again."
Thus the remains of England's
greatest ruler were forever closed
from human view. Reyerently the
coffin was borne into the dining room
Officers and men from the royal
yachts took their stand around the
coffin, over which the king, queen and
kaiser gently laid the robes of a
knight of the garter, placing at the
head. a diamond crown. Beneath lay
the royal ensign, while hanging above
was the Union Jack.
AT the altar was the rector of Whip
bingham, who read a portion of the
dI SC1 fICC III 1C PICSCACC VI L41C
royal family. Emperor William COW
cred his face with his hands, and the
grief of Princess Beatrice was pitiful.
After the benediction each placed a
wreath upon the coffin, and then all
retired.
The correspondent of the press is
informed that the queens will has
10 been opened, and, that according
80 present arrangements, will not be
opened until after the funeral, its de-
tails not being known to the royal
family.
- magnificent feature of all the
deathbed enc has been their abso-
Lutte n%aturalness and the absence Of
false or dramatic elements.
According to a rumor circulating at
Osborne, King Edward desires himself
to be styled his imperial majesty" in
order to emphasize the fact that he
is emperor as well as king.
To-day the local volunteers and the
forces in the vicinity will pass through
the Chappelle Ardante. After these
will pass the correspondents of the
leading papers of the world.
A very remarkable feature of all
the proceedings is the intense martial
air which pervades them. The naval
parade off Spithead is to be the great
est, If possible the world ever saw,
and the military arrangements at
Windsor viii eclipse anything of the
kind ever attempted.
Last night grenadiers mounted
their silent guard over the coffin with
guns reversed, arms crossed and
beads bent. The silence was unbroken
by an occasional shuttle from the
soldiers in changing their uneasy po-