Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-12-26
AT WINDSOR CASTLE.
Guards Are Alert During the Entire
"a Hours.

The presence Of the young Portu-
guese King Manuel at Windsor castle.
| has been the cause of considerable
| quiet energy at Scotland Yard
Known anarchists have been watched
for at the ports, and those whose
presence is known in England have
| been Swallowed. But the precautions
taken for the safety of King Edward
are so nearly perfect that little re-
| mains to be done in the actual guard
ianship of Windsor castle.
| For an unauthorized person to gain
| an entrance into one of the kings pal
| aces is nearly an impossibility. 1t has
been done, but the number of times
| could almost be counted on the fin
gers of n hand.
Within the walls of Windsor castle
| are treasures of priceless value. and
even if the court is not in residence.
| no one can enter without his presence
being known 10 the police.
Although the royal residences are so
well guarded at all times the guard
is strongest when a foreign sovereign
pays Il state visit to this country.
Then almost every other man is q de-
tective within Il mile or two. and no
| one who is not well known has the
slightest chance of getting within
easy reach of the royal apartments.
When the king is in residence at
Windsor the guards are doubled. In
stead of the man marching up and
down with bayonet fixed between SEN
try box and sentry box, there are two.
Then there are metropolitan police
men on duty at each gateway, as We'll
as royal 2atekeeperS, in scarlet aiid
gold livery In addition to that there
are plain clothes detectives and night
watchmen.
A ,unatic seldom gets further than
Henry Wits gateway at Windsor.
The little police office is just inside the
gate, and here is officially recorded
every day anything of note that takes
place within the precincts of the cas-
tie.
A few yards inside the gateway are
also the quarters of the officer who is
in command Of the castle guard. Tel
ephones are installed all over the cas-
tle.- and The different entrances are
connected with the main switchboard,
near the equerries' entrance.
If a paper-knife were taken out of
the castle today it would be missed to-
morrow. Every treasure and piece OF
furniture in Windsor castle is entered
into huge books, and photographs are
kept of all the most valuable articles.
The sentries We're always provided
with bail cartridges until n gnardsn,an
fired three bullets into q stone Gle
plant on the east terrace Of Windsor
castle. which he nlistook for ghost
in the miStS of the early morning.
Now they have to DEPEND on their
bayonets.
1t is very seldom that thefts take
place at the royal residence. The pO-
lice have power to search all bags and
parcels being conveyed from the royal
palaces. A night Waterman is on duty
inside the castle every night to guard
against fires. Around the royal maui
soleum at Frogmore, where Queen Vic
toria's remains repoSe, police are on
duty all through the % hours.
The penalty for a soldier failing to
perform his duty when on guard out
side royal residences is so severe that
there are very few cases indeed on
record of men having to be taken off
thelf DOSCS.
Two hours on and four hours Off
duty are the allotted times in the "a
hours round, and men are very sell
dom discovered asleep. When the
court is in residence at the chief royal
palaces the strain of duty is very Sc
we're at times.
The royal household police. OF
course, take turns at night and day
duty, and when important functions
are on they have a very busy time.
In addition to the soldiers, police.
and detectives. there are. OF course.
the royal servants and lodge-HeepefS,
who know every stranger at once.
Even if n visitor got through the
strong Gordon around royal residences
he would still have to face the 6-foot
footnlen in scarlet and gold, who sit
just inside the chief entrances Near
at their hand is n telephone, and If
they have the least suspicion Of a vis-
itor the police are acquainted in
tficc.
A stranger would have the greatest
difficulty, even if he successfully elud-
ed tie hail porter. TO find his way
about such buildings as Windsor castle
and buckingham palace; london
Dajlv Mail