The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-05-07

The Prince of Wales succeeded to
the throne Immediately, according to
the laws of the kingdom. without Off
cial ceremony. His first official act
was to dispatch to the lord mayor the
announcement of his fathers death, in
pursuance of custom. His telegram
read:
81 am deeply grieved to inform you
that my beloved father. the King,
passed away peacefully at Has
tonight
(signed) GEORGE"
The physicians soon afterwards is
sued their official bulletin. which was
as follows:
the king, breathed his last at 11:46 to-
night in the presence of her majesty.
Queen Alexandra; the Prince and
Princess of Wales; the princess royal,
the Duchess of Fife; Princess Victoria,
and Princess Louise. the Duchess of
Argyll.
(Signed) ''LAKING,
"REID,
POWELL.
DAWSON"
Pneumonia. following bronchitis. is
believed to have been the cause of
death, but the doctors thus far have
refused to make statement.
Some of the kings friends are con-
litical situation which confronted him,
with sleepless nights, aggravated IL it
did not cause the fatal illness. Besides
tho near relatives in England, the
Duke of Fife and the Archbishop of
Canterbury were in the death cham
ber. The kings brother, the Duke of
Connaught, with his family. is at Suez.
fastening home from Africa. The
kings daughter. Queen Maud of Nor
way, starts for England today.
Death Was Expected.
The intelligence that the end of King
Edwards reign had come was not a
surprise at the last. The people had
been expecting to hear it any hour
since the evenings bulletin was posted
at buckingham palace and flashed
throughout the kingdom. The capital
received it without excitement. but
cadly, for the king with his own people
was unquestionably one of the most
popular rulers in the world. They re-
garded him as one of the strongest
forces making for the stability of the
peace of the empire.
The fashionable restaurants were
just emptying and a few groups of
late theater goers were making their
way homeward through the rain while
a small crowd still hung about the
palace when the streets were filled
suddenly iwth newsboys shrilly crying
death of the king" The papers were
quickly seized and the people dis
cussed tho momentous event quietly
and soon dispersed. The streets were
deserted by L o'clock.
Within a few minutes after the
death of the king. the home office tele-
graphed the intelligence to the heads
of other governments and the diplo-
mats and colonial Offices throughout
the world.
All who knew the king expected his
death would be sudden and it would
not have occasioned great surprise if
it had occurred without warning at
some social function as result of
heart trouble. Almost to the end he
refused to take to his bed and was
sitting up yesterday in a large chair
so the palace stories go. corroborat-
ing the description Of him as an un-
ruly patient which DIR OFT gave to a
Vienna interviewer last evening
Unconscious for Hours.
The queen and others of the royal
family and four doctors had been con-
stantly in the sick room throughout
the day Several hours before his
death the king was in eon7atose con-
dftion, but he rallied slightly between
and 10 O'Clock and appeared to
recognize his family. Then he Iapsed
into Inconsistencies which ended in
his passing.
When DR.. st. Clair Thompson, the
great throat specialist. was called in
yesterday morning it was expected that
an operation on the throat would be
necessary, but after a consultation it
was decided that the lungs We're the
seat of the most serious symptoms.
Experts were held in readiness to ad-
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