The Tupelo journal., 1910-05-13

of Connaught, with his family, is at
Suez, Fastening home from Africa. The
kings daughter, Queen Maud of Norway,
will start for England.
The intelligence that the end of King
Edwards reign had come was not a sur
prise at the last. The people had been
expecting to hear it any hour.
The capital received it without excite
ment, but sadly, for the king with his
own people was unquestionably n of
the most popular rulers in the world.
Force for Peace.
They regarded him as one of the
strongest forces making for the stability
of the peace of the empire. The fashion
able restaurants were just emptying and
a few groups of late theatergoers We're
making their way homeward through the
rain, while IA small crowd still hung about
the palace, when the streets were filled
suddenly with newsboys shrilly crying:
death of the king!'
The papers were quickly seized and the
people discussed the momentous event
quietly and soon dispersed. The streets
We're deserted by 1 O'Clock.
Within a few minutes after the death
of the king the home office was tele-
graphing the intelligence to the heads
of other governments and the British
diplomats and colonial officials through
out the world.
All who knew the king expected that
his death would be sudden, and it would
not have occasioned great surprise if it
had occurred without warning at some
social function as a result of heart trou-
BILE.
One of the last utterances attributed
to King Edward was:
"Well, it is all over, but l think 1
have done my duty
He seemed then to have reached a full
realization that his death was approach
ing.
The queen and others of the royal fam
ily and four doctors had been constantly
in the sick room throughout the day.
Several hours before his death the king
was in a comatose condition, but he raj
lied slightly between 8 and 10 o'clock,
and appeared to recognize his family.
Then he lapsed into Inconsistencies,
which ended in his passing.
When DIR. st. Clair Thompson, the
great throat specialist, was called in, it
was expected that an operation on the
throat would be necessary, but after a
consultation it was decided the lungs
were the seat of the most serious symp-
toms.
Knollys Makes Announcement.
The body lies in the kings chamber in
the northeast wing of Buckingham Pal
ace, which is brilliantly lighted, while the
rest of the great, gloomy building, with
the exception of Lord Knollys' office, is
entirely darkened. 1t was nearly half an
hour after the king breathed his last
when Lord Knollys walked into the Of
flee and said to the waiting reporters:
Gentlemen, his majesty is dead"
The people outside the palace only
learned the news when boys appeared
with papers. In the meantime the prince
/ and princess of Wales had taken leave
of the other members of the royal family
at the main entrance, soon after mid
! night. They drove direct to Marlborough
House. Princess Victoria. who is her
mothers constant companion, remained
with the queen. The others of the fam
ily followed the prince and princess of
Wales.
Some Strenuous Politics.
Politically King Edwards reign has
been chiefly notable for the Inauguration
of a new era of social legislation for the
benefit of the people, which followed the
coming of the Liberals into power again,
after a long Conservative regime. The
general elections in 1906, fought on the
free trade question, brought the strong
est Liberal government for many gem
e~rations into power, and under the
Campbell-Bannerman and Asquith minis
tries many measures dealing with edu-
cation, old age pensions, the relations of
workers to employers and cognate mat
tiers were put into successful operation,
while the great Irish home rule question,
which so agitated the political parties in
, the Victorian era, has been to a great
extent thrust into the background.
The reign, however, closes at a period
of great political unrest. with a large
section of the community vigorously op-
posed to the new Liberal policy OF en-
croachment on the privilege of the landed
aristocratic classes, and with the heated
questions of the constitution of the house
| of lords, tariff reform and home rule still
unsettled.
The kings death occurring at midnight,
when the newspapers were going to press,
precluded anything beyond the bare an
nouncement. All the morning papers,
however, appear with heavy mourning
borders and full biographies of the dead
sovereign. They publish editorials de-
ploring the nations loss, while many col
umns of dispatches from abroad testify
to the intensity of interest and even
alarm his sudden illness had excited
! throughout the world.
49, ri