The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-09

London, July Special. )-Nearly 10000 policemen, detectives and secret service men were on duty during the recent coronation. Last December the chief of the metropolitan police caused a notice to be issued inviting men who have left the force during recent years to rejoln for a brief period.
 Many of these men were put to do spade work" leaving the skilled de- tectives free for more important du- ties.
 For, instance. during the work of preparing Westminster Abbey, numbers of plain clothes men, wearing suitable caps and aprons, worked side by side
 with the regular workmen.
 These men were selected on account
 of their having been stonemasons, car
 penters, and on, and were paid the
 regular trade union rate of wages in addition of course to their police pay
 Their real duty. however, were to look out for suspicious characters or of anything out of the common.
 Tn accordance with an old custom.
 on the night before the actual cere- i mony the vaults and lower parts of
 Westminster Abbey underwent a thor
 ough search by picked detectives And thence onward, until all over, police
 were constantly stationed at intervals
 of a few yards throughout this under
 ground maze of vaults, crypts and pass
 ages, being relieved atperiods. For the actual guarding of foreign royalties during their stay special de- tectives were told exclusively. AS a rule two men, the pick of the c. I. D. were allotted to each parsonage, with a third In reserve as a sort of under study.
 There were other detectives employed
 watching all known anarchists and
 revolutionaries. All the time of the last coronation one anarchist who was in the employ of publican was trapped in the cellar by 8 detective and kept there till all was over.
 Another reyolutionist was arrested on trivial charge and detained during the ceremonies. Strictly speaking, the police have no right to do these things, but on such an occasion it is held that the end justifies the means.
 Scotland Yard authorities do not take any chances If they can help it. The coronation was a time of great anxiety for all of them, and especially for the heads of departments. who are called upon to carry out scheme of police protection on an immense scale. The constables each get a coronation medal apiece, and special pay, while detectives closely associated with roy alties are rewarded with diamond pins, gold watches and other costly souve- mfrs.
 This I think equals any of Sir Boyle Roches famous bulls. Sir J. N. Barran, in the house of commons urged the board of agriculture to do something to arrest the spread of bee disease, and expressed the hope that the board
 would take the bull by the horns-a
 remark that was received with loud laughter. n-
 An interesting and unique event
 took place recently at the Catholic church of Earlsfield. This was the eel = ebration of his first mass by Father P. H. D. Casgrain, who has been in the
 army for 26 years, and was better known as Major Casgrain of the Royal
 Engineers. The soldier, who has be-
 come a priest, is a Canadian. He has seen service in the northwest Territory
 rising, the 4danipur expedition and the South african war. In addition, he has visited many countries, acting as inter- preter at various embassies, etc. Dur ing recent visit to the Canadian Northwest, he was so struck by the big field lying open to the missionary priest that he decided to fulfill a. long ing cherished many years and offer himself for the ministry He will de- vote himself to missionary work in Canada, probably.
 Among notable Church of Engla nd
 men who have recently joined the Ro-
 man Catholic church Is Lord Alfred Douglas brother of the Marquis of Queensbury, and of Lord Archibald
 Douglas. Lord Alfred was received Into the church In the private chapel at tached to the manor house, Winter
 bourne Gunner. by Monsignor Bicker- steth Drew, whom rumor says is none other than the brilliant writer who has