The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-01-18
TOOK THE KINGS CUTTER.
Honey Fitz'' Simply Had to Visit Sir
Tom Lipton's Yacht.

How Mayor Fitzgerald on one occa-
the King of England for his own use
and left the king and queen to cool
their heels on a landing until the mayor
got through with the craft was told by
Sir Thomas Upton during a trip down
the harbor which the famous Irish
yachtsrnan took with the mayor and
other city officials.
The story as Sir Thomas told it was
substantially as follows: "On the oc-
casion of big regatta at Cowes
few years ago 1 was on board my boat,
the Erin, entertaining a number of
Americans, among them Martin Little
ton, of New York. The Erin was at
anchor and was lying farther out than
any of the other yachts. While on deck
L noticed the royal cutter headed direct
for my ship. said to my guests: We
are to be visited by either the king
or queen This caused a bit of furry,
and one or two asked if was joking.
Il was not joking, and told them SO,
pointing out the royal cutter, and say
ing: The cutter never leaves unless
the king or queen is aboard on an oc-
casion of this kind. 1t is coming to
this Ship They wanted to know if 1
could make out whether it was the king
or queen aboard. 1 tried hard to, but
couldn't for the life of me tell.
''Then my American friends hurried
below and got fixed up a bit, asking
me in the meantime how it was Gus
tomary to address the king and queen.
told them to address the king as your
majesty if it be he who was aboard,
and if it be the queen to address her
as your gracious majesty Well, the
party kept rehearsing this until finally
the cutter came alongside.
And who do you suppose jumped out
my world And with him came his two
daughters. AS the mayor and his
daughters were leaving, the boats crew
stood UP and saIuted. / said to him:
My, but you came out in great style
today, Mr.. Mayor What could 1 do?
There was no other way to get here
he answered, with smile. But that
is the royal cutter, Mr.. Mayor said
L Yes, I know, but L had a spare
Gay and I thought L would just pay
you a visit
But the best of the story came out
later. 1t seems from what we secured
from the mayor and the boats crew
later that the mayor really had very
Interesting experience. The mayor was
unable to obtain boat to take him out
to the Erin. Finally the mayor found
his way to the royal landing where
the royal cutter was awaiting the king
and queen. Then, after surveying the
harbor for a moment, he handed his
daughters into the royal cutter and said
to the boats crew, Lipton-Erin,'
waving one of his hands in the direc-
ton of the fleet.
The boats crew stood UP and Sa-
luted and the mayor said" (Sir Thorn
as first chuckled and then broke into
a hearty laugh at this juncture of the
narrative), with a little imperious
gesture: Never mind saluting; take
me to the Erin
1.-THE boats crew, it afterward de-
veIoped, while they. of course, knew
that John here was not the king.
thought that he must be pretty close
on to it. They explained afterward
that they thought that the king had
said something They didn't like to
question the kings guests. and they
FASTENED to obey the mayors orders.
while the cutter was on the way to
the Erin the king and queen arrived at
the landing, and were much annoyed
at being so greatly Inconvenience
There was nothing left for them to do
but to dangle their heels over the side
of the dock until the cutter came back
or swim.
'"The whole boats crew came near
being sacked as the result of the Incl
dent / talked with the king about it
a little later, and explained the situa-
ton to him. He thought it n great
joke when he saw it from all sides.
In fact, nobody laughed more over it
than he did."-Boston Post.