NARROW ESCAPES OF THE KING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 29, 27 February 1909, Page 3

NARROW ESCAPES OF THE KING.

The King has had quite an alarming number ol narrow escapes from death (says Tit Bits). So often has he been in dire peril that oue begins to believe that our illustrious Sovereign bears a charmed existence!

Only one attempt at assassination has been made upon. His Majesty, aud thai, luckily, proved unsuccessful. The dastardly assassin was a youth named Sipido, whose half-imbecile mind had become imbued with the idea that he had been ordained to "set things right,'' as the times were "out of joint." The unfortunate young fellow had read much pernicious literature containing libels upon our Royal Family and upon the naval and military authorities. It was iu the memorable, year 1000, when England was at war with the Boers. The, King, who was at that time Prince of Wales and heir to the Throne, was passing through Brussels on his way to Denmark, and the fanatical Sipido contrived, through the carelessness of the station authorities, to gain access to the plaUorm. As the Royal train began to move out from the station the young assassin leapt on to the footboard, and, drawing a revolver, levelled it at the head of the Prince of Wales, firing two shuts in rapid succession. Both bullets miraculously missed the Prince, embedding themselves iu tile woodwork of the saloon. The cowardly shots were fired at so short a range that the escape of the Prince can only be regarded as miraculous. SAVED IIIS LlFt: BY A SECOND. The King, while lunching aboard 11.M.5. Sultan, was one day watching with much interest the proceedings of the sailors in connection with the trial of a new gun. After regarding the proceedings for some time the King casually stepped back a few paces. The very second that the King moved the windlass broke away, the handle revolving with tremendous rapidity in the exact spot where His Majesty had been standing. Sir Claude de Crespigny, who witnessed the affair, says, "Had Uie King not moved away a second earlier he would certainly have been struck and killed by that murderous handle!" RECOVERY FROIM TYPHOID.

Xo man ever had a narrower escape from death by typhoid than His -Majesty, in the 'latter pari of the year 1871. I'or days the Prince lay unconscious, stricken by the terrible disease, and Queen Victoria journeyed posthaste from Scotland to Sandringham to be present, at ■what was feared would be her son's death-bed. Tdic most skilful doctors could give no hope, and a cloud of awful uncertainty ■hung li|ye a pall over the country. On the first day of December the Prince rallied, and the hopes of the nation brightened, only to bo dashed to the ground by the nc«'s of a serious relapse, on which occasion hope was finally abandoned, the wiiole of the Koyai Family being summoned to the bedside. To the astqnishment of the eminent physicians the Prince still lingered on, and ultimately, to the joy of the nation, he completely recovered.

ESCA'I'E EKOM AX ELEPHANT. The serious illness of the King previous to his coronation' will be remembered by all, and no one will ever forget the dt-'cp sympathy and anxiety that pervaded tlhc whole Empire. As is well known, King Edward is an ardent sportsman. While tiger and elephant hunting in India His Majesty had many hairbreadth escapes. On one occasion the King was making his way through the thick undergrowth of a Ceylon jungle, when he was startled by a tremendous crashing of branches close at hand. Almost before ho could cock his rillc an elephant burst through the den'c trees and charged thunderously down upon the King. Instead of enil'cavurin" to escape, our Sovereign coolllv'nointcd his piece at the head of the 1, 110 ',ster and look deliberate aim. The «bot struck the elephant, and, although it did not immediately kill the animal, it caused the great creature to swerve aside within a few feet of His Majesty. Had it not been for that cool shot the King must have been mangled beyond recognition by those ponderous feet and deadly gleaming tusks! On'another occasion a large tiger sprang suddenly from a thicket on to the back of the elephant which the King was riding, and made frantic efforts to wt at His Majesty. The cloth on which the howdah rested was completely torn away, the tiger thus slipping to the ground with the tattered cloth. Had the ferocious animal succeeded in geltin" into t'hat howdah there would have hren very little left of our sporting King. OX SIB THOMAS LIPTOX'S YACHT. Perhaps the most recent escape of King Edward was on the occasion of his visit to Sir Thomas Lipton aboard one of the most famous Shamrocks. Th« great steel mast suddenly snapped under the tremendous strain of the canvas falling within .a foot of His Majesty, who was strolling on deck at the time. It was perhaps the narrowest escape from instant death fliat our popular Monarch ever experienced.