People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1897-02-18
Pope Leo in His Old Ace

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door OF death. 1t is from the pen Of
James Creelmau. the most realisti.
writer in the world:
Il watched Pope Leo for an hour.
while he assisted at the requiem mass
10 memory OF Plus TX, and his eve
was as bright and his tones as clear
and sonOrOus as when | interviewed |
MIN In the throne-room several years
ago.
IL Was a majestic spectacle as the
Pope entered the chapel on foot, lean.
Ing On the arms Of his assistants. He
wore over his white silk cassock a
magnificent trailing robe of crimson
gold, caught up with golden clasps
aud his shoulders were covered with a
cape OF crimson, the mourning color
o! the pOntiff. On his head was a
inter OF silver cloth, and his hands
were clothed 10 white lace.
The POpe's head drooped and his
shoulders were bowed with age. ana
as ne advanced his hands trembled
and bis head shook. His face was
oloodless, and the lines about his eyes
and mouth were deeper than ever.
his lips were parched and his cheeks
sunken, but it must be remembered
that In a few weeks Leo Mi will be
81 years old, and for nineteen years he
has not been outside OF the Vatican
grounds.
But there Is not man OF his age
in the world who could have spoken
with such voice as that 10 which he
pronounced dissolution today. After
the Pope had knelt before the alter
he assembled TO the dias and sat 90 the
purple throne under the great canopy
Of purple and gold; and, putting on
his gOld-rimmed spectacles, he sur
veyed the gorgeous scene spread out
under that matchless velvet on which
Michael Angelo set the supreme seal
Of his genius. while the Sistine choir.
rObed 10 purple and white lace, ap-
peared 10 small balcony and burst
into one Of Pedestrians most screwed
chOruses, led by the Angel Of the
Lateran, the like Of whose thrilling
soprano has not been heard on earth.
Il could see the POpe's limbs shake
and his mitered head nod while the
pOnderous master Of ceremonies ad-
lusted his ROBE. He is by nature a
tall man, but his body is now so bent
that ne seems to be not much more
than five feet. His once smiling
countenance seemed stern and austere:
the wasting Of his flesh gave a sunken
look TO his clear brown eyes: his nose
appeared to be unusually prominent
and bOny, and his mouth seemed
larger-a matter about which he is
personally very sensitive-and there
was a pathetic, almost tragic, drOop
at tie corners Of the lips. The trian-
gular burrows which marked the con-
traction Of the muscles on either side
Of his mouth showed plainly the effort
OF the venerable man to conceal the
ravages which time has made. and to
prevent the lower Jaw from dropping.
when the inter was lifted from
his head l could see that his hair was
thinner than before, aud his delicate.
large ears stood out with startling
distinctiveness. Yet notwithstanding
all these changes he had the same old
high glance Of nineteen year ago.
"At the high alter stood Cardinal
Anutelli, the officiating priest. The
chant Of the Sistine choir grew louder
and then died away in trembling.
wailing cadences. The Pope descend
ed from his throne and knelt before
the alter: clouds Of incense swirled
above his head; then be reascended
the throne and sat there. Again and
again the Pope descended aud ascend
ed the throne steps and knelt down
and stood up, each time seeming 10
grow stronger aud more erect, and
when at the last he read the absOlu.
ton his voice filed the whole hall.
his eyes flashed and he gestured in
the way familiar TO those who knew
him when be was young. Every word
was pronounced with energetic em-
phasis; his shoulders we're straighten.
ed and his head thrown back; and the
old smile was on MS face as be swept
from the chapel, surrounded By hi:
attendants. Twenty years seemed Il
have fallen from him.
Cary Circle Entertains.