The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1903-07-23
The POPE DIES
AFTER BOLD FIss..,s
Head OF The Catholic Church Passes
To His Reward
A LIFE OF YEARS AND HON0RS
The End Came Monday Afterno on
Leo XIII Died Surrounded BY Ills
Relatives and the Cardinals - The.
immediate Cause Of Death.

Rome, BY Cable.-Pope Leo XIII is
dead. The last flicker OF life expired
ut four minutes past 4 o'clock Monday
afternoon and the Pontiff now lies at
rest. The period Of over two weeks
that Pope Lco passed in the shadow
of death was no less wonderful than
his life. His splendid battle against
nisease was watched the world over
with sympathetic admiration and end
sd only after a series OF tremendous
efforts 20 conquer the weakness OF his
aged frame By the marvellous will pow
or OF his mind. The pleuro-pneumon
with which His Holiness has been suf-
fering was scarcely as responsible for
his death as that in evitable decay OF
tissue which cnsueS upon 80 yeaEs of
lie The tested steel which had bent
so often before human Ills was bound
to- break at last. Today the emacated
and lifelcss frame which held so brave
II spirit lies on the bed in the Vatican
beside which almost all the world has
prayed. The rcd damask coverlet rests
lightly over the body. the cardinals
scarlet cape is about the shoulders,
while on his head has been placed the
papal hood Of velvet. bordered with
erminc. A white silk handkerchief ia
hound about his chin and in his hands
which have blessed so many thous-
ands, has been placed a cruciix.
Popc Leo's final moments were
marked by that same devotion. and
when he was conscious, that. calm in
telligenCe which is associated with hi,
% years pontifcate. His was no easy
death. An hour before he died, turn
Ing to DR.. LappOni and his devoted
valet, Pho Centra, be murmured: THE
pain | suffer is most terrible" Yet his
parting words were not of the physical
anguish that he suffered, but were
whispered benedictions upon the car
dinals and his nephews, who knelt at
the bedside, and the last look Of his
almost sightless eyes was towards the
great ivory crucifix hanging in the
death chamber. Practically all the
cardinals in Rome, kneeling at the
bedside, watched the passage Of his
soul. Earlier in IT, day Cardinal
seraferno Vannuteii had impressiveIy
pronounced the absolution In articulo
mortis. The condition Of His Holiness
varied from agony to coma. Wishing
10 relieve him. DR.. Mazzoni suggested
that morphine should oe administered,
but DR.. Lapponi did not agree, fearing
that the end might be quickened. OF
this supreme moment DR.. Lapponl
gives an impressive description. He
sa!d
Death occurred through exhaustion,
although in the last two hours Pope
Leo made supreme effort to gather
together all his energies. He succeed
ed In recognizing those about him by
the sound Of their voices, as his sight
was almost lost. Still he made a mar
velous display Of his energy and even
lis death was really grand. 1t was re-
signed. calm and serene. Very few eX
amples can be given of man Of such
advanced age after so exhaustive dis
case. The Pontiff's last breath was
taken at four minutes past 4. I ap-
preached lighted candle to his mouth
three times, according to the tradi-
tional ceremonial and afterward de-
clared the Pope to be no more. l then
went to inform the sacred college,
Cardinal Oreglia, who Immediately as
Sumed full power and gave orders that
the Vatican be cleared of all curious
persons having no right to be therein.
Contemporaneously. the cardinal in
structed Mgr. Righi. master of cere-
monies. to send the Swiss Guards from
the Clementine Hall to close all the
entrances 10 the Vatican and dismiss
all persons from the death chamber,
the body being entrusted to the Fran
ciscan penitentiaries."
P.rpetuity of Rule.
Meantime, events Of moment of
more Importance to Catholics were
occurring. The death of Pope Leo
meant the passing Of the supreme
power into the hands of the sacred
college Of cardinals as its temporary
custodian during the interregnum.
The perfect administrative machinery
Of the Church provided against the
slightest interruption of the govern
ing authority. AS the senior member
Of the sacred college, Cardinal Ore
glis, to whom the Pope solernly con-
fided the interests of the Church, has
now become the exponent ct the cardl-
cals until Pope Leo's successor has
been elected. This brought forth Cardi
nal Oreglia as, the striking person
ality of the hour