Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-07-23

Rome. july U.-Pope Leo Kill is dead.
His life fickered out at four minutes
past four o'clock this afternoon.
The period of over two weeks that
Pope Leo has passed in the shadow of
death was no less wonderful than his
life. His splendid battle against disease
was watched the world over with SYM
pathetic admiration, and ended only af-
ter a series of tremendous efforts to
conquer with his marvellous will power
the weakness of his aged frame.
The pleuro- pneumonia with which his
holiness had been suffering was scarcely
50 responsible for his death as the ineVi-
table decay of tissue following old age.
The tested steel, which had bent SO often
before human ills. was bound to break
at last. Tonight the emaciated and
lifeless frame which held so brave
spirit, lies on the bed in the Vatican be-
side which almost all the world has
prayed. The red damask Coverlet rests
lightly over the body, the cardinals scar
let cape is about the shoulders, while on
his head has been placed the papal hood
of velvet, bordered with ermine. A white
silk handkerchief is bound about his
chin and in the hands which have bless
ed so many thousands has been placed
cruciiX. So the body of Pope Leo will
remain until tomorrow, watched by
uniformed officers of the noble guard and
rough clad Franciscan penitentaries.
Tomorrow the Sacred College of Car
dinals will assemble for the impressive
ceremonies of officially pronouncing Pope
Leo dead. After this sad function has
been performed the body will be taken to
the small throne room adjoining the
death chamber, where 1t will he en-
balmed. The funeral ceremonies will en-
tend over nine days, the remains being
removed to the Cathedral of St. Peter $
where they will lie in state. The ulti-
will be in the magnificent Baslica of St
John the Lateran
Pope Leo's final moments were marked
by that same serenity and de
voton and when he was conscious,
that calm intelligence which is
associated with his % years pontficate
His was no easy death. An hour before
he died, turning to DR.. Lapponi and his
devoted valet. Pho Contra, he murmured {:
1.-The pain ] suffer is most terrible Yet
his parting words We're not of the physical
anguish that he suffered but We're whis-
pered benedictons upon the cardinals and
his nephews, who knelt at the bed side,
and his look was towards the great ivory
crucihx hanging in the death chamber.
| Practically all the cardinals now in Rome,
| kneeling at the bedside, watched the
| passing of his SOUL Earlier in the day
| Cardinal Sertfino Vannutelli had impress
sively pronounced the absolution in ar
| ticulo mortts.
The condition OF his holiness varied
! from agony to coma. Wishing to relieve
| him DR.. Mazzoni suggested that
morphine should be administered but DR.
Iapponi did not agree, fearing that the
end might be quickened.
OF this supreme moment Or. Lappon
gives an impressive description:
Death occurred through exhaustion
although In the last two hours Pope Loo
made supreme effort to gather all hi:
| energies. He succeeded in recognizing
those about him by the sound of THEN
voices, as his sight was almost entirely
lost Still he made a marvellous display
of his energy and even his death wa'
really grand. It was resigned and serene
Very few examples can I've given of
man of such advanced agc, after so OK
haustive illness showing such supreme
courage The Pontiffs breath was takel
exactly at four minutes past four | ap
proa ched lighted candle at his noutl
three times, according to tho traditional
ceremonial and afterwards declared tn
Pope TO be no more. I then went to in
form Cardinal Oreglia, the dean of tn
Sacred College, who Immediately assume
fun power and gave orders that tn
Vatican he cleared Of all curious person
having no right to he therein. Contem
ANONYMOUSLY, the cardinal instructed Mgr
Right, master OF ceremonies, to send tn
Swiss guard from the Clcmcntne hal
, to close all the entrances to the Natica
and dismiss all persons from the deaf
, chamber the body being entrusted to tn
Franciscan penitentiaries.'
, THE SUPREME POWER.
Meantime, events of Importance (
Catholic Chrstendom were occurrnl
, The death Of Pope Leo meant the pass
ing of the supreme power into the hand
of the Sacred College of Cardinals, Th
a tetv ixn . I
! church provided against the slightes
Interruption Of the governing authort,
and the senior member of the Sacred co
d lege, Cardinal Oreglia to whom the POI
u to-day solennly conided the interests
I the church has now become the exponer
= of the cardinals until Pope Leo's SUE
. cessor has been elected. This has brougf
u forth Cardinal Oreglia as the striking pc
T. sonaity of the hour.
!, The cardinal is the exact antthesis
a Pore Leo. having none of the late POI