Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1903-07-23

and afterward declared the pope to
he no more. then went to inform
Cardinal OregHa. the dean of the sa-
cred college, who Immediately as
sumed full power and gave orders that
the vatican be cleared Of all curious
persons having no right to be therein.
Contemporaneousty the cardinal tn
structed Monsignor Righi. master of
ceremonies, to send the Swiss guards
from the Clementine hall to close all
the entrances to the vatican and dis
miss all persons from the death cham
Der, the body being entrusted to the
franciscan penitentiaries."
Leo contides Church to Oreqtia.
In the meantime events of momen-
dom We're occurring. The death of
Pope Leo meant the passing Of the
supreme power into the hands of the
sacred college of cardinals as its tenn
porary custodian during the interreg-
mum. The perfect administrative ma
chinery of the church provided
against the slightest interruption of
the governing authority AS the senior
member of the sacred college Cardinal
Oreglia, to whom the pope solemnly
conf1ded the interests of the church,
has now become the exponent of the
cardinals until Pope Leo's successor
has been elected. This has brought
forth Cardinal Oreglia as the strik-
ing personality Of the hour
The cardinal is the exact antithesis
of Pope Leo having none of the late
pontiff's sympathetic and benevolent
characteristics. He comes from a no
BILE Piedmontese stock and his nobility
is shown in his naughty and austsre
bearing. He is not popular among his
colleagues or the Romans. and his
brusque manner has earned him the
title of The Piedmont Bear" He is
tall and robust and his seventy four
years are shown by the whiteness of
his hair. His face has the tawney
hue of old parchment and is deeply
lined. Despite his austerity, the car
dinals learning and piety are univer-
sally recognized This is the man
who, for the time being. is practically
pope. 1t was he who issued the or
ders to clear the vatican of intruders
Immediately following Pope Leo's
death.
The death occurred at q time when
all was singularly calm about the vat
lean, as people had been SO long ex-
pecting the final summons that their
sensibilities were well nigh numbed.
At 1920 man dashed maday across
st. Peters square. then quite empty.
A second later another followed on a
bicycle. Within few seconds, as il
by magic, newspaper mon, gendarmes
and messengers, running, driving and
gestlculattng. dashed to and from the
portals Of the vatican.
Like wireless message there
flashed around the words, HE is
dead
Funeral Arrangements.
Only the most general fune1a1 ar
rangements have thus far baen made,
as the shock of the pops's death for
the moment occupies all attention.
Cardinal Oreglia, together with the
members of the sacred college, WILL
determine the details of the elaborate
funeral ceremonies. In the case of
Plus IX. his personal friends among
the Roman artstocracy were permitted
to see the embalmed body before 1t
was removed to St Peters, Where the
general public had like privilege.
1t is expected that similar plans will
be carried out in the present case.
On the evening Of the eighth day the
corpse will be enclosed In two collins,
the inner one of cypress and the other
Of lead, which will be deposited with
in stone sarcophagus. 1t will not be
Immediately committed to its final
resting place, but will be deposited
high over the door near the choir of a
chapel in St Peters, where is may be
viewed by all visitors.
Interest centers in concave.
The greatest interest is NOW CEN
tered in the work OF the holy cunnlave
which is to select the successor to
Leo Kill Speculatinns, prophesies
and predictions come from every d.
rection in favor Of the various candi-
dates. The comparatively long illness
of the pope has the effect of narrow
ing the chances Of some who entered
the contest with what was thought to
be the brightest prospects, while it
has brought forward the prominence
of others, who at first were hardly
considered. The result is that they
are all now on about the same level
1t is said that there has never been
conclave In which there are SO mHny
candidates who have fair chance of
winning. Such situation might lead
to struggle of much longer duration
than that Of 1878, when Leo was elect
ed. That conclave lasted scarcely
three days. The contest would be pro-
longed. especially if, after the early
ballots. the different parties. whose
exact strength could only then be es.
tablished, persist in remaining faithful
to their favorites instead of joining
forces with those candidates having
better chances.
The most prominent candidates for
the succession are Cardinals Gptti.