New-York tribune., 1903-07-21
POPE LEO'S LIFE ENDED.
Continued from First Page.

tIon. The kneeling assemblage was too ear
nestly absorbed in deep affiction and veneraelon
to make movement
The doctors again examined the dying man.
and this time found that he was at the extreme
limit of his powers of respiration. His eyes be-
gan TO become dull and clouded. and Leo XIII
entered into the agony of death.
PASSES AWAY IN FIT OF COUGHING.
The last conscious act Of the Pontiff was to
turn his eyes toward the great crucihx on the
wall after which he suffered from paroxysm
of choking in which he passed away.
Then the silence of the awestricken assemblage
was broken by the sonorous voice Of Cardinal
Serafno vannutelli the Grand Penitentiary. in
toning the Requiem A1ternam crest Eternai'o.
This was the signal for an outburst of tears
All the kneeling prelates and others kissed the
dead hand which had dispensed 30 many bene-
fits, charities and benedictions
Outside the death chamber expectation was
intense, but the sight of the sorrowing faces of
those leaving the room was sufficient to spread
the sad news.
The occurrences in the death chamber i'm
mediately following the Popes death were i'm
pressive. Couriers had been dispatched to sum-
mon those who are delegated to perform the
first religious offices toward the dead Pope, and
soon the chanting of the franciscan monks was
heard as, two by two, in coarse brown habits
and with sandalled feet, they proceeded to the
room in which Leo lay dead. From time I'M
memorial the Franciscans haye been peniten-
tiaries of ST. Peters.
NOBLE GUARDS WATCH OVER BODY.
Following them came the Noble Guard. to
watch over the Pontifrs body the brilliancy of
their uniforms contrasting strikingly with the
sombre attire of the quantity garbed monks
and the solemn dignity Of the chamber itself
The only sound heard was the measured chant
ing Of the Psalms of Penitence by a group Of
monks kneeling beside the couch OF death. Two
Noble Guards took UP positions at the foot Of
the couch and stood there, rigid and silent as
statues with swords drawn and reversed, point
ing to the floor.
The death chamber preserved much the same
| appearance that it did at the time of the final
illness Of the Pope. 1t is situated on the third
floor of the Vatican, the apartments fronting
the splendid piazza Of st. Peters, and the win
dow of the room commanding view of the tall
obelisk and playing fountains, with Rome
| stretching off beyond the Tiber- Across the
middle Of the room hang heavy draperies, partly
| concealing the bed on which lies the form Of
the dead Pontiff. BY the side OF the low bed
| burn a number of candles. and from above looks
down the picture of the Madonna, with the
infant Christ in her arms. Leo's desk is closed
| but some Of the books on religious topics which
| he kept near him remain on 1t.
oREGLIA IN ABSOLUTE CONTROL.
The death Of Pope Leo meant the passing
of the supreme power into the hands OF the Sa-
cred College of Cardinals as its temporary Gus
todian during the interregnum. The perfect ad-
ministrative machinery of the Church provided
against the slightest interruption Of the gov
erning authority. AS the senior member OF the
Scored College, Cardinal Oreglia to whom the
Pope to-day solemnly conided 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 striking personality of the
| hour.
| The Cardinal is the exact antithesis Of Pope
Leo having none of the late Pontiffs sympa-
thetic and benevolent characteristics. He
comes from a noble Piedmontese stock, and his
nobility is shown in his naughty and austere
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 tawny hue of old parchment. and
is deeply lined. Despite his austerity. the car
! dinars learning and piety are universally reg
| ognized. This is the man who for the time being
is practically Pope. 1t was he who issued the
| order to clear the Vatican of intruders and
brought tranquility out of the confusion imme-
diatey following Pope Leo's death.
PEACE TRANSFORMED INTO TUNIULT.
! The death of the Pontif occurred at time
when all was singularly calm about the Vati-
| can, as people had been so long expecting the
final summons that their sensibilities were we'll
nigh numbed. Outside st. Peters the empty
| trolley cars swung slowly round the loop and
across the square into the cool shade of the
great colonnade. The clang of the car bells
was the only noise which dispelled the tradi-
tional peacefulness of an Italian afternoon. Now
and again one of those little open carriages in
which all Rome rides ratified across the baked