The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-07-26

the late Pontin shall erect a suitable
tomb in the Basilica st. John Lateran,
which was chosen by the Pope himself
as his final resting place.
Thus was Pope Leo XIII consigned
to his long rest.
Color and life were given to the
whole scene by gendarmes and Pala-
tine and noble guards. The last named
nave never left the remains since the
Pope died.
Above the cardinals, behind a graf
ing, were the ladies of the aristocracy
and the family of the Pope.
The diplomatic body was also pres
ent, as were many of the Italian arts
tocracy, led by Prince Madsimo, who
claims descent from Quintos Fabius
Maximus in his uniform of papal post
master general. Gen. Decharette, the
Oldest veteran of the papal army, who
fought as commander of the Zouaves
against the Italians in 1870, was also
among those who attended the cere-
mony.
Public Display Ended.
On the stroke of midday, as the noon
gun from the castle of ST. Angelo was
fired, the lying in state of the body of
Pope Leo XIII came quietly to an end,
and those few who still fingered at the
gates of the chapel of the Sacrament,
.
and some 200 or 300 persons, including
Cardinal Goossens. who arrived from
Mechlin just in time, passed slowly
out of st. Peters into the sunlit piazza,
and the worlds last farewell to the
great Pope was over.
Ten minutes later Italian infantry
and gendarmes poured out of the
Basilica and lined up on the steps in
imposing array The outer gates were
then closed. and the body of the late
Pope was left to the tender care Of
those who had watched by Leo XIII in
his lifetime.
The preparations for this evenings
interment were Immediately com-
menced. While the bells of the
Basilica rang out their daily melodious
noon GLORIOUS, the troops formed in
column and were marched to the bar
racks. Their historic incursion into
Vatican territory ended without the
slightest friction.
Viewed by $4,000 People.
1t is estimated that $4,000 people
passed the catafalque since Thursday
morning.
The last funeral mass in st. Peters
was celebrated this morning in the
chapel of the choir by Mgr. Panicy
sanon of the Vatican Basilica. At the
same time funeral masses were cele-
brated in most of the churches of Rome
The most imposing ceremony to-day
was the reception by the Sacred Col.
'lege in the Hall of the Consistory oil
the whole diplomatic body accredited
to the Vatican. All the diplomats wore
gorgeous uniforms. and the cardinals
had on their magnificent violet robe;
and were seated in huge arm chairs
according to right of precedence. The
Portuguese ambassador, NJ. Martins
DAntas, dean of the diplomatic corps
was at the head of the body. He ad.
vanced and delivered an address II
French, expressing the sorrow of al
the Powers at the death of Pope Leo
who had acquired the universal esteem
of the world.
Cardinal Oreglia, dean of the Colleg,
of Cardinals, rose and answered II
Italian. He thanked the diplomats ii
the name of the Sacred College for the
part all the government had taken tr
this mourning of the church. He Ell.
logized Pope Leo and his work during
his long pontificate, and ended with
expressing the hope that God will sug-
gest to the Sacred College a worthy
successor to Leo XIII.
After this the members of the diplo-
matte body kissed the hands of all the
cardinals and, especially congratulated
Cardinal Oreglia on the sentiments he
had expressed, and which produced the
best of impressions.
FISherman's Ring Missing.
When the time came to take the
fisherman's ring from Pope Leo's fin
ger, it has developed another was
found in it's place. This did not sur
prise any one, generally, the Pontiff
does not wear it, the ring being less
of an ornament than an unused SEAL
At the first meeting of the Congrega-
ton of Cardinals after the Popes
death, when the famous ring should
have been broken, this ceremony was
omitted, and it was put on record that
the ring, for the moment, could not be
found.
The fisherman's ring is known to
have been lost twice before.
So far it has not been discovered
but the Vatican authorities assure the
Associated Press that the ring will
undoubtedly be found.
On two other occasions the ring was
taken from the papacy by force. In
1897 the French republicans, invad-
ing the papal states, despoiled Plus
VI of all his valuables, and among
them of the Fisherman's ring. 1t was
returned the next day, as it had no
intrinsic value
When Plus VII was kidnapped In
the middle of the night and was made
to give up this ring, the Pope gave
it up after breaking it in two pieces,
which were kept in Paris until re-
turned to Rome by Louis XVIII.
Mgr. Farabulini, the famous Latin
scholar. being unable to accept the
task of writing the CRATIC Brevis Cor
Latin eulogy upon the late Pontiff,
which will be buried with HIM the
Congregation of Cardinals to-day Sc
lected Father DeAngelis, a Jesuit, to
undertake that duty.