The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1903-07-23
HAND OF DEATH
ON LEO'S BROW
SUPREME LAST MOMENT IN MEM
oRA5LE LIFE HOURLY Elk.
PEcTED.
PONTIFF LIES IN STATE or COMA
OCCASIONALLY CRIES OUT IN
FEAR AS IF HE FELT HIMSELF
ABANDONED.
PONTIff LIES IN STATE or COMA
IS KEPT ALIVE By STlMUlANIS
DEPRESSION SEXES THE POPE
DURING NIGHT AND HE SINKS
STEADILY.

Rome July q, 3:35 a. m. - Now
that the supreme last moment in the
memorable life and reign of Pope Leo
is expected almost hourly, the COM
trast between the quiet within and the
excitement without the Vatican is
most striking. In the vast palace
there is a hushed calm Of expectation,
the only apparent wakeful souls being
the Swiss guards The doctors and
attendants of the dying pOItiff speak
in whispers and move noiselessly
about, so that from the sick room no
sound comes except the heavy breath
ing Of the unconscious pope or his &C.
casiOnal cries for Pho Contra and nr.
Lapponi. His tone is one Of fear, as
though he felt himself abandoned. In
reality sleep is very
Far From All Eyes.
No matter at what hour death comes,
the whole palace will spring into sud-
den life as though touched by a
magician's wand. In the piazza of ST.
Peters, on the contrary, all is move
ment. there being regular encamp-
ment of journalists before the famous
bronze doors, which are now closed in
their faces and behind which the reg
ular tramp of the Swiss guards can be
heard. Many eyes are glued to the
window in the pope's chamber. over
looking The piazza, while the nearby
cafes, especially those with telephones,
are crowded.
The pope lies in a state of coma at
there are grave doubts in the minds
of his doctors whether he will ever
completely emerge.
His immediate Dissolution
seems to be only averted by the relia- :
bility of the action of his heart. His
pulse, though weak, continues steady.
Shortly before midnight DR.. Lapp3ni
said to the correspondent Of the Asso-
ciated Press:
The pope at the present moment is
in a state of coma which may be called
a condition preceding the last agony,
the duration of which il is impossible
to forecast, although everything leads
to the belief that this condition can
not last. To be more exact, he is still
in state of stupOr from which, how
ever, he rouses occasionally when he
hears sharp sounds as, for instance The
insistent voice of one of his familiars
calling loudly 10 him. Left alone he
relapses Immediately into condition
of torpor. At intervals he murmurs in
his sleep, continuing to have forebod-
ings that he is being abandoned by his
valet, Contra, and myself. These are
the symptoms of incipient cerebral
anemia and
General Exhaustion.
He can no longer turn in his bed with
out assistance and is being kept alive
by artificial stimulants. During the
last twenty-three hours he has had two
injections of complicated oil, three OF
caffeine and two hypodermics of salt
water, besides drinking stimulants.
Each hour Of the day added to the
gravity of the reports from the sick
room Of the poutiff until all Rome has
waited, almost breathlessly, in momen-
tary expectation of the announcement
of his death. Since the state If de-
preston which seized upon the pope
during the latter part of the night his
condition has
Gone Steadily Downward,
and throughout the day the most in
tense anxiety prevailed.
Both the Italian government and the
authorities Of the Vatican have made
final PREPARATIONS for the pope's death
The government is rigidly censoring
all kilograms and telegraphic COM
munication between Italy and the rest
of the continent.
President Roosevelt has, through AS
sistant Secretary of tate Loomis, seIt
10 Cardinal Rampolla a telegram ex-
pressing the presidents sincere sympa-
thy for his holiness in this hour of
supreme anxiety, and asking to be in
formed of the condition Of tne venera-
Bile patient.
Cardinal Rampolla sent an answer to
the telegram which contained the
thanks of the Vatican authorities OF
the solicitude expressed by the presi-
dent and also the latest information
concerning the condition of the pope.