The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-07-21

calym intelligence which were associated with his twenty-five years pontificate..
 Death Was Not Easy.
 His was no easy death. An hour be- Rora ba died. turnnig to pr. Lappont and his devoted valet Pic Centra he murmur- ed "the pain I suffer is most terrible. Yet his parting words were not or the physical anguish that he sunereu' put were whispered benedictions upon the cardinals and his nephews, who knelt at inc bedside and the last look of his almost s;gbtleas eyes was towards the great ivory crucifix hanging in the death cham her Practically all the cardinals now in Rome. kneeling at the bedside, watched the passing of his soul. Earlier Tn the day Cardinal Serafino Vannuteli had im- pressively pronounced the absolution in articulo mortis.
 The condition of his holiness varied from agony to coma Wishing to relieve him, Dr. Mazzoni suggested that nor phine should be administered, but Dr. Lapponi did not agree, fearing that the end might be quickened.
 Of this supreme moment Dr. Lapponi gives an impressive description He said:
 "Death occurred through exhaustion. although in the last two hours Pope Leo made A supreme effort to gather together all his energies. He succeeded In recognizing those about him by the sound of their voices, as his sight was almost entirely lost Still he made marvellous display of his energy and even his death was really grand. It was resigned, calm and serene.
 Supreme Courage Shown.
 ..Verv few examples can be given of A man of such advanced age after so ex- haustive an illness showing such supreme courage in dying. The pontir's last breath was taken exactly at four minutes past f. I approached a lighted candle to his mouth three times, according to the traditional ceremonial and afterwards de- c!ared the Pope to be no more. then went to inform Cardinal Oreglla. the dean of the sacred college, who immediately assumed full power and gave orders that the vatican be cleared of all curious per sons having no right to be therein.
 'Contemporaneously the cardinal in- structed Mgr Rigi, master of ceremonies, to send the Swiss Guard from the Clej- kentine Hall, to c.ose all the entrances to the vatican and to dismiss all persons from the death chamber, the body being entrusted to the Franciscan penlteh- tiaries."
 Meantime, events of momentous im- portance to Catholic Christendom were occurring. The death of Pope Leo meant the passing of the supreme power into the hands of the sacred college of cardl- nals its temporary custodian during the interregnum.
 oreglia Man of Hour.
 The perfect administrative machinery of the church provides against the slightest interruption of the governing authority As the senior member of the sacred col lege, Cardinal Oreglia. to whom the Pope today solemnly confided the interests of the church, now becomes the exponent of the cardinals until Pope Leo's successor shall be elected. This has brought forth Cardinal Oreglia as the striking person ality of the hour.
 The Cardinal is the exact antithesis of Pope Leo, having none of the late Pont- iffs sympathetic and benevolent charac- teristics He comes from a noble Pied montese 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 Piedmont Bear. " He is tall and robust and his "A years are shown only by the whteness of his hair. His face has the tawny hue of old parchment and Is deeply lined Despite his austerity the Cardinals learning and piety are universally recognized
 This Is the man who for the time being is practically Pope. It was he who issued the orders to clear the Vatican of intrud- CTS and brought tranquility out of the