Milford chronicle., 1903-07-24

three days the public will be given an
opportunity of paying a last farewell.
Saturday night the body of the pope
will be sprinkled with holy water by
the Chapter Of St. Peters. It will
then be taken at the head of q pro
cession around the Basiica and en-
tombed to the strains Of the Mis-
erere." intoned by singers OF the Julia
Chapel
In the chapel choir, where the inter
ment will occur, the bier must enter
head first, according TO the church
law. The ceremony will end with the
celebration of a requiem on Sunday.
The condition of his holiness varied
from agony to coma Wishing to re-
lieve him. DR.. Mazzoni suggested that
morphine should be administered, but
DR.. Lapponi did not agree, fearing that
the enI might be quicSened
The Supreme Moment.
Of this supreme moment DR.. Aapponi
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 a marvellous display Of his en-
ergv. and even his death was really
grand. It was resigned, calm and Sc
rene. Very few examples can be given
of a man of such advanced age after
so exhaustive an illness showing such
supreme courage in dying. The pom
/ tiGs last breath was taken exactly at
| four minutes past 4. l approached
/ lighted candle to his mouth three
times. according 10 the traditional cer-
/ emonial. and afterward declared the
pore to be no more. l then went to in
! form Cardinal Oreglia, the dean of the
/ sacred college who Immediately as
sur.ed ful power and gave orders that
/ the Vatican be cleared OF all curious
/ persons having no right to be therein.
| Contemporaneously the cardinal in
structed Monsignor Righi master Of
4 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
ber. the body being entrusted to the
Franciscan penitentiaries.
Meantime, events Of momentoUs i'm
portance TO Catholic Christendom were
occurring. The death Of Pope Leo
meant the passing Of the supreme
mower into the hands OF the sacred
college of cardinals as its temporary
custodian during the interregnum.
The perfect administrative machinery
of the church provided against the
slightest interruption OF the governing
authority. As the senior member OF
the sacred college. Cardinal Oregiia, to
whom the pope solemnly confded the
interests OF the church, has now be-
come the exponent Of the cardinals
until Pope Leo's successor has been
elected. This has brought forth Car
dinaI Oreglia as the striking personal
ity Of the hour
The cardinal is the exact antithess
Of Pope Leo. having none Of the late
pontiH's sympathetic and benevolent
characteristics. He comes from = noble
Piedmontese stock. and his nobility is
shown in his naughty and austere bear
ing He is not popular among his col
leagues or the Romans. and his brusque
manner has earned him the title OF
THE Piedmont Bear" He is tall and
robust and his "a 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
cardinals learning and piety are uni
versally recognized.
This is the man who for the time
being is practically pope. It was he
who issued the orders to clear the Vat
lean from intruders and brought tran
ouillity out of the confusion imme-
diately following Pope Leo's death.
The viscera of Pope Leo, which was
placed in an earthen urn and provis
2 ionally deposited in the crypt OF st
Peters. was removed at midnight tc
a magnificent urn. which. carried by
Monsignors Marzolini and Angeh' was
, taken in a Vatican carriage to the
Church of st. Vincent Anastasius. Th'
, mvsteriously picturesque scene was
: such as is only possible in Rome. The
az ,,,ot ot ffNa dOnr of th.