The Tupelo journal., 1906-11-30
BOMB FIRED IN CHURCH
PANIC FOLLOWS EXPLOSION IN ST
PETERS ROME.
DEED WITHOUT PARALLEL
Perpetrator Escapes While Men, WON.
en- and Children Struggle
to Reach Exits.

Rome-JuSt after the last mass nae
been said in the crowded st. Peters
cathedral Sunday, in celebration OF
the anniversary Of the dedication OF
the basilica, a mar lighted the fuse
of a bomD which had been placed at
the altar of st. P%etronilla. The ex,
plosion occurred as a canon, with Up.
lifted arm, turned to bless the com
municants. Dense clouds OF smoke
rolled through the cathedral, the
crowd rushed panic-stricken for the
doors and in the excitement the bomb
thrower escaped.
The outrage is without a parallel In
Rome since st. Anacietus, who was
ordained by Peter himself, erected an
oratory in 80 A. D., on the site OF the
present boscilica, to mark the spot
where the remains OF st. Peter are
buried.
That no one was injured by the ex
! plosion or in the panic that followed
seems miraculous. AS soon as the
echoes of the roar had ceased, a canor
sought, by r%eassuring words, to quiet
the people, but in vain. They fled in
all directions, and children screamed
and the men tried to protect theil
families in the crush.
The canon at the altar tried to stem
the tide of fear. He shouted out:
DO not be afraid; it is nothing
merely the monday gum"
Mad Rush For Doors.
His words had little effect. TheJ
were refuted by the smoke and the
pungent smell of powder, and the PEG
pie continued their headlong fight
Chairs were overthrow, making the
| confusion more serious. Men and WON
en- fed, stumbling in all directions
the screams of children and cries o.
anguish were heard on all sides, ant
for a few minutes it seemed as if moth
ing could avert a grave disaster.
The vast size of the church, how
| ever, gave room for the crowd to scat
ter, and at the end of a few moments
the people were surging towards the
doors, excited and nervous, but or
derby.
40 pooh ao LIN INV 49,
a hasty examination showed that no
body had been hurt in the crush and
furthermore, that no n had beer
wounded by the explosion. Calm wa:
gradually restored, and people re
turned to view the extent of the dam
age.
The bomb had been placed under
scaffolding that had been erected t.
facilitate repairs to the roof exactl!
under the celebrated tomb of Clemen
Kill, by Canova, which consists of
figure of the pope, and which is the
most remarkable piece of sculpture il
the basilica. This tomb ranks amons
the finest efforts of modern sculpture
and by it's execution Canova estab
lished his reputation.
When the first gendarmes reached
the spot the scaffolding was found tt
be ~smoldering, but this fire was easily
extinguished. The tomb was found tt
be uninjured, and even the pavement
shows scalCely any signs of the eX
p~losion.
An eXa .r'7 alton of the fragments Of
the bomD Ieads to the supposition thai
unless it was manufactured in the
country and brought to Rome. 1t is
believed that the bomb had a very
long fuse in order to enable the Grim
inal to gain the plaza before the ex
plosion. 1t has been impossible tC
trace him, and no n has any recol
lection of seeing a man who by his
movements might have aroused sus
picion.