The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-09-13
VS. LETTER
FROM ROME

Rome. Sept. 13.-In consequence of a
series of incidents, the most recent Of
which was the mutiny of the Swiss
| guards, the Vatican authorities are to
day taking steps to reform the tiny
but historic army under their control.
Although consisting of less than 300
men. the armed forces of the Holy
See comprise five different corps. They
are the Noble guards, Swiss guards,
Palatine guards, gendarmeS and fire
men, or as they are called, guards Of
the fire.
The most important of these is the
Noble guards. Constituted as it is to-
day, this organization dates back to a
little over 100 years. The predeces-
sOrs of the Noble guard, however, first
came into existence in 1884, having
been organized as a papal guard in
the time of Innocent VIII. They WERE,
however. disbanded in 1898 when Plus
VI was carried off to France, whence
he never returned. In 1901 an agita-
ton was started in Rome among the
ariStrOcraCy again to form a body
guard for the Pontiff, md an address
was sent to Pius VII, offering their
services cautiously. To this Pius re-
piled by message from his secretary
O~f-state, dated May II, 1901, which
may be called their act of foundation,
and which provided that the corps
consist of sixty individuals, men and
officers. Now they are reduced TO
about fifty and their command, which
was hereditary in the Barberini and
Altieri families, has lately passed to
the R~ospigliCsi, the present command
err being Prince Camille. The Ameri-
can connections being Prince Camille.
The American connections Of this
family are notable, Prince Camille
having two sons both of whom mar
ried American girls. The wife of one
was Miss Ethel Julia Bronson, of New
York, while the other made Miss Mil
dred Haseltine his wife.
The RoSpigliosi are very proud of
having had the COmmandership of the
Noble Guard conferred upon them, as
thereby they take rank with the five
other houses which hold hereditary
positions at the Papal court. These
are the two princes-assistants of the
Papal throne, namely the heads of the
Orsini and Colonna families, deadly
rivals in the middle ages; the Master
of the Sacred HospiCe, who is the head
of the Ruspoli family; the standard
bearer of the Holy church, the head
of the Patrizi-Montoro; n the mar
shall of the cOnClaVe. the head of the
Chigi.
To that warrior-Pope Of the Della
Revere house, Julius II, who threw
the keys of st. Peter into the Tiber,
saying that he had more need of the
sword of St. Paul." who built the
Castle of Ostia and fortified the
Monastery of GrOttaferrata, and who
was hOisted up in a basket to inspect
the siege works of Bologna, the forma-
ton of the famous corps of the Swiss
guard was due.
The bellicOse Pontiff in October,
1908, enlisted 1000 men, who were
officially described as "Praetorian
guards of the pope's prison ana
palace" but only 200 came to Rome
under the command of Gaspar de Sill
enen, a nobleman of Lucerne, who re-
manned at the papal court till his
"'&th. The Swiss guard was destroyed
almost to a man in the famous sack
of Rome by the constable of Bourbon
in 1921. 1t was ~reorganized in 1913
and since then has never ceased to
exist, with the two notable but tenn
pCrary exceptions of the French oc-
cunations Of 1898 and 1909. The Swiss
guard now number only about seventy,
and are recruited equally from the
Catholic German and French cantons
of Switzerland.
The palatine guard formerly was
composed of members of the upper
middleclass, but it is now recruited
from among shopkeepers and small
tradesmen, belonging to Catholic clubs
and societies in Rome.
1t is not quartered inside the vati-.
can, but receives ar indemnity for ex-
p"nSes and uniforms and is only called
upon for great functions or important
events, such as a canonization in ST.
Peters, or the visit of a foreign ruler
to the pOntiff. It's commander odd
the rank OF general, II until lately
this position was entrusted to Count
Camillo Pecci, nephew Of Pope Leo
XIII.
The paral gendarmes owe their or
igin to the time. when Plus VII was in
exile after having been kidnapped and.
aiken to France by a general obeying
the Instructions of the great Bona
parte. Forced to submit to the will Of
Napoleon, he had as guards the
French grenadiers, whom, however, he
admired greatly. When Plus VII re-
guard for himself, which he called the
''papal c~arabineers", wearing the
same uniform as Napoleon's soldiers,
and being composed Of men who had
served under the emperor. Napoleon
himself took a great interest in this
body, but he did not like the name.
given to it and he induced the month";
to change it into that of gensdarmes.
Nowadays. the ~gendarmes are re-
cruited almost entirely from among
retired carabineers Of the Italian army
and their commander, Count Ceccopi-
eri, was formerly a police official of
the Italian government. They num-
Der rather less han 100 and they do
almost the entire police work inside
the sacred palaces.
Finally, there is the body of fire.
men, composed of about thirty men
we'll trained and prompt who, howev-
er, on several occasions have not de-
spised the assistance of their fellow
firemen of the king. Of Italy.