Evening star., 1914-08-21
Premature Announcement by
United Press Proven by
Vatican Advices.
CABLE MANAGERS SAY
CODE MESSAGES BARRED
All Other News Associations Agree
on Hour Of Demise; q. s. En-
bassy Confirms.

NEW YORK. August 21.-Wednes-
day afternoon about 2:30 the United
Press Associations sent out formal
announcement Of the death OF Pope
Plus X. The Associated Press sent out
no such telegram at that hour. nor 1or
several hours thereafter.
Claim was made that the United
Press had scored an important news
beat This claim was challenged with
the statement that at 2:30 New York
time $50 pm. Roman time) the Pope
was still alive and that he actually
died at go on the following morning
To this the United Press made an
swer that while the Vatican may have
ofiicially given 1:2O am. as the time OF
death. II actually occurred much earlier
and that such a practice was not
unusual
1t was said that when Leo XIII died
there was q long interval between the
actual death and the official announce
ment While this is true. IT IS equaily
true that at no time was the nouf OF
death of Pope Leo XIII (4:o4 p-m.) ever
mistated officially or unofficially.
Further, it was said that the United
Press correspondent at Rome, IN the
case of Pope Plus x, had sent Two cooe
messages, one reaching New York at
226 nm, New York time, and the other
nj 3:55 pm, New York time, and II was
still maintained that these were &C
curate and that the Popes death actu-
ally occurred about that hour.
New and Interesting Developments.
There have been some new and inter-
esting developments.
At o'clock yesterday morning Mgr.
Bonzano, the papal delegate to this coun-
oh Cardinal
Merry Del VAL the papal secretary OF
state, dated at Rome at 1O:1s Wednesday
night. which was AIS pm. New York
time or one hour and hfty-tWo minutes
after the United Press circulated the an
nouncement of death, showing that the
pope was still alive, as follows:
Holy father dangerously i'll since thus
morning. He may die at any moment
1t is well enough to permit the issue
Of veracity between the Vatican ana the
United Press to stand.
Ambassador Page at Rome telegraphed
the State Department in Washington
that Pope died about o'clock yesterday
morning. \
The Agence Havas Of France in its
Independent service from Rome gave the
hour of death as 20 am
The Reuter- Telegram Agency Of Lon
don. in another independent message
The Central News Agency of London
in another message gave the hour as
1:35 am.
AS to the claim that the United Press
message was sent In code the following
correspondence is Illuminating:
The general manager OF the ASSOCIATED
Press sent to the officers Of the only three
cable companies over which dispatch
from Rome could be transmitted note
as follows:
'cMy understanding is that during this
war period news messages cannot oe
sent between any part Of Europe and
the United States in code. Am right?
An answer will oblige."
Code Is Prohibited.
To this were returned the following
answers:
"Mr. Stone: Yes. for the reason that
messages cannot get to the United
States without passing through a belig-
erent's territory and the belligerents
'' aGEoRGE cLAPPERToN.
Traffic Manager Commercial Cable
Company"
ing. unfortunately. is only too correct.
There is no route between any part
of Europe and this continent over
which any kind of messages prepared
In code can be sent.
~. c. wILLEvER-
Manager Cable Department Vest
ern Union Telegraph Company"
Dear Mr.. Stone: You are quite right
sages are prohibited.
.'E. C.. SWEENEY. Manager. French
Cable Company"
Other Notable ofenses.
This business of announcing the
death Of distinguished person before
IL actually occurs is not new with the
United Press people.
Queen Victoria died January 20, 1901
o.On
New York time). Before that hour q
dispatch from the United Press. an
nouncing the queens death was print
ed. When the charge was made that
ticipation. since the message was sent
before the queen had breathed her last
answer was made that a code word
"Bergerac" had been used and that II
meant dead"
The claim was also set up that while
the official announcement fxed the
time Of the queens death at $50 pm.
1t actually occurred an hour earlier
and that message to that effect wa.
to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
An Investigation resulted In an au.
tograph letter from tho archbishop Il
the general manager Of the Associated
Press. assuring him that he had re.
cetved no such message. So far as hi
knew or SO far as any one else knew
or believed. the hour of death Official
~ given out, namely, 6.5O p. M, wal
correct. Very soon this was shown t.
be the fact.
September 1s. 1911 also. after NJ. sto
lypin, former Russian premier, haI
been wounded at Kiev. Russia, and hat
fingered for some time and was near
ing his end, the United Press an
nounced his death some time befor,
It actually occurred.
q. s. Embassy Says l AM.
The Secretary Of State last nigh
made public the following cablegram
giving the ofiicial report on the dealt
of tho Pope as having occurred q
am. Thursday:
Rome. dated 0 an, August 20. 1914
Received 4:55 pm.
Secretary of State. Washington:
The Pope died at 1 o'clock thi
morning.
AMERICAN EMBASSY. Rome"
SUBWAY FOR WASHINGTON.