Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1914-08-22
TIME POPE DIED IS
FIXED BY VATICAN
All Sources of Information but One
Agree that the Hour was / 20
Thursday Morning.
PROOF OF HOUR NOT LACKING
Cardinal Merry Del Val wires Pope
stiIl Alive After United Press
Makes Announcement Of
Pontifrs Death.

NEW YORK. Aug, 2l.-On Wednesday
afternoon. about 2:SO. the United Press
Press associations sent out a formal an
Rouncement of the death Of Pope Plus y.
The Associated Press sent out nc such
telegram at that hour nor for 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 $3.50. New York time 500 p. m.
Roman time. the pope was still alive and
that he actually died at 1929 on the fol-
Lowing morning. To this the United
Press made answer that, while The watt
can may have officially announced 100
as the time of death, it actually occurre j
much earlier and that such a practice
was not unusual. 1t was said that when
Leo XIII died there was long interval
between the actual and the official an
nouncement. VIII lie this is true, it is
equally true that at no time was the
hour of death of Pope Leo XIII asa =.
M ever misstated officially OF unoffi-
cialy.
Further. it was said that the United
iNSo correspondents at ANVAllNs III Nht
case of Pope Plus y, had sent two code
messages, one reaching New York at 2:26
p. m, New York time. and the other at
$3.50 p. m, New York time. and 1t was
still maintained that these were accurate
and that the popes death actually &C.
curred at about that hour.
As to the Time.
There have been some new and interest
ing Developments:
At o'clock yesterday morning, Mon
signor Bonzano, the papal legatc to
this country, received a dispatch from
Cardinal Merry Del Val the papal secre-
. tary of state, dated at Rome at. l0:lS
"Wednesday night which was AIS p. m.
New York time. or one hour and fifty
two minutes after the United Press cir
culated the announcement of death, show
ing that the pope was still alive, as fol-
lows:
Holy father dangerously i'll since this
morning. He may die at any moment
1t is well enough to permit the issue Of
veracity between the Vatican and the
United Press to stand.
Ambassador Page at Rome telegT pied
the State department in Washington that
the pope died about o'clock yesterday
morning.
The Agence Havas of France, in its in
dependent service from Rome, gave the
hour Of death as 100 a. m.
The Reuter- Telegram agency of London.
in another Independent message fixed the
same hour.
TIL Central News agency Of london, in
another message gave the hour as 1,35
M.
No News in Code.
AS to the claim that the United Press
message was sent in code, the following
correspondence is illuminating:
The general manager. OF the Nssociated
Press sent to- the Officers OF the only
cable companies over which "a dispatch
from Rome could be transmitted. note
as follows
My understanding is that during this
war period, news messages cannot be
sent between any part OF Europe and the
United states in code. Am l right? I'm
answer will oblige."
To this were returned the following an
svers
Mr.. stone: Yes, for the reason that
messages cannot get to the United States
without passing through a beligerents
territory, and the belligerents have pro-
hibted code.
"(signedD GEORGE CLAPPERTON.
Traffic Manager, Commercial Cab!e
Company"
Dear Mr.. Stone: Your understanding.
unfortunately. is only too correct. Thete
Is no route between any part of Europe
and this continent over which any kind
of messages prepared in code can be sent
"(signed) j. C. WILLEVER,
Manager Gable Department, Western
Union Telegraph Company"
Dear Mr.. Stone: You are quite right
Ali codes outside of government messages
are prohibited.
(signed "E. c. SWEENEY,
Manager French Gable Company"
An Old Trick.
~ he