Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-08-22
A FINAL WORD TO LET THE PUBLIC
KNOW WHO HAS TOLD THE TRUTH

The following statement of facts,
| showing beyond the slightest doubt
that the announcement by the United
Press on Wednesday of the death OF
Pope Plus was the rankest kind of a
fake and an imposition upon the pub
Tic, and shedding additional light up
on the general methods pursued by
that organization was sent out from
the Associated Press central office at
New York yesterday:
ron Wednesday afternoon, about
half past two, the United Press asso-
Citations sent out a formal announce
ment of the death of Pope Plus x.
The Associated Press sent out no such
telegram at that hour, nor for sew
eral hours thereafter.
claim was made that the United
Press had scored an important news
beat This claim was challenged with
the statement that, at half past two,
New York time, $3.50 p. m, Rome
time), the pope was still alive and
that he actually died at 1920 on the
following morning. To this the Unit
ed Press made answer that, while the
vatican may have officially announced
1920 as the time of death, it actually
occurred 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
death and the official announcement.
while this Is true, it is equally
true that at no time was the hour
of death of Pope Leo XIII. CAS- p. No.
ever misstated officially or unofficially.
Further, it was said that the Unit
ed Press correspondent at Rome, in
the case of Pope Plus X. had sent
two code messages, one reaching New
York at 1926 p. m, New York time,
and the other at 1855 p. m, New York
time, and it was still maintained that
these were accurate and that the
pope's death actually occurred about
that hour
There have been some new and in
teresting developments:
AT 1 o'clock yesterday morning,
Mgr. Bonzano, the papal legatee to
this country, received a dispatch
from Cardinal Merry del VAL the
Rome at 10:1S Wednesday night,
which was AIS p. M, New York time,
or one hour and SO minutes after the
United Press circulated the announce
ment of death, showing that the pope
was still alive, as follows:
Holy Father dangerously ill since
this morning. He may die at any mo-
ment.'
1T is well enough to permit the is
sue of veracity between the vatican
and the United Press to stand.
Ambassador Page. at Rome. tele-
graphed the state department in
that the pope died about
1 o'clock yesterday morning.
THE Agence Havas of France, in
its independent service from Rome,
gave the hour of death as 1920 a. m.
THE Reuter- Telegram agency of
London, in another independent mes
sage, fixed the same hour.
THE Central News agency of Lon
don, in another message, gave the
hour as 1875 a. m.
las to the claim that the United
Press message was sent in code. the
following correspondence is illuminat.
ing:
1.-THE general manager of the Asso-
ciated Press sent to the officers of
the only three cable companies over
which dispatch from Rome could
be transmitted, a note as follows:
My understanding is that during
this war period news messages can
not be sent between any part of
Europe and the United States in code.
Am l right? An answer will oblige,'
ITO this were returned the follow
ing answers:
MIR. Stone: Yes, for the reason
hat messages cannot get to the Unit
ed States without passing through a