The Monticellonian., 1915-06-17

guished cordiality, and conducted me straight into the presence of the pope.
 Only those who have had the priv ilege of being received by the great pontiff, can realize the awe which it was in his power to inspire on such | occasions. No other monarch whom 1 have ever met was capable of such extremes of dignity and urbanity. When it pleased him he could be the most fascinating of companions, at other moments his frown struck like l death.
 Il advanced trembling, and 'knelt respectfully before his holiness, who was surrounded by a gorgeous suite. As soon as he had received my formal homage, and had inquired after the health of the French president, the pope dismissed everybody except Sal vatierra. He then commanded me to rise, and addressed me:
 T have sent for your Excellency, he said, not in your capacity as Am bassador of France but in that of a son of the Church. l have been in- | formed that you were an acquaintance of certain man called Count Guliel- mo Vescaro, and l have believed 1t possible that you may be uneasy in your mind with regard to his fate. Am I right in this?'
 l Il bowed, and darted q look at Sal vatierra. But his Eminence remained without any sign of consciousness. | The Holy Father Droeeedad. l "I have, therefore, determined to | give you certain information which. as a loyal Catholic, you will know how to respect To begin with, have you been told that the man Vescaro was formerly an officer in my service?'
 "I bowed once more.
 Do you know how he came to quit my service. and to be in receipt of a pension from the king of Sardin- ia. who styles himself king of Italy?
 '''I do not, your Holiness
 " It is that which 1 desire to tell | you. You are familiar with the cir cumstances under which the king ob- tained possession of the city of Rome, which has belonged to the Holy See for 1,500 years. The moment the gar l rison of your brave countrymen was withdrawn in consequence of the mis- fortunes of the year 1870 the brigands employed by Victor Emmanuel marched against my territories. In the exercise of my rights as a soy- ereign, resolved to resist them, and 1 ordered my troops to defend the gates of Rome. Vescaro was that one of my officers in whom 1 placed the greatest confidence, and l assigned to him the most important post, the Porta del Popolo. Under him was lieutenant, by name Andrea Chigi. a cadet of one of the most illustrious Roman families.
 "'These two officers. with their men, were on duty when the advance guard of the enemy appeared in front of the gate. Chigi demanded the word to fire Vescaro refused to give it, and at once proposed to hoist the white flag in token of surrender Enraged at this cowardice, Chigi turned to the men to invite them to fire, when Yes caro, drawing his sword, ran the brave young man through the heart. The next moment the white flag was hoisted. the Sardnian troops entered Rome without a shot having been fred and the dominions of the Holy See were reduced to this palace.
 Directly afterwards 1t was dis covered that Vescaro's conduct was premeditated. He had accepted a bribe from the Sardinian government to betray my capital into their hands.
 "'Now, Signor, what is the correct term to apply to the conduct of this | Vescaro"
 Tn making this demand. the pope directed at me stern glance.
 Without question his conduct amounted to high treason, your Holi- ness, I answered, and of the most aggravated kind
 And what is the penalty of high treason in every state with which you are acquainted?'
 "It is death, your Holiness l fal- tered.
 You have answered we'll The traitor Vescaro has been put to death!
 There was solemn silence for few moments Then the pope spoke again:
 We have lost Rome, but within these walls the pope Is still sov- ereign. Immediately after the events I have referred to, constituted a tribunal to judge Vescaro, and he was summoned to take his trial. He re- fused to come, and from the nature of his offense I could not require the usurping government to hand him over to me The process was therefore ad- iourned, till such time as Vescaro should place himself within the juris- diction of the court.
 "'This occurred the other day. He entered my territory of his own ac- cord and was duly arrested, certain precautions being taken to avoid pro- voking scandal, and to give the Sar- dinian government no excuse to inter- fere. Vescaro was at once brought to trial, an advocate was assigned to him. such of the witnesses as are still living were produced, and he was pro- nounced guilty of treason, murder, and assertion on the field. The crime was a secular one, and the sentence was executed, after Vescaro had made a full confession and admitted the jus tiee of his doom.
 "Is there anything in these pro- ceedings which you can complain of as irregular
 ".Nothing, your Holiness
 His manner all at once changed