Omaha daily bee., 1922-01-22
Secretary TO Cardinal Bourne
Declares First Report Of
Poniifrs Death Was
Mistake.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF
DEMISE IS WITHDRAWN
Italian Telegraph System Said
to Be Clogged With Mes
sages Asking for Defin- =
tic Information.


Rome, Jan. 22.-(2 q.
m. DIR. Battistini, who has
just visited the pope, declares
that his condition is more crit
ical. A fatal issue appears
imminent.
Rome, Jan. 2l.-(l1 p.
m. The pope still lives. No
important change in his con-
dition has been noted for the
last few hours, but he is get
ting constantly weaker.
Later, members of the
household announce q slight
Improvement in the pope's
condition.
London, Jan. 2l.-Cardinal
Bourne's secretary announced this
evening that the announcement of
Pope Benedict's death, authorized
by a member OF the cardinals staff
this afternoon, was a mistake and
that no official news Of his holiness
death had been received.
The afternoon announcement,
given by a member of the cardinals
staff to various correspondents, stated
that information had been received
of the pope's death. A news agency
first issued the statement that the
cardinal had confirmed reports of the
pope's demise, and the Associated
Press telephoned to the cardinals
residence to confirm this, and one OF
the cardinals secretaries replied that
they had the news officially.
No Direct Dispatches.
New York, Jan. 81. = Up TO 6
o'clock tonight the Associated Press
bad received no direct dispatches
from Rome as to the fatal termina-
ton of the illness of Pope Benedict.
although dispatches from London
had given an announcement by Cardi-
nal Bourne of the demise of the
pontiff, which was later withdrawn
by the cardinal as, mistake by
member of his staff.
Meantime the Reuter- agency in
London issued dispatch dated
Rome, stating his holiness had passed
away. Later dispatches from Paris
to the London News agencies report
ed the pontiff still alive.
The last direct dispatches to the
Associated Press from Rome showed
his holiness still alive. but on the
verge of dissolution, At $50 p. nj.
(Rome time) an Associated Press
dispatch gave the bulletin issued by
the pope's physician stating that his
condition had become worse during
the day, with respiration more pain
full and difficult and the heart con-
tinuously weaker.
Italian Wires Clogged.
Another dispatch at 5:35 p. m.
(Rome tine) stated that Cardinal
Gasparri had announced at 5:l8 p.
m. that "the catastrophe is imminent"
indicating that the pope's end was
near.
There has been nothing further ii-
rect from Rome showing a favorable
or unfavorable termination of the
crisis. Meantime, urgent messages
asking for definite information direct
from Rome, brought replies from
London that the Italian tclegraphic
system had been in state OF chaos
for more than year and that un-
doubtedly the wires were overbur-
dened with hundreds of messages re-
garding the pope; that morning mes
sages were coming late in the after
noon and that doubtless official vati-
can messages were given precedence
over press dispatches.
Rome, Jan. 2l.-(By A. P.)-Pope
Beendict became appreciably weaker
about midday today and the hopes
which had arisen after his period of
slumber in the morning disap-
peared. His general condition had
become worse and he seemed to be
slowly expiring.
Pope Starts Conversation.
About II o'clock Pope Benedict,
on seeing Monsignor Nasalli Rocca,
the new archbishop of Bologna,
where the pope formerly was arch
bishop, entered into conversation
with him, and also with Bishop Men,
zani, the bishop of Plaisance, speak
ing just as if giving regular au-
dience.
Immediately after tine. morning
consultation of his physicians the
pope had quiet spell. His respira
ton was less irregular, and after he
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