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Show ; POFEMEDI . .V j V v ROME SENDS II HID OF I HIS PASSING 1 j Pontiff Battles Stubbornly But in Vain Against Malady ' SCENE IS IMPRESSIVE iH ! Crowd Lingers All Night at Vatican to Learn News of Patient I ROME Jan 21. Pope Benedict late today The scenes at the Vatican, as mo-i mo-i ment by moment, the sands of the life of Pope Benedict were running out, were most Impressive rn the slmplj l ed H ' he lay grow Ing shorter of breath ami more rapid of pulse, with apparently nothing remaining to be done except to await I'..- end. the attending car- H Aluals in their purple cassocks, and the papal penitentiary In Ma. k. weri H kneeling in silent prayer i The ..niy sounds heard wen the H ! sobs of the pope's personal attendants, the low chanting or the penitential H psalms, or an occasional word in de--llirium from the pontiff as his malady H .slowly undermined the wonderful 1 o oue em i e w h li h a h H still resisting its progress. Outside the Vatican, a crowd lin- I gered all night before the huge bronze gate leading T'roiii the sepulchre of Su H Peters, everj one mdeavoring to gath- H er from the persons going in and nut ..r the Vatican whe her His Holiness was faring well or ill Some of the interested watchers took n position jH f : the Egyptian mo-tH-i h -rf-n- I tcr to see. if from '.he itihf In the poll'-tlfl poll'-tlfl - room they could gain any inkling H of what was going on. Prince Chlgl-Albi utered H p. H lis his duty to take possession of the apartment in caie of death Of the Pon-riff Pon-riff and to act B8 marshal of the con- H Professor Battlatinl examined H Mi.- pope again at 12 30 p m. and on H leaving tho room, declared the sltua-tlon sltua-tlon of thc gravest, the Pontiff's con-(ii.'.lon. con-(ii.'.lon. he said, was hopeless. Immediately after the morning con- H sultation of his physicians, the Pojio H had a ouiet spell His respiration was less irregular, and after he had ex-pressed ex-pressed n desln to rest, he turned on H his sid. and fell asleep immediately. The physicians were surprised at this ui n in the case and thought there unuiit be some hope for his holiness if he were able to sleep three or four CORDIAL GIVEN HIM ! The I'ope dbzed from right, until H nine o'clock when a cordial was ad- H ministered to him. Today being the fete day of St. Ag-nes, Ag-nes, patron of Caprunica college, in which he was a youthful student, tho jH I'ope asked to be shown a small statue ot the Saint which the students H of thc college had presented him. Tho ptatue was placed on the altar of th a jH chapel, wher0 a number of nuusses H were said. THEM si N SHINES The worst period for the pope dur-Ing dur-Ing th night occurred just before da-break. da-break. He was extremely low at this time. Shortly after 7:30 o'clock tho sun began to peep through the mists on the Alb. m Hills, shedding a rose-ate rose-ate glow through the clouds The at- tendants and prelatbs who wcic pre.--ent went to the window, one of 'hem remarking now it is day; it oringj Cardinal Gasparrl, w ho was with tho Pope from 6:30 o'clock until 9 I". meS in the ante-chamber shortly af.'er thnc hour all the diplomats in Rome who (..lb d personall for news. Referrln - IH t.. the Pope s dozing spell which the physicians interpreted favorably the cardinal said the situation unfortun ttj - ly remained extremely grave. ALMOST SILENCE Throughout the night there was al-most al-most absolute silence at tho Natl- can with only a few guards passing up and down and here and ..here various attend nits performing their tasks. Tho top flor where the Pope's apartments are, was almost deserted save for one guard v ho was on duty near the entrance to the pontiff's chambers. |