Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 February 1910 — ROYAL SALUTE FOR PEASANT. [ARTICLE]

ROYAL SALUTE FOR PEASANT.

Brother of Pope Embarrassed by Honors Paid Him at Vatican. The papal troops are sticklers on military salutes. An ordinary priest, for instance, is only entitled to shoulder arms, while a monsignore gets present arms, and for a bishop a little guard is turned out, while a cardinal has the whole guard turned out to do him honor. As clergymen of different ranks are continually passing to and fro in the Vatican palaces the soldiers on guard are kept pretty busy: and their only work seems to consist in saluting, a Boston Herald’s Rome correspondent says. A few days ago an old- peasant in his Sunday clothes entered the Vatican from the bronze—gates toward dusk and showed a card to the Swiss soldier on guard. “They told me,” said the old peasant in a marked Venetian accent, “that by showing this card I can be admitted.” The soldier was half inclined to send the old man away, but he happened to glance at the card. Immediately he sprung to attention and presented arms. At the same time he loudly called out the guard in German and within a few seconds twenty Swiss soldiers under an officer were drawn in line, presented arms and a bugler sounded the royal salute. The old peasant was astonished. He took off his hat and stared at the soldiers, Who stared at him and remained motionless. After waiting ter five minutes, not knowing what to do, he calmly walked out and strolled around the Vatican until he reached a back entrance, also guarded by a Swiss soldier. Here he again showed the card and. again received the royal salute.

Still greatly astonished the old peasant walked away, and as he knew that there are only two entrances to the Vatican-he went home where his sisters lived, a short distance from the Vatican. “How is it that you came back so soon?” asked the two old women. “Is Bepi ill or busy?’ “The foreign soldiers will not let me in,” replied' the man, and that evening the pope, who was looking forward to a chat and a game of cards with his brother Angelo, the |nan who owns a wineshop at.Riesi, and whom he Invited to spend the Christmas holidays in Rome, was very disappointed. A secretary was sent to inquire, and some time after he returned to the pope, accompanied by the old peasant in his Sunday clothes, who explained the cause of the delay. The papal troops have received strict orders not to render military honors to “the most serene Signor Angelo Sarto, the Holy Father’s brother,” and the old peasant from Riesi now enters the Vatican without any need of showing the card on which the pope himself had written ‘This is my brother.”