The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-07-09


 Sim Fein element took a large part They were as misguided and jealous as their men. folk. and they did all they could to help in the unfortunate and foolhardy revolt. number took their places in the postoffice. which was the center of all things, and remained there from beginning to end. They cook ed for the rebels who were beleaguered in the building, they passed out ammuni- tion, in some cases they engaged in the fighting. Elsewhere the Sim Fein wom- en fought side by side with their men, Not few were killed. taking the pen atty of rebellion with all the forti : tude and courage exhibited by their husbands and brothers. In Red Cross work they did well and went about under fire with great aplomb and lack of fear
 As the Sim Feiners made all prep arations for actual warfare so did their women make ready to take their share. When MT. Redmond. at the outbreak of war made his famous speech stating that nationalist Ireland would support the Empire and send to the front all the men she could spare. the Sim Fein- CTS began to organize for revolt. Their women also prepared for war. An or ganization called the "Cumann no uUdH W dS tOSttiel to lSdIH the principles of first aid and other things which would be useful in time of stress. They trained in Red Cross work precisely as Englishwomen have trained.
 These Sim Fein women did more than Red Cross work and cooking Some of them. dressed as men, actual ly fought. others acted as messengers. Incidentally, some of the men who en- pa%ed in Sninipp fen191a attire The women did their work with a cool and reckless courage and were in the firing line from beginning to end. There were women of all ranks, from titled ladies to shop assistants. Some were snipers. The girl dispatch bearers had one point of honor-to get their mes sage through or be killed. There was one young Dublin woman, well known writer, whose relations hold big crown appoin tments. who took a dispatch to General Connolly under heavy ma chine gun fire. She accomplished her mission and recklessly dashed back with Connolly's dispatch to her own headquarters. This girl was lucky to escape arrest. but she did so and even after the surrender she. and others, continued their work. They went about destroying papers and disposing of ann intuition which would incriminate peo- pie who had not already been caught by the military.
 Not all of these heroic younng women were Sim Feiners. Some. indeed, be- longed to the most loyal families in Dublin and were carried away by the agitation of the eloquent leaders of the rebellion. They are now paying the penalty, for many have been disowned by their families.
 The Countess Markievicz was, of course, the most prominent of the wom en rebels. She held a direct military command. She dressed in male attire and led her men with great dash. They had great confidence in her and obeyed her implicitly. The countess has since been tried and sentenced to death, but this has been commuted to penal servi- tude for life. It was unusual and most severe to sentence a woman to death and I believe that I can for the first time publish the reason. It was not solely that the famous countess took an active military part. There were other women who were technically as guilty in this respect as she. But what the countess did was to organize a Red Cross corps composed of women and set them to sniping. There could be, of course no greater crime in the eyes of the military and that is the req son for the severity of the sentence giv- en by the courtmartial. Whatever the
  showed the courage of her convictions and took every chance that she asked her followers to take.
 She is an exceptional woman. She married Count Markievczs, a Polish mo- bleman. who is now fighting with the Russians The count was popular in Dublin, on account of his personality, and because he belonged to Poland with which Ireland has a hereditary sympathy. The countess comes from the Handed gentry" class-the Gore- Booth of County Sligo-a progressive new opportunities The countess used to live in a Dublin suburb and con- ducted a small farm. She wore male digging. pushing wheelbarrows and do- She always took part in public affairs and she was one of Jim Larkin's 8 stanchest supporters. She was sup posed to be Gaelic leaguer. She was supposed to be a Sim Feiner. What ever she was she was most undoubt- edly stormy petrel in Irish affairs. Mrs. Katherine Nelson. who, herself, was one of the heroines of the insur- rection, having under fire taken water to wounded men of the Staffo rdshire rgiment. knew the countess we'll and tells an interesting story of her. Mrs. British army. Before her married days she had been closely associated with the Countess Markievicz. when she was Miss Gore-Booth. and was with her in London when she was presented to v, iv, No j,,h