The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-02-12
Mrs. Skeffiington, Widow of Murdered Dublin Citizen, Tells Story of British Fe- 7 rocity Toward Innocent ln Putting Down Uprising.
Boy Leaving Cathedral Is Shot V Dead on Flimsy Pretext-
 Women and Children DiSap- pear From Homes and Now Occupy Unmarked Graves.

Widow of the Irish patriot, in an elo- < uuent, soul-stirring address, which I held her audience spellbound, drew a graphic word picture of the scenes
 enacted in Dublin, during the progress I and suppression of the recent revolu- Ftion in Ireland at Polls theatre, yes
 terday afternoon.
 i In a voice, the tones of which ] trembled with l-le emotion which sad
 memories aroused, Mrs. Skeff1ngton ' related a story of rapine, murder and | lawlessness by frenzied British mili- tary officers, which exceeded in grue-
 some detail the most revolting crimes
 ever perpetrated upon people fight I ing for the most precious of human 1 possessions, the rights of freedom. t4 She explained how Irish leaders were told to walk across the yard at ], the Porto Below barracks, and-ike z her husband-were shot dead through !. the back by firing squads. She pic Estured the murder of two boys, 16 and I IT years old, respectively, by Capt. | Coulthurst in the streets of Dublin. 1 The younger was made to kneel in ] the street by a military officer, since | declared insane, and shot dead through the back. The other was h Killed as he left the Cathedral where I he had been attending a Sodality I meeting. While her fatherless seven-year-old
 boy Owen, wearing the kits and uni 1 form of an Irish Volunteer, sat on ] the stage near her, she told how Brit 1 ish soldiers, after the arrest and kill ] ing of her husband, broke down the windows of her home with the butts of their rifles, and placed bayonets at [ the breasts of herself and son, loot
 ing her residence of everything of, value including the household linen. She has never seen since or hopes to zee, she said, any of the, stolen prop | erty was recovered the ring and badge which a British officer had stolen from the body of her dead husband, only by threatening him with exposure.
 Tn appearance Mrs. Skehington. who is a highly educated woman, speaking four languages, resembles school teacher. She is of frail build and ordinary height, with deep set eyes and hair of dark brown color, which shows here and there, streak of gray caused by her sufferings dur ing the revolution. Dressed in sim- 7 ispectacles, there was nothing in her appearance to attract undue atten- tion. until she commenced to speak.
 After being introduced by Mayor 1 Clifford B. Wilson; she stated that the theme of her address would be What ' Know About British Militarism." and when she remarked a little later that Ireland had no quarrel with Ger many she was interrupted by violent applause.
 She insisted on terming the killing { of her husband, murder, and ex- claimed, When first heard the facts of my husbands murder, I vowed solemn VOW to my husbands sacred memory to tell the facts of his mur- der"
 "America has always been refuge for our race. We in Ireland are proud of America, proud of her institutions, proud of her because here they have found fame and fortune where in Ire- |land they had nought but starvation and a felon's cell.
 "America is the worlds court of ap-. peal. Here no just cause is denied fair hearing. So I resolved to. come to this country and tell my story. I was told when I made application for
 
 if would refuse to discuss Irelands troubles and my husbands murder. I would make no such promise and dis pensed with passport, coming to America by other means
 X Mrs SkefAington proceeded to tell Ipf her husbands beliefs and virtues, claiming that he was pacif1st, whose chief aim in life was the liberation of 1relandd, but that he was opposed to obtaining it by violence.
 His last words, when asked by the British officers if he was in sympathy with the revolution were, I am in ssympathy with it ]. I would give my life for it, but would not take life to accomplish it'''' Tn a trembling voice she dramatically remarked, when alluding to his death without accom- splishing or seeing the fulillment of his life's ambition:
 Though his body lies mouldering in the grave I am sure that his soul is marching on.''
 liberty only a short time when the revolution broke out He had been sentenced to prison under the De- .fense of the Realm Act'' for a speech on pacifsm, in which he opposed the Enlistment of Irishmen to fight under iEngland's banner. She asserted that the English previous to the uprising had done everything in their power to goad the Irish into rebellion
 "On Easter Monday a wounded of- hcer lay outside the castle walls of Dublin. Because of the cross fire the military were afraid to go to his rescue, when my husband decided to. l remOnstrated with him for his ac-a ton, but he replied to me, T couldn't allow anyone to bleed to death while | could help him. Twenty-six hours after this deed of mercy he was drag ged to prison by British, officers: fore ed to witness murder after murder by the military authorities, who final ly shot him in the back
 During the disorder they locked up the Irish police force to aid dis order and chaos, and I never saw the top of policemans helmet while the mob was turned loose to loot the city. For two days the military forces did nothing to stop the footing They even participated in it."
 Her husband had been arrested Tuesday night, the day following the uprising, as he was about to cross a bridge on his way home. He was taken to the military barracks and his request to see his wife was de- nied after he had been searched in a futile hunt for discriminating evil dence.
 IT annearad that tI,o oaioar :, | 41