The Irish standard., 1917-01-20
It may be called Demential Britain

1t may be called Demential Britain
nica.''
Shortly before ten o'clock the next
morning, on April Goth, Captain Colt
hurst again came to the guard, and
said that he was going to shoot Skef-
fington and the other editors; and as
matter of course, he was given over
the three editors without a word of
protest.
"Mr Skifington was taken along, it
appears, from his locked cell into a
small barrack yard; and as he walked
across it unsuspectingly he was shot
in the back without any warning. 1t
seems incredible that any man, no mat
ter how great criminal, should be
sent to his doom without word; but
such was the fate of my husband.
after the second volley, Captain
Doblyn was heard to say to Sergeant
Aldridge, that man is not dead.' He
noticed movement in my husbands
body and the captain instead of COM
ing over to assist reported the matter
to his superior officer, and left my hus-
band lying in anguish on the ground;
Captain Colthurst, without coming out,
sent firing party of four men-with
instructions to finish him off, My hus-
bands body accordingly was again
riddled. No surgeon was ever called
to examine the body. The barrack
doctor said that he saw it in the NOR
tuary; but the afternoon was then
we'll advanced. Therefore, to this day,
the horrible doubt remains with me
that my husband may have fingered
still alive, and that even the second
firing party may not have done their
work effectively.
cat eleven o'clock the matter was
reported to Major Rossboro, who COM
municated with Dublin Castle, and he
received instructions to bury the body,
which was thereupon sewn in a sack
and buried in the barrack yard. Cap
tain Colthurst was kept in command
for days after, and committed other
outrages of an equally horrible kind.
Later on that day Richard O'Car-
roll, a member of the Dublin City Coun-
Gil, had surrendered, after having
fought with the Volunteers. He was
taken by Captain Colthurst, marched
down to the yards with his hands
above his head, and shot in the lungs;
but he was not finished off, It seems
to have been one of the characteristics
of Captain Colthurst never to finish
off the victims; and when soldier
plying asked, is he dead? the cap
tain said, oh, he will die presently
HE fingered for ten days. For six
days his wife was not informed, and
he whispered to her in Portobello bar
racks hospital his dying statement,
which heard from her lips No in
quiry has been permitted into his fate.
Later Captain Colthurst in Camden
street, took little boy about seven
teen, and asked him some information
about Sim Feiners. The boy refused
to do so, kneeling in the street, and
as he attempted to cross himself, Colt
hurst came behind and shot him in
the back, and left him there to die in
the same way.
"Other raiding parties were conduct
ed by Captain Colthurst on that and
following days, as long as he was kept
in command
"On Tuesday, May 9th, thirteen days
after the murder, Mr.. Tenant on be-
half of the prime minister, replying
to question in the House of Com
mons said that no prisoner had been
shot in Dublin without trial-thir
teen days after the triple murder of
the editors.
"Houses-in the meantime, in those
days the houses of the rebels and their
families were being pillaged, for the
soldiers said, Rebels have no proper
ty.' Madame Markievicz's house,
which is rather near my own, was en-
tered, and her pictures were stolen
and all her valuables taken away by
the soldiers, and afterwards sold open
ly in the streets. On Thursday even
ing l saw Mrs. McDonagh about seven
o'clock wheeling her two babies in
little carriage. from her house, and
she told me that machine gun had
been turned on the premises and she
was cast adrift to do as best she could
with her two babies.
ION Friday, my sisters insisted that
they would come to Portobello bar
racks; Mrs. Kettle is the wife of Lieut.
Kettle, who was since killed fighting
with the British at Ginchy: my broth.
err was also lieutenant in the Dublns,
and was actually engaged in fighting
in Dublin on the other side. Why was
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