Great Falls daily tribune., 1919-11-07
F|ERCE BAT Ties
MARKED PRISON
HUNGER STRIKE
One Irishnan Fought 5
Warders Hours Like
a Samson.
BY GEORGE SELDEN.
Cable to Great Falls Daily Tribune
and Chicago Tribune.
Copyright, 1919


Cable to Great Falls Daily Tribune
and Chicago Tribune.
Copyright. 1913.
Dublin, Nov. 6.-The gates Of Mount
Joy prison have opened for fortytWo
Irish republicans. They have won their
hunger strike. But the price Of victory
has been violence and suffering approach
ing death
Every day weak, pinch faced, and hairy
men are leaving the hospitals-some to
60 into hiding, others to join the fasts
if health again permits the struggle for
their ideal of Irish freedom. Today sew
eral told me the story of brutality and
bright chapter in Sim Fein's history.
Every prisoner came to Mount Joy
charged with a political crime, and, as
such, was entitled to privileges of writ
ing and receiving mail packages from
friends which are denied the breakers
Of moral and common law. But very soon
they found themselves held in the strict
didn't receive word from the outside
world, nor were they allowed to utter
sound when passing their fellow prison
ers at an ordered distance of three feet
in the two-hour daily walk in their
barbed wire cage.
Decide on Mad Strike of Noise.
Grown desperate, the Sim Feiners by
common accord decided to strike for
their rights, guaranteed by prison law
for themselves and, more especially. fer
the thousands of political prisoners they
knew would follow them before peace
settles upon Ireland. In October began
the racket strike
Theatergoers who remember Jack
Barrymore's portrayal of the convict GO
ing mad in Galsworthy's play Justice"
will appreciate it. For six days, from
IL in the evening to 6 in the. morning,
they beat the walls Of their prison bars.
threw dishes to the floor until Mount
Joy echoed with a hellish din to which
the conyicts of the other wings added
the cursing and bowling of an indescrih
able madhouse.
Terrific Battles With Wardens.
Governor Charles Monroe. a former
British official in India. tried to break
the racket strike, but his wardens found
they couldn't enter the cells without
overpowering the Sim Feiners, who IN
the meantime had made some holes in
the walls and had joined their compat-
riots by twos and threes. Five to one,
the wardens attacked them, beating most
| Of the Sim Feiners into submission.
| A terrific battle took place in the cell
Of Lawrence Brady. who fought five
wardens two and a half hours. Later
| they finally knocked hole IN the. side
| o. the wall and attacked Brady with q
pressure hose. At first the Irisliinan
| was knocked down, but he seized The
nozzle and crushed it. Half an hour
I later the wardens turned on new nose
end beat Brady to the floor lfaccrsciouR.
| Meanwhile. the cell of Francis Gala
/ CHER. one of the heads Of the Sim Fem
| ! ! lI,J u an
inch deep. His bedding was soaked and
! though innocent of Bradys action. he was
| forced to walk or stand in the water
handcuffed for two days and nights.
Strike Dsrupts Prison.
But the strike accomplished its pur-
pose of disrupting the prison. Even the
cooking stopped. Serious disorders were
| feared. The governor decided to scat
! fer the forty-two throughout the Irish
prisons. Afraid that their cause was
thus lost, the Sim Feiners went on a
hunger strike, four, including Gallagher,
disdaining water They were the strong
est and didn't want to escape equal SUI
fering with the others. The hunger
strike followed the release of Lawrence
| GinnelI. member of parliament for West
Meath. aged 70, and John ORelily,
aged 50.
These brave old men would have felt
lnsuited, SAID Gaifagher, III uenieu the
chance to risk their lives with us. They
surely would have died. Fortunately
their terms were up in few days, so We
awaited their release.
From the 10Th to the 10th we tasted
no food and weak from our conf1ne-
ment and hrutalities, began to collapse
Governor Monroe called one day to III
spact us. Give us freedom, we asked.
" You're free to die he replied.
Sent Starving to Hospital.
'On the 10th and subsequent days he
began sending us to the hospital Many
went by stretcher. Some fear broken
health forever
4 Among the freed Sim Feiners are Or
Eimon O'Kelly Of the rebellion of lole
fame, and Patrick O'keefe parliamentar-
ian from North Cork, who is serving for
eighteen months, charged with seditlous
speaking.
O'Keily lost % pounds in prison ane
spent more than week IN the hospital
From the hospitals the Sim felners
60 free under the "Cantamose act
which in this instance requires them K
report Nov. for completing their terms
But they won't appear. Some Will hide
others will 20 to America. Perhaps al
will continue to defy British rule.
They have come from prison with
heads bloody, but unbowed. Their suf
ferings made more ardent rebels o.
them.