The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-07-05

prison except the governor. He stat
 ed that no such barbarities had been
 committed since he had taken charge
 of the prison week or two before
 He refused to speak for any time pri-
 or to that He at first denied that
 there were underground cells in the
 prison. We had been furnished,
 however, with a plan showing their
 location, and upon our insistence we
 were allowed entrance We found s-
 great number of cells under ground,
 too narrow for human occupation
 without beds or covering for the
 prisoners, no ventilation; pitch dark, and extremely cold, although the weather at the time was not severe. The chief warden admitted that these
 cells were at times occupied by pris- oners
 Our information, well authenticat- ed is to the effect that large num-
 Der of political prisoners were taken
 out of the underground cells after we had demanded admission the night previous We found one of the po- | 1itical prisoners still in solitary con fnement He presented a pitiable spectacle. The miserable cell was cold and badly ventilated. He was in an unkempt condition. highly nerv- ous,, palpably undernourished, and had a wild glare in his eyes. indicat- ing an extremely dangerous mental state.
 He tried to speak to us, but was ! quickly silenced by the warden. The political prisoners in this jail, without exception. are men of high I est position; journalists, lawyers, bus 1 mess men, skilled tradesmen and la borers. Many of them, confined | for months, have not been informed l of the charge against them. All of | them are denied the right of trial by | jury. When charges are r1ade-of- l ten of the most trivial character-bail | is denied. They were all emaciated | and appeared to be suffering from | ma1nutrition. Of the thousands of | German prisoners we have seen in
 France, none of them showed such wretched physical condition, or had | countenances so marked with pain as | the prisoners in Mountjoy.
 | As we were leaving the prison, we | were attracted by shouts in rear of | the main hall of the prison. Looking around, we saw Pierce Beasley, one | of the political prisoners, an Irish | journalist of the highest standing, and
 one of the most beloved men in Ire | land, being hustled through the back | doorway by a burly prison guard. | BeaSley cried out, Il want 10 call your | attention to the fact that this brute | who has me fin charge is about to
 punish me for saying. Long live the | Republic" We immediately pro-
 tested against the assault on Mir. | Beasley. The governor of the pris- | on hastened back to where the men | were, and, after a hurried whispered | conversation with the guard, return
 ed and said that we could be assured | that no punishment would be inflicted | upon Mir. Beasley.
 Upon our return from the prison | we were furnished with detailed | statements of others who had been | confined in the prison, exposing the l vilest atrocities committed against ! prisoners.
 | Having received information tha t | there were a large number of prison
 CTS confined in a smaller prison in
 the town of Westport, County Mayo.
 which place was invested by troops.
 and that cruelties and barbarities
 were being practised upon them. we