New-York tribune., 1920-09-12
Lord Mayors Relatives
Say His Death Is Now
Matter of a Few Hours
and Abandon All Hope
Brother Remains at
Bedside i'm Prison
sinn Fein Seizing Arms
i'm Raids Preparing to
Wage Guerrilla Warfare

T'o"t nc 1rtounc>3 EErODcdn Bureau
Copyright. 1920. New York Tribune Inc.
LONDON, Sept. 11.--Miss Annie Mac
Swlney, sister Of the hunger striking
Lord Mayor of Cork, when interviewed
tonight, said she believed that her
brothers death was at hand,
his face is gray. the color of DEATH
she said. "He seems to have collapsed d
completely. He is PROSTATE and unable
to speak, and his mind is getting dull,
although he is still conscious"
An official bulletin said that the Lord
Mayor was exhausted and suffering Sc
we're pain.
Sim Fein raids for arms are hccom-
ing more and more prevalent through
out Ireland. particularly in the north
ern provinces. Apparently there is a
wloespread movement afoot to prepare
for guerrilla warfare. In Lenster there
have been 800 raids this week, and in
Ulster 26S in the same time. The num-
ber Of weapons known to have been
seized is 6O4
LONDON, Sept. II (By The Associ-
sted Press).-The condition of Terence
MacSwiney, Lord Mayor of Cork, who
has been on hunger strike in Brixton
prison for thirty days, this afternoon
reached the cravest stage yet recorded,
according to the bulletin Of the Irish
Self Determination League reporting
on his case.
His body has been VIRTUALLY dead for
several days. one of the league officials
ramarked.
The fo1Iow;pr hu1l,4; :, i.
10 o'clock tonight:
"The Lord Mayor of Cork is in a very
exhausted condition. He is still suf-
ferlng severely in his head and his
body. He is still conscious"
Ihe general impression from official
and unofficial reports is that Mac
Swlney's death is expected at any hour.
Inc ofhcials apparently take this view
because the police guard about the
prison was doubled this evening.
q, While fortnight ago crowds of Irish
people hung about the prison all day,
the numbers have gradually dwindled,
and tonight no more than dozen
persons congregated.
Masses will be said in many Irish
churches tomorrow if Mayor Mac
Swiney is alive. Thus far there have
been no masses for him in the English
Catholic churches.
Despite the length of his hunger
strike the Mayors mind heretofore has
been remarkably clear, although at nu-
merous times he has sunk SO law that
ne could not speak. 1t was said that
the Mayors collapse. however, did not
necessarily mean that the end might be
expected imme diately. The members of
the family had not been summoned by
the prison authorities, as it is under
stood would be the case if it were be-
lleved he had reached his last hours.
Some one of Mayor MacSwiney's
relatives is remaining with him most
of the time. His sister Annie visited
him this morning. His wife came in
the afternoon, and his other sister,
Mary, was expected later in the day.
His brother Sean has been spendinr
each night with the Mayor.
On leaving the prison this afternoon
Annie Macswiney said her brother
was very much weaker. "He has
reached his worst point" she declared.
To-day for the first time he was so
weak | could not read to him, and
when | asked him question he had
to think while before he could an
swer."
Lord Mayor MacSwineys wife, when
she left the prison late this afternoon,
said the prison doctor had told her
she might expect to be called to her
husbands bedside at any moment, as
the end was very near.
= There was no special celebration of
mass, but the tramway employees
gathered in the various dcpots and at
tended the celebrations at the nearest
churches. At the same time, large
number of men engaged in road re-
pairs dropped their tools for two hours
and went to church with the tram
men.
This was the first organized action
Of The kind taken on big scale, but
each day the employees of different
cede for MacSwiney.
In the ne; alboring town of Dalkey all
business and work was suspended this
morning to enable people to attend a
mass for the hunger striking Lord
tContnued on paeo feur)