Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-10-25
Hunger Strike of 73 Days,
Longest or Record, Causes
Death Today Of MacSlUitley
Food Given Prisoner FailsSto
Prolong Life For Any 8,
Length of Time.
WIFE NOT AT SIDE
WHEN DEATH COMES
Large Garrison Equipped for
Action, Stands Ready to
Move Instantly.

MOVE INSTANTLY.
London, Oct. 25.-(By the Asso,e4-
ated Press.)-Terence MacSwiney.
lord mayor of Cork died 1t Brixton
prison in this city at $40 o'clock this
morning. His death followed hum
ger strike of more than 73' days,
eclipsing any in the annals of MEDICAL
world. :
Macswiney. who had been uncon-
scious for severaI days. did not res
cover his faculties before he died.
and his brother, John MacSwiney,
were with him when the end came.
Father Dominic was at the prison all
night and did not leave until several
hours after MacSwiney breathed his
last. ,.,t
Sent to Bedside: ~
John MacSwiney and the chaplain,
who had been waiting downstairs lin
the prison were told by prison off,
cials at 430 o'clock that they should
go to the mayors bedside, as they
Thought death was approaching. The
brother asked for the privilege of
communicating with other retatiNes
who were not present. but. the off,
cials, it is said, refused him the use
of a telephone.
After the prisoners death, his
brother and the chaplain were not
permitted to leave Brixton prison un-
til 6:15 o'clock. John MacSwiney i'm
mediately conveyed word to the
widow Of the lord mayor, who was
staying at a west end hotel with Mr..
and Mrs. O'Brien, the former being
the London executive of the Irish
Ca1< nat ,iv,o < 90 oSyV1a
Mrs. MacSwiney, accompanied by
her parents and the Misses Annie and
Mary MacSwiney, sisters of the lord
mayor, arrived at Brixton prison at
$3.50 o'clock.
\ It is. understood arrangements are
being made to take the body to Ire
land for burial. News OF MAcSwiney''s
death: had not become known in the
district d,str ac9oax ar9nnd Brt1tGg prison until
No civilians were waiting along the
road sideseas they usNa!lN4 did in the
early days of the lord mayors nun
ger strike. It is probable the inquest
will be held at the prison today, after
which the body will be turned over to
relatives @t-
MacSwineyf was unconscious for 36
hours before his death occurred, it is
stated. Father Dominic, therefore,
was unable to give him communion,
but did administer extreme JUNCTION.
Heart Failure.
The cause Of MacSwiney's death
was heart failure. according to a
statement issued at the home Office.
London, Oct. 25.-Issued at the
home office. This statement is con-
sidered an indirect answer to the
criticisms Of DR.. Josiah Oldfield, the
physician and publicist,f who had de-
clared 1t was wrong for.the lord may
and brandy. He said brandy was .
poison and that man at the point
Of death was very susceptible to
poison. DIR. Oldfield added that when
a man tasted a long time the first
food he could endure was fruit juice.
When one of the officials was
asked today regarding Mrs. Mac
when death occurred, he replied by
saying the restrictions which were re-
Gently imposed upon visitors rela-
tives were urged by the attending
physician as vital to the prisoners
own interests.
old. @
u. Terence MacSwiney was 40 years
old, and was one of the most prom
/; ipent Sim Feiners. He started life az
a diapers assistant, but became a
poet author, and playwright before
taking up politics seriously.
While in Wakefield Jail, Yorkshire
(! in 1916, he met Muriel Murphy
! daughter, of a wealthy Cork distiller
| who visited the Jail and shortly after
! they were married despite much op.
! position.
MacSwiney was elected as Sim
! Feiner member from Cork to this
British parliament in 1918. but never
took his se eat. He was present at the
first session of the Irish parliament
in 1919. when the establishment .ot
the republic wad confirmed, and was
! elected lord mayor of Cork in 1920.
For various political offenses. he
had been in Jail, with brief intervals
of liberty. since January 1915, atl6 ir
October 1917. secured his reyease
+ from Jail by hunger striking. ff
o a4 Started Strike August II. Al
Macswiney's hunger strike was be-
gun on August IL when, with ten OF
, his associates. he was arrested by sol.
diers in Cork while attending a SEES
/ ion of Sim Fein court. After trial
/; by a courtmartlal under the regula-
! tions of the Defense Of the Healm act
1 ne was found guilty of sedition and
sentenced to two years Imprisonment
WHICH he was SeEV1HS III bTlALOn PEI
son In London. f
MacSwiney, then an alderman o.
Cork, was elected lord mayor of the
city at a special session Of the Cork
corporation on March 80 Of this year
n He was a .well-known Sim Fein lead
+ cr and prior to his election, had beer
1 deported and imprisoned .severa9
times, One OF 1.-THE latest notable In
stances Of his confinement havint
I been An 1915 IN connection with the
I Irish Easter revolt. ~
45 When. arrested on August ~, Mac
4 Swiney managed to escape to tn,
| street from the back Of the City hall
/ which soldiers had surrounded, bu
was captured outside. !. He was taker
Z to the military barracks and came III
j for trial on August 16. The court
martial found him guilty of hayini
control of.the secret police cipher. o,
having In his possession a documen
li16iy to cause djsaffection, namely. q
COPY of a resolution Of the Cork cor
poration pledging allegiance to tn.
Dali Eireann, the Irish Republican
parliament and Of having made a
seditious speech on the occasion ,of hlI
el4t3ion. S. d s
Already weak at the tftal benaus,
az IA refusal to take food. 4 4 Mac