The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-10-25

The Rev. Father Dominic was call
ed in to the death ward at 4:38
o'clock when it was seen that the Lord
Mayor was breathing his last. He
waited the end at the bedside, but was
not allowed to telephone to Mrs. Mac
Swiney nor to Arthur O'Brien, presi-
dent of the Irish Self-Determination
League. Later O'Brien was notified
and made announcement of Mac
Swiney's death. ll
At 1920 o'clock the body was still
lying in BriXton jail.
The police guard about the prison
was heavily increased during the
morning and strong reinforcements of
streets about the Jail.
The government announced at
1920 that its procedure regarding
the disposition of MacSwiney's body
had not yet been determined.
For nearly IA days MacSWiney had
refused to touch food. This was the
method he took to protest against his
arrest and the general treatment of
Ireland by England.
On Wednesday, Oct. 20, the doctors
at Brixton Jail infirmary began feed
ing MacSwiney during intervals OF
unconscious. Small amounts of beef
extract and brandy were administered.
On Thursday food was forced upon
MacSwiney. On the night of Oct. 20
| MacSwiney became delirious and
raved in paroXysms of delirium until
| his death. He sank rapidly on Sun
| day and last night, before midnight
the surgeons at BriXton Jail gave up
| all hope.
1t was announced that MacSwiney
| could not live much longer and that
| the physicians had abandoned all
| hope of saving his life.
| MacSwiney was the second Sim
| Fein hunger striker to die in jail.
Michael Fitzgerald had died in the
! Cork Jail on Oct. IT after a hunger
strike of 6S days.
| The lingering death of MacSwiney
| while sympathetic organizations and
| individuals throughout the world ap-
pealed for his release afforded one Of
| the most dramatic incidents OF mod
| ern British history.
| MacSwiney's tenacious battle for
| life while he was slowly starving him
Tself to death resulted in persisting
| that he, was being clandestinely fed,
but this was officially denied in the
| House of Commons by Sir Hamar
Greenwood, Secretary for Ireland, on
Oct. 10. News of the death of Fitz-
| gerald seemed to have depressing
effect upon MacSwiney. His weak
ness was more marked from that
| time. On Oct. Is it was announced
that the Lord Mayor had a slight
cold This was followed by the
statement that symptoms of scurvy
had developed On the following day
a special physician was called in to
consult with the Brixton Jail sur
geons.
Macswiney was arrested at Cork on
Aug IL. He was sentenced to prison
by British courtmartial sitting un-
der the Irish Coercion Act, on the
charge of having seditious documents
in possession. The day before he be-
| gan his hunger strike II Sim FeinerS
in Jail at Cork began a self-imposed
fast.
The Sim Feiners threatened to en-
gulf the United Kingdom in disor-
ders if Macswiney were allowed to
die in prison. For weeks protests
| poured in upon the British govern
ment. Crowds, muttering ominous
threats. paced the streets about Brix-
ton jail Political sympathizers in
various parts of Great Britain made
plans to harrass the government if
| their champion were allowed to die
with the stigman of imprisonment
upon his memory. The wife and sis
ters of MacSwiney pleaded in vain. A
brother, Peter MacSwiney, travelled
secretly from New York to pay final
| visit.
Premier L1oyd-George and his ad-
| visers remained adamant AS late as
| October 10. when parliament recon-
vened after the summer recess, Sir
: 9Iamar Greenwood announced posi-
lively that the government would
not recede from its position on
time-when the premier departed
from Lucerne, Switzerland, where he
had been spending a vacation-it
had been announced that the govern
ment would release all hunger strik-
ers if the Sim Fein promised to
cease numbering British policemen
in Ireland. Nothing came of this
and Irish Republicans seized the oc-
casion to proclaim their belief thai
the non-reconciliab1e union faction
led by Sir Edward Carson had Sc
cured absolute domination of the
, cabinets Irish policy.
The attitude the government will
ii take towards MacSwiney's death was