The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1920-10-25
|RELAND'S MARTYR
WAS BRILLIANT MAN
McSwiney Held Many Degrees
In Irish and English
Universities.
(oontinusa fyvm First Pags)

of the London school Of Bconomics
and held q travelling professionally
OF economics. and kindred subjects
under The dspar tment Of technical IN
structioA for Ireland
Studded AT Odd TIMES.
While Acswinsy was . young man.
working a. an expert accountant. ne
was laughed at for studying his Gss-
lie grammar at odd five minutes. Dur
Ing this early period he published q
volume Of verse and produced two
comedies and q traEedy-"rhe Hoio-
eAust"
When he later received q teaching
appointment. he resigned In favor OF
. colleague whom ne believed VIC
timised. and himself became an or
ganizer Of the Irish Volunteers.
In 1916. after the republic was pro-
claimed. McSwiney and hundreds OF
others from all rArts Of ireland were
interned. In Wakefield prison. gen
erous as always, no begged to share
his gifts Of books and food with his
fellow prisoners. Transferred to
Frongoch camp. he was released for
some months. but WAS sfterward re-
arrested five times.
During one OF his prison terms Nc
Swinsy married Miss Muriel Murphy.
daughter OF Countess Murphy Of Cork.
In September. 1918. on quitting prison,
his wife. with their child. born during
his imprisonment. awaited him at tho
gate. but he was Immediately rear
| rested.
1T Is not" McSwiney told his fel:
ow-countrymen. upon his election as
lord mayor OF Cork, on March so.
| 1920. "to those who can innict the
most suffering. but to those who can
suffer most that victory will come
1t was in this very spirit of self
sacrifice that he proposed himself for
the post Of lord mayor, after Thomas
| MacCurtAin had been murdered by
English troops. 1t was a post OF dam
ger, since the English troops in Ire.
| land were obviously determined to In
timidate the Irish republican officials
of Cork.
ARRESTED MANY TIMES.
McSwiney had already had expert
ence Of the treatment accorded In
English prisons to captured citizens
OF the Irish Republic. The list Of his
arrests by the English government II
| a long one:
He was arrested in May. 1915: de-
ported without trial or charge to
Wakefield prison. England; was re-
leased without explanation or apology
some months later: was rearrested in
November. 1917, and sentenced to
nine months imprisonment for sedi.
tious speech. He was released in Ill
health in February. 1918, and was re-
arrested in March Of that year, sent
to Belfast prison. to complete his SEN
| tence. but was discharged in broken
| health on September 9. Despite his
| enfeebled condition. he was rearrest-
| - hA nvSo nj n
ported without charge or trial to Eng
land In March. 1919. he was re-
leased without explanation or apol-
ogy.
| Subsequently. warrants were issued
for his arrest in September and No
| vember. 1919. and In January and
March. 1920.
On August IL. 1890. Lord Mayor Nc
Swiney was arrested by the British
military while presiding over an arbi-
tration court in the city hall ut Cork.
On August 1s, having been four days
without food, he was tried before a
court-martial of British army officers.
He was not charged with presiding
over the republican court, although II
was the obvious occasion of his ar
| rest. This charge was not made
against him, because. IL II had been,
| representatives Of the English Pru-
Dental Life Assurance Company, who
were among the litigants at the court
in question, would have had to be ar
rested also.
The lord mayor Of Cork refused to
recognize the authority by which this
| court-martia was held. lie Informed
the British officers present:
I 81 wish to state that. n . result Of
the action I will take, I will put n
| - A-a3AAA-Aat
| you may impose. ] have haa - food
since Thursday (AuGust 1875 there
fore. I will be FREE In . nenth. I have
decided the terra Of ny SetenffOa'
whatever your government nay do.
will be free. alive or dead, within q
month";
THE SPECIFIC CHARGES.
The lord mayor was sentenced as a
result of the findings of this English
| court martial, to two years imprison-
ment. The specific charges upon
| which he was tried under the defense
| Of the realm act were:
I. Being In possession ~ . cipher
issueA t. the Royal Irish eesstass-
lazy.
2. Having this cipAer under his
control.
3. Being IN po~sessisn 81 . reso-
tuition pIeA9fnG the allegiance 81
the Cork Cooperation to the Dali
Eireann.
4. BEING in possession Of . copy
Of the speech made when elected
lora mayor.
| The frst count was Immediately
abandoned by the English.
| In the official English report OF the
trial, tho following passage from this
speech is particularly quoted:
| "FacinK our enemy, We must declare
| our attitude simply. We see In thefl
| regime thing 81 evil inrsrAate. with
II there can be no Darley-any more
than there can he truce with the psw-
ers Of hell. This II eur simple ress-
Iutien. We ask for Ne mercy and w
| Will take NO eoBpromise.~
McSwiney recently was described
by Robert Lynd, literary editor OF the
London Daily News As "a man In
| whose presence men stood w
straighter. He has" says Mr.. Lynd
''many Of the qualities Of M. Max,
1 the famous BuraomaRtAr of BruaaNlA