Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-10-27
REPRrsALs s SOON PROMISED
Continued from pase /

Continued from pase
and Euston Road to the station. II ~
expected 70 reach there at about 4 o'clock,
when tho procession will line Up and be
dismissed Tho body will probably reach
Dublin early on Friday.
London, Oct. 27.-A Jury OF ten mon
nfter twelve minutes deliberAtion this
morning, returned An open verdict At An
inquest over the body Of Lord Mayor Mac
Swiney Of Cork, who died in Brixton pris-
on early Monday from the results of hr
73-day hunger strike.
Tho verdict WAS that tho deceased had
died from heart fsilure due 10 a dilated
heart and acute dslirium following scurvy
which was due 10 exhaustion from pro
longed refusal 10 take food.
The widowed lady mayorees. dreased in
black and heavily veilcd, was tho only
witness on behalf Of the MacSwincy fam
lily, and was the dominant figure OF tho
proceedings Her composurc wns indi-
Gated by her quick and pointed replies.
Mrs. MacSwiney successfully resisted
the continued attempts Of the coroner to
have her characterize her late husbands
occupation otherwise thsn as "a volun-
teer officer Of the Irish republican army
Coroner c. p Wyatt oponcd the pro-
ceedings with suggestion that the brother
of the late lord mayor might desire TO tce-
tify for the family. Solicitor Mcdonald
representing the family intcrposed, how
ever, with the reminder that tho lady
mayoress had been summoned for that
purpose The coroner asked Mrs. Mac
Swiney il she wished to testify She ro-
piled YES" laid her veil back over her
Il A. ~ h.. xsk< II,
posite the coroner and took the oath.
The lady mayorcss said her name was
Muriel Frances MacSwiney and that she
lived in Cork Her husband WAS Terence
James Macswiney, aged 40.
what was hef" asked the coroner
"An Irish volunteer, was tho answcr.
did he make living by that?'
"No."
Had he any other occupation7"
"He WA school teacher for a num-
Der of years." replied the lady mayorcss.
The coroner pressed the point and
Mrs. MacSwiney replied:
"My husband did nothing for years but
work for his country"
Coroner Wyatt objected TO tho witness
describing her husband as an Irish volun-
teer, TO which she rejoined:
II don't see why; Ireland has an army
Of its own; don't you call that an occu-
patton in your army7"
"Ye-," said the coroner. but that j.
different thing entirely"
Quite" was the monoeyllabc r~plv
of the witness.
Solicitor Mcdonald sought to question
the lady mayoress about the charges upon
which her husband WAS arrested The
coroner objected to this, saying he did not
desire the inquiry to go beyond the cause
OF death. Mr.. Mcdonald said the family
regarded the death as the result OF the
lord mayors arrest and court-martisl.
"He went on a hunger strike the day
be WAS arrested, as they had no right TO
arrest him; it was an offense against the
laws of the Irish republic" replied Mrs.
MacSwiney spiritedly to another d 30
licitor McDonald's questions.
DIR. Grifiiths, the senior medical Of
fcer of the prison. said he began attend
ing MacSwiney September l. He Was
then weak and had certain signs Of tu-
berculosis in the chest" added tho ply
siclan.
He said the prisoner had consistently
refused food all the time he WAS in pris-
on; that his body had deteriornted slow
ly, scurvy developing October IL, and
the patient becoming worse until he had
an attack OF acute delirium on October 20,
growing very restive and requiring two
officers to hold him In bed. He thaen
became unconscious. On October % the
heart became weakened and dilated upon.
which the attendants administered food
There WAS some slight Improvement,
continued the doctor. Then between 2
and 3 o'clock in the morning of the 25th
WAS called TO him
II found his breathing laboreo and
his pulse feeble and quick-he obviously
was In very critical condition. | did
of my resources told the priest to go TO
him. He died at $50 clock. .
The coroner asked what DIR. Griffiths
considered the direct cause of death. The
doctor replied: Heart failure following
scuryy due TO exhaustion from prolonged
refusal TO take food.
Coroner Wyatt, In instructing the jury !,
said that if it found the deceased had
deliberately killed himself II should re-
turn a verdict of self-murder; second. IT
it found his mind was so unbalanced that
he did not realize what would be con-
sequent upon his refusal OF food IT should
find his death was due to suicide while of
unsound mind, or third, If 1t found the
prisoner did not intend TO Kill himself, but
owing TO his physical condition death en-
sued, the jury should return an ope II
verdict.
During the inquest the solicitor repre-
senting the treasury department revealed
that five days before MacSwineys death
the home office doctor read to him a state
ment signed by Secretary Short as follows:
"The secretary of state soicmnly warns
you that YOU will not be released and that
you alone will be responsible for any con-
sequences which may ensure on your per-
sistencc in refusing food.
To this Lord Mayor MacSwiney mere
ly replied he had been told that previous
ly.
After the jury retired Solicitor MELON
aid suggested that fourth verdict might
be offered namely "as due to his protest
against his arrest" The jury returned in
twelve minutes and Juror read the YER
dict:
death was due To heart failure con-
sequent on Il refusal of food The coroner
suggested that he finding be amplihed by
the inclusion of DIR. Grifiiths' testimony
wo which the Jurors assented. The coro-
ner then read the verdict In which Mayor
MacSwiney was referred TO as "volun
teer officer" not mentioning the Irish re-
publican army.
The party had started to file out when
Solicitor Mcdonald asked the coroner to
issue brutal permit, saying interment
would be made in Ireland. The coroner
declined to do this, saying he had not
jurisdiction.
The Home Office, however, granted
4 ba rnarFn1t ustthas.f Iaiu,r ard tha hrJxr IF