The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1920-10-25
'SW|NEY DIES.
ON 74TH DAY.
Irish Mayor Succumbs to Hun
Ger Strike Effects In
! Brixt0n Prison.

<Conttmssd from V1rss PAg~)
prison by a British oourt-mArtil sit
ting under the Irish coercion act on
the charge OF having seditious docu-
mnts In his possession The day be-
fore no began his hunger strike,
eleven Sim vsiners In Jail AZ Cork
began q self-imposed fast
Sim FEN THREATENS
TO Make REPRIsAI.A
Sim Feiners threatened to engulf
the United Kingdom In disorders II
McSwiney were allowed to die In
prison For weeks protests poured
in upon the British Eovernment-
Crowds. mutterinS ominous threats.
paced the streets about Brtxton jail.
Political sympsthizsrs In various
parts OF Great Britain made plans to
harass the government II their
champion were allowed to die with
the stigma Of imprisonment upon his
memory. The wife and sisters OF Nc
swiney pleaded In vain A brother.
Peter McSwtDsy. travelled secretly
from New York to pay q anal visit
Premier Lloyd George and mis- ad-
risers remained adamant. AZ lato a.
oetobsr 10. when Parliament recon-
Veu.u after the summer rocess, Sir
Hamar Greenwood announced posi-
lively that the govornmene>wouldn not
recede from its position on hunger
strikers.
Previous to this time-when the
premier departed from Lucerne,
Switzerland. where he had been
spending a vacation--it had been an
nounced that the government would
release all hunger strikers II the
Sim Fein promised to cease murder
ing British policemen in Ireland.
Nothing came of this and Irish Re-
publicans seized the occasion to pro-
claim their belief that the non-recon-
cilable Unionist faction. led by
Sir Edward Carson. had secured alb
solute domination of the cabinets
Irish policy.
OFFICIALLY DECLARED
swILFUL SUICIDAL
The attitude the government will
take toward McSwiney's death was
indicated by the action Of q military
fnQuest at Cork, which held Michael
Fftxgerald's death to be "wilful sui
eide"
4rs. Ac6wtney, the wife, was said
TO be on the verge Of prostration. Tho
long strain of waiting for her hus-
bands Death. after she became con-
WINGED that he would not be released,
tcld heavily on her strength. She
was reported, to be i'll late yesterday.
The Rev. Father Dominic was de-
tanned at tho prison for nearly an
hour after Mcswiney had died. Upon
leaving the Jail at 6:27 o'clock he
hastily notified Mrs. McSwiney. Mary
and Annie McSwiney. the two sisters:
Peter McSwiney, Of New York. q
brother and OBrien.
1T is . sad blow, but we expected
it." said Potter McSwfney. From tho
moment McSwinsy was arrested,
while holding court in tho city hall
At Cork on August IL. this twentieth
century martyr to q cause he held
dearer than life itself had refused
to take tho tiniest morsel Of food
voluntarily. although choice viands
were kept at his bedside and he was
under continuous temptation.
McSwiney completely lost his
sense of taste. Defying the pangs of
hunger. the tortures Of literal wilt
ing away Of the body, and the agonfes
81 mind fading slowly into tho
darkness of insanity. then oblivion.
he elected to starve to death $50 that
Ireland may be free to live"
His last message to his country
men, first given weeks ago and re-
peated constantly up to his death.
was this:
"if I give why now I shan Efve
away the cause Of Irish liberty. 1
would rather die than do that,
The last sacrament Of the Roman
Catholic Church had been admins
tered to McSwiney some time before
mis- death. After the rite of The last
sacrament, McSwiney turned to the
priest and his brother John. and
said:
"My body Is going, sst NJ spirit
P~maIns."
PROMISE OF MONARCH
"PROVED CONDITION.
About a month ago there was q
marvellous rebound in the condition
Of the lord mayor. That was when
the eyes of IreIand-and the whole
world-were fixed upon Buckingham
Palace, where King George, through
his secretary. had promised Am
mediate consideration" OF the appeal
of Redmond Howard nephew of the
late Nationalist leader, to intercede
In the martyr mayors" behalf. That
evening Fatler Dominic, told of this
eleventh hour hope. said as he came
out of McSwiney's ward:
81 am afraid 1t is too late. The lord
mayor is resigned to his fate.~
Yet the iron constitution of this
robust son Of Erin fought on and on,
and day after day brought tho same
monotonous word from his cell: He
10 very weak and not expected to live
many hours more"
Not all the food in the United
Kingdom could have saved the life
/ Of McSwiney after the climax of his
hunger strike had passed. When the
doctors began forcing food upon the
1rrisoner last week, his stomach re-
belled and he suffered violent f,ts
II vomiting. The body had become
accustomed to starvation and nature
revolted. From violent fts of de-
lirium McSwiney passed into q state
II coma at the very last.
new touch of the dramatic was
-