The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1920-12-21
WIDOW M'SWINEY
PAINTS IRISH WOES
LITTLE WOMAN TELLS OF
HER COURTSHIP, MARRIAGE
AND MOTHERHOOD.

WASHINGTON, ID. C.-lhe story
of a courtship, marriage and mother
hood carried on under the shadow OF
prison walls and the fear of arrest and
ending with the tragic sacrifice of the
husband and father for the furtherance
OF the cause to which he had dedicat-
ed his life was unfolded here on
Thursday to the American commission
on conditions in Ireland by Mrs. Mu-
riel MacSwiney, widow OF the late
lord mayor OF Cork
1t was a story told simply, sweet
Nv and smilingly when there were
things in it that could be smiled about.
1t was told with entire absence OF
striving for effect, for heroics. For
three solid hours the soft-voiced little
woman who seems to have the Win
some eluSiveness of the Irish fairies
about her-a Peter Pan of a sprite,
she is no less-held a crowded audi
forum at rapt attention by the sheer
witchery of her dainty gestures and
her ever so faint Irish accent. By the
elhn glamor of smile that ever and
again broke out even after the recital
of the darkest passages in the tale OF
her life and that of her husband.
No Trace of Bitterness.
There was not a trace of bitterness
against those she considers her hus-
bands oppressors in it all. True, there
would be a defiant little toss of her
head when she would throw off such
phrases as Il don't count the time we
spent in England as being part of our
honeymoon" But what little defiance
she showed in those few moments was
at once dispelled by that engaging
and infectious smile of hers, a smile
that almost always deepened into gen
tie laughter, as though she were real
" laughing at herself for letting the
note of defiance creep into her tes-
timony. Not once did she so much as
falter or give signs that she might |
break down.
Briefly she sketched in the story
of her husbands republican activities,
eliminating with his final arrest in
August OF this year, following the |
murder of his predecessor, Lord May |
or McCurtain; and then went on to |
tell OF her long vigil by his side dur
ing his self-imposed fast
Il saw him at Brixton every day."
she said, and it was the first time
since my marriage that | had been |
able to do that. The first day | arriv-
ed the prison doctor told me to get |
my husband. to take food, because a |
long hunger strike would have very
bad effect on the health of children
that might be born after that | told |
him | knew that, but that | couldn't |
interfere in matter OF conscience.
Kept Alive by His Spirit.
Nothing but his spirit kept him
alive! There is no doubt of that what
ever" she went on to say, refuting
the charge that he had been secretly |
fed. He absolutely radiated content
ment and peace. He had but one idea
to die for his country.
Il think the worst thing was that
he could not see our baby. He was
said it would be cruelty to bring |
the child to see him. In the last week |
his delirium came on, and most of !
the time he was quite mad, and would
not know us. Once, in the midst of it,
he looked up at me and said, "Muriel,
you've always stuck to me-" | liked |
that.
He died after "a days OF endur-
anCe + or several Gays before lndI ne |
was forcibly ted, while unconscious,
by the physicians. This gave him ter |
rible pain, | could see, and | think it
fastened his end"
The London coroner, she said, fiat
ly refused to give her her husbands |
body for burial. She then appealed to
E. C. Shorty, the British home sec
rotary, whom she described, but with
out emphasis, as the most brutal |
man | had met" and declared that
"he treated the whole matter as a
great joke" Finally, she got, her per-
nit, but was so i'll that she could not
go back to Cork for the funeral.
The spirit of Ireland is that of
myself and my husband she said,
drawing her story to a close, The
people want independence and they
want England out and there won't
be any peace until we have that"
Terrible Suffering in Ireand.
At present the suffering is terrible,
especially among the women and chill