Evening journal., 1920-10-25
CORKS LORD
MAYOR Fights
TO THE LAST
AGAINST FOOD
Confined frovh First page

intg coulu care Tor N %.
a small crowd hung about the
gates to Brixton Prison during the
forenoon. 10 surrounded cab in
which one OF the late Lord Mayors
sister, drove up a II o'clock. The
woman was weeping.
MY God, she walled 10 the people
VINO gathered about the veh icle, has
nobody any sympathy for us in our
bereavement ?"
Extra guards were Lummoned to
Brixton. Fears that a demo stratlon
might be started seemed disslpated
when no unusual crowds material
lied. Those that assembled appeared
more curious than excited
An inquest probably will be held
today prison officials say. The inves-
ligation was expected to be purely
formal with the prison physicians
teslifying 30 me cause OF death.
Whether relatives or Irish symp-
athizers familiar with the hunger
strike were 10 be called was -.ot an
nOunced.
MacSwiney's death was believed
ne r on Thursday when he became
deliribus. His body was racked with
tremOrs which continued even after
ne regained consciousness.
Physicians gave him his first food
as he lost control OF himself They
gave him beef o.tract and brandy
The prisoner ragged when he recOV-
cred and knew from the odors that
he had taken food Thereafter he was
fed whenever he los. consciousness
Although The food was retained ply
slcans had little hope IN at he would
recover. His mental altitude was
against II and he wore himself out
raging against being fed
10 was at this stage that relatives
were deprived OF their usual freedom
In visiting the prisoner. Physicians
protested that ,hc process OF feeding
HIN made u advisable 10 bar them.
The last outsider 10 see him was
| Art O'Brien, OF the self Determination
League. O'Brlen issued a statement
saying that the feeding OF MacSwiney
was unnecessary violence.
After lying in comparative comfort
for almost 20 days OF lis strike. Mac
Swiney's last days were painful and
narrowing
Previously ''ccSwlney had lain on
his bed packed ln hot water bottles.
contentedly receiving visitors and
peacefully contemplating the effect Of
his act on the cause OF Ireland.
Then came his delrium and his
| nrst feeding. There were several de-
liriOus spells during which Mac
Swiney raved and shouted OF the
Irish republican army. drilling imag-
mary troops and presiding over i'm
aglnary Irish courts lie swung his
arms IN cNh oriation and huskily call
ed orders Opening his eyes he would
ask his relatives II tn republic had
been firmly established and II Ire
/ land was functionlng as nation.
The lady mayorcss apparently knew
death was coming when she saw her
husband saturday
1T Is too terrible | can't talk
about it any more" she said when
she lef ihe prison in The afternoon
She was IN Sunday as a result OF The
| long and trying experience.
| MacSwiney. said 10 be suffering
| from lung trouble, when arrested
August ~ went or a hunger strike
Immediately. he was convicted Aug
ust i6 by a military court on charges
OF preparing and having In his pos
session sedltious literature.
Eleven other Irish republicans ar
rested at about the same time went
on a lIumger strike two days earlier
in The Cork jail.
When MacSwiney was deported 10
ENGLAND TO be placed In RriXiOn jail
shortly after sentence he was so weak
that he had 10 be carried aboard the
steamer on a stretch er. II was be
llievcd then thot he would die within
a few days.
The Lord Mayor lived. however,
with only slight changes In his con
dillon He lived 10 sec one Of the
other hunger strikers, Michael Fitz-
gerald a. after 6S days OF fasting
While he lay on the cot In Brixton
iail conditions in ireland became
Still moro acute The government
announced IN at 10 would proceed Wig
orou.ly, against The Sim Feln in
stead Of assuming the defensive.
Then began the period Of repr sails
when police exacted swift vengeance
for every ambush and attack by Sim
Fciners Homes and business build
inrs were destroyed and Sim Feiners
were shot by ''black and tans" in re-
prsal for the death OF their COM
rades
Dhe LLOYD George government was
under fire the attack being launched
/ bv liberal aud labor forces They
seized on the new policy or the gov
ernmont. especially the repr.sals for
arguments. Their attacks continued
iup to the reassembling OF Parliament
when an attempt at censure led to
vote OF confidence In The eovern-
ment
lnounced that it would not free hun-
ger striking prisoners the vote or
confidence made 10 clear MacSwiney
could gain neither his release nor a
change I'm Great Britain's policy to-
ward the Sim FeiIers. His strike
was for the announced purpose OF
! leading to a change in policy OF his
own freedom.
The British public reacted strange
llv TO MacSWiney's case. His vitality
/ blocked his purpose Where al first
/ IN ere was pity and a widespread de-
mand for the risoner's release there
/ later arose a suspicion that he was
being fed secretly. Interest in the
case in ENGLAND so Jagged that news
papers even neglected to print the
| daily bulletin on his condition.
/ MacSwiney. no was a years old
was elected lord mayor or Cork by
unanImous vote last spring after the
murder OF Mayor MacCurtain with
I whom he was associated for many
years in the promotion OF the Irish
lie was arrested during a session
Of a republican court at which he
was presiding. MacSwiney's friends
charged that the government wished
no nut him out OF the way because
Of his restraining influence On the
i people Of Cork which prevented them
/ from committing acts 10 Justify Brit
ish soldiers and police in shooting
n The inhabitants
Sim Fein leaders throuch out the
fast maintained that the British gov
| ernmeni would be guilty Of deliber-
ate murder II the Lord Mayor was
| permitted TO die. The officials re-
] sponsible for the death. would be