The Washington times., 1921-02-20
CAPTIVE IRISH
ARE TORTURED
Mrs. McWhorter Tells How Brit
lsh Drive Victims Insane With
FIendlsh Treatment.
BY MARY y. MewHORTER,
National PRECEDENT Ladies Auxiliary,

tended fnvostiqation in Ireland. Miss
Mar.v MacStoiney, whose ireland
Today tOas published recently IN
Tbs Washington Times, has review
ed Mrs. McWhorter's articles and de-
clared that they present a true PIC
t.re of life in ireland today.
Mr.. Lloyd George has frequently
stated that England is at war with
Ireland. that In fact England is now
engaged In the re-conquest OF Ire
land, and still he persists In alluding
to the Irish Republican army as the
murder gang"
HYPOCRITICAL CANT.
For that matter there Is much
hypocritical cant in the British house
of commons about the killing OF mem
bers OF the II. !. c., etc. but there Is
not a word uttered about the killing
OF noncom batant men, women. and
children by the BLACK and tans." nor
is a word said about the destruction
OF the industries by the same lawless
forces.
Granted. then. that war exists be-
TWEEN England and Ireland. or
neC4SSltH
public is compelled to wage a guer-
rilla warfare, such as Washington
and his small larmy had to do in the
stirring days of 1776. Let us see
how the international code govern
ing warfare is observed by the two
countries.
Mr.. Erskine Childers, the noted
English writer, now living in Ire
land, Is an authority on military
tactics. having served his country
with distinction in the late world
war. Mr.. Childers has written a Sc
ries of articles for the London Daily
News entitled Military Rule In Ire
land" These articles were written
with the hope that they would
arouse the thinking people OF Eng
land to a true knowledge of the
frightfulness that is being committed
by their army in Ireland.
IRISH TREAT CAPTIvEs
POLITELY.
Among other things, Mr.. Childers
has stated that when the Irish re-
publican army in attacks on bar
racks, etc, had to make captives OF
officers, soldiers or policemen-these
captives have always been treated
with the utmost courtesy and con-
sideration.
was in Ireland during the time
General Lucas was held captive by
the army OF the Irish republic. When
no obtained his freedom he issued a
statement through the press that he
was treated with all the honors OF
war while in captivity. The date on
which General Lucas was made cap
tive, which was the 2Sth Of last June,
as a reprisal for the act the British
soldiers, sacked. looted and burned
the towns Of Fermoy and Lismore and
bombed the towns OF Limerick and
New Castle West. and shot up four
other towns that night.
When the British army makes pris-
oners Of any Of the soldiers Of the
Irish republic, the captors treat them
in a most revolving manner. submit
ting them to all manner Of torture.
Two young men of Cork were taken
captive the 25th of last July by the
British. and without being accused of
any crime were made victims of most
horrible tortures, beside which the
tortures Of the Spanish 1nquisition
pale to insignificance.
The victims were stripped naked
and pincers were used on their flesh
until they stood in pools of their
own blood. Other tortures to which
the victims were submitted were the
bending back OF the finger nails. etc.
Two British officers supervised the
inflicting of these tortures, which
were imposed on the unfortunate vic
Tins to try and get them to divulge
the names Of the commanding Of
ficer of the Irish Republican army in
their district
HOPELEssLY INSANE.
As a result OF this tortute one Of
these young men Is now hopelessly
insane and the other physical
wreck, still confined in Pentonville
prison. The people of Ireland now
breathe a prayer of thankfulness
when young Irishmen- are shot in
stead Of being made captives. as
anything is better than the awful
tortures to which they are subject
ed IL they are unfortunate enough
to be taken prisoner.
have already mentioned in a pre-
vious article that the Irish Repub-
lican arbitration courts have taken
the place Of the British crown courts.
As a result the forces Of the crown
connive at crime and lawlessness. The
republican courts are frequently
raided, the prisoners are released,
and the officials Of the republican
courts. as we'll as the volunteer DO
licemen, are either shot or imprisoned.
There are many instances where
members Of the r. l. c. having found
the places where lawbreakers were
imprisoned, liberated these prisoners.
A well,authenticated story Is going
the rounds in Ireland about two mem
bers Of the X. /. c. having learned
that prisoners committed by a repub-
lican court were serving a sentence
on one of the Islands OF the west
coast of Ireland. The r. /. c. men
set of in a boat to rescue the pris-
oners, but the prisoners pledged AL
legiance to the republic courts by
refusing to be rescued by the SER
wants OF the crown courts.
Americans were Mortified by the in
dignities supposed to have been
neaped upon that heroic figure. Car
dinal Mercier. by the German army
invading Belgium. We were also bor-
rified by the wanton destruction Of
the cathedrals Of Louvain and Rheims.
At no time during the German occu-
patton did Cardinal Mercier have to
lee for his life; he went about his vo-