The Washington times., 1922-08-29
500 IRISH
IN EASTER
J. UPRISING
Story of Struggle Against
10000 British Troops As
d. Told by Collins.

GUSLeT T1S1Hy una Luo oooHtHt3tB
hopeless fight louged By hand
fuL of irregular Irishmen against
the might of England. His story.
scgitten in collaboration t0ith Hay
den Talbot, London Representatives
of The Washington Times, reveals
the ,nurtyred Irish hero IN light
not heretofore disclosed, and 1t
forms a remarkable chapter tn the
history of ireland!
By HAYDEN TALBOT.
tcopyrixht. 1o2s. New York AmericanJ
CHAPTER IV-Section 2.
Continuing his story. Michael
Collins said:
ut is difficult to say how many
British troops actually came into
opposition during Easter week. In
Dublin the British garrison num-
bered about 10000, one way or an
other. Probably all Of these were
actually engaged.
$50 far as ! know we never
definitely ascertained the mum,
bers on our side actually mobilized
in Dublin on Easter morning. It
couldn't have exceeded 700. And
at no time during the week where
the fight continued would the
nnmber have exceeded 9OO.
Hero Not An Irishman.
As for heroism. I saw many IN:
stances. All our men were full OF
pluck and daring. Only that breed
of men would engage In confess
where the odds were better than
ten to one against them. But one
incident that touched me more
was the effort made to rescue u
wounded comrade.
Everything considered, l think
It was the finest example OF pure
heroism l ever saw. There We're
two snipers posted in the lee OF
O'Uonnell street. The rescuer was
mortally wounded himself, unable
to stand. But, in spite Of 1t, when
his comrade was slightly wounded
he managed to drag him across the
cobblestones into safety in the post
office. 1t was evident the rescuer
had but a short time to live, and he
must have known 1t, for he waved
them aside and told them to look
after his comrade.
ITO everyone's surprise he didn't
die Immediately. but for several
days suffered the most awful agony.
Never once did he complain. and
at all times he was deeply crate.
full for any little service rendered
him. He turned out to have been
a waiter in a Dublin hotel. He
wasn't an Irishman. His nation
ality seemed to be French-Italian.
"I cannot say / myself saw any
case of specific brutality on the
part Of the British. l did, how
ever, see many cases Of what may
be called i'll usage. For instance.
a British officer abused and tostled
Sean McDermott after Sean sub.
mitted quietly to capture. Sean
was a cripple.
'I also saw an English otflcer
prevent one of his private sol
diers from supplying water to
few of our men who had been
standing for hours In the sun.
But, for the most part, instances
of physical brutality were con
spicuous by their absence. But
there's a form of wounding that
is worse than mere physical
brutality.
Following our surrender and on
being taken prisoners we made
acquaintance with English contempt
our captors. made no effort to dis
guise their feeling that we were
wretched interiors unworthy of
being accorded the treatment given
2 respected enemy. That was
pitiful.
"They honestly felt us to be almost
beneath their contempt and let us
thoroughly understand it.
N"In a batch of several hundred
prisoners in which I found myself
were some of our finest and bravest.
The English officer in charge Of US
was especially abusive and insulting.
HE told US we were Irish swine
whose place was the pigsty, and
more insults of that kind.
Humor Amid Tragedy.
"a year or two afterward this
officer met death in a distant part of
Ireland under mysterious circum.
stances. The mystery was never
soived-not unnaturally. considering
how few we were. how hopeless our
contest and how pitiful our lack of
equipment and experience.
There were many instances of
distinctly humorous nature in the In.
cidents of Easter week.
Desmond Fitzgerald, for instance.
was living out in Bray. where the
British had sent him the better to
keep him under surveillance. His
wife had gone to England on an Ut.
gent mission leaving him and a
young girl of the village employed as
a nurse to take care of their two
children.
'In due course, Fitzgerald rot
word the rising was TO take place
Easter Sunday. He was in honor
bound to do his bit. But there were
his babies and their mother with
whom he had no way Of communicat.
ing.
1.-THE nurse, hardly more than
q child herself, was an unsafe
person with whom to entrust his
children. But just the same he
risked the forbidden journey into
Dublin the Saturday night, and
managed to reach the Orahilly ana
explain the predicament that he
wanted to do duty. but found him.
self the mother as we'll as the father
of his two infants.
From his viewpoint, anyway. the
rebellion ought to be postponed until
he could escape the role OF nurse
maid. To his credit let IL he said
that he managed TO overcome the
difficulty and was in the post office
throughout the week.
thn I,iSipu