The Washington times., 1922-09-12

| At EXECUTION
SKEFF|NGTON
Widow Gives Inside Facts in
; Collins Own Story Of Strug-
. giles for Ireland.

" ~
: giles for Ireland.
! The inside story of The killing
sof Francis Sheeky Skeffington,
:told by his WIDOW to Hayden
3TaL6ot. Is included IN "Michael
collins Ol0n Story" ,o7itten for
The Washington Times, as a
.striking testimonial of Collins
.genius for helping others to out
!toit the British Secret Service.
3The story told By Skeffington's 8
;t0tdoto tods begun IN yesterdays
sTimes and forms the entire Chap
;ter XI of the Collins book.
(, By HAYDEN TALBOT.
1 Copyright. 1922. New York American.
I: CHAPTER XI.
:: Section 2.
! I:"I went home shortly after 6
soclock and was putting my little boy
TO bed when the maid noticed sol.
adiers lining up around the house.
9continued Mrs. Skeffington.
The maid became terrified and
sdashed out the back door, carrying
smy SON with her. I ran after them,
for knew the house would be sur
rounded. and feared they might be
sshot down II seen running.
: AS 1 ran down the hill a volley
was fired through the front door and
-windows. The shots were fired
without warning. and without any
Ydenand having been made on us to
.open the door. .,..,..-
: "They broke In the windows with
.their rifle butts and swarmed all
cover the house, some going to the
roof. Colthurst was in. command
He rushed upon us and ordered us
ITO throw up our hands.
Behind him was a squad of men
with fixed bayonets. The raiders
numbered about forty, and included
Col. II. T. N. Allat, Royal Irish
rifles, who was later killed in the
svicinity of the South Dublin union.
sOn this occasion, however, he eXer-
jcised no command.
:; Raiders Pillage House.
"Colthurst ordered us removed to
.the front room-to be shot II we
3stirred. For three hours they
ssearched the housewife we stood
spotionless closely guarded by men
with drawn bayonets, with others
soutside the house with leveled rifles
spointed at us. The house was sack
led. everything Of value being re-
srnoved-books, pictures, toys, linen
and household goods.
II could hear officers and men
Jeering as they turned over my pri-
svate possessions. One of the SOL
Idiers Ia Belfast mani seemed
s8shamed, and said, I didn't enlist for
this. They are taking the whole
-bloomin' house with Them
: "All my private letters, including
many from my husband before our
-fnarriage, hfs articles, a manuscript
:play, the, labor of a lifetime, were
taken. eColthurst had brought my
husbands keys. stolen from his
body, and with them opened his
Btudy. which he always kept locked.
Throughout the raid Colthurst's
demeanor was that of a sane man.
He addressed several questions to
lne and was coldly insolent in man.
Tier. But he was quite self-possess-
ed. His men took his orders with
out question.
; COlthurst Is Promoted.
my sisters are certain he was
sane when he questioned them at
the drum-head court-martial. He
was not the same man, unQuestion.
ably, a friend would have found him
on the golf links, for instance. But
British officers are all like that. 1t
Is only on occasions like this that
one sees them as they really are. OF
Insanity there was no suggestion.
.Colthurst was simply the English
man with the veneer removed.
ut was during this raid that he
fAme across some papers which later
he falsely indorsed as having been
sfound on Skeffington's person.
This was proved at the inquiry.
: "A second! raid was made May 1
1iuring my absence. and this time a
little temporary maid was taken I'M
her guard to the barracks. She was
held there a week, the charge
against her being that she was
found in my house.
ION this same day Major Sir
Francis Vane, the second in cDrn-
fls comamnd by Lieutenant Colonel
McCammond for his persistent ef-
forts to have Colthurst put under
priest. He was told to give up his
jpst and hand It over to Colthurst.
thus the latter was promoted six
days after the murders.
: Later he was sent in charge Of
h detachment Of troops to Newry,
and not until after May IL was ne
put under close arrest Are these
facts consistent with the theory of
1unacy?
: "Sir Francis Vane made a gen.
1Iine effort to see justice done Find
ing his superior officers at Porto.
bello would do nothing, he went to
Dublin Castle and saw Colonel Kin
hard and General Friend, as well as
Major Price, head OF the intelligence
Hepartment They all depreciat ed
the "fuss,'--and refused to act.
! by order Of Colonel McCammond
bricklayers were brought to the bar
racks Sunday, May Z. They re.
moved the blood-stained bricks in
the wall and replaced them with new
bricks.
: "Sir Francis Vane crossed to Lon
don early in May, interviewed Lord
Kitchener, before whom he laid the