The Washington times., 1922-09-14
IRISH WOMAN .
ELUDES BRITISH.
SECRET SERVICE
Mrs. sksffington Tells How
She Reached U. S. After
Using Many DISCUSSES.
BY HAYDEN TALBOT.
Copyright. 1877. New York American.
CHAPTER XI-SECTT0N T..

CopyrfHht. Iozx, New York American.
CHAPTER XI-SECTT0N 4.
. Concluding her recital Of the inside
story Of her husbands Staying, Mrs.
Frances Sheehy Skeffington tells
how she managed to elude the Brit
ish Secret Service and cross the
ocean to America.
Before starting on the Journey
perhaps the more risky because 1
insisted on taking my boy with me
i had carefully arranged an alibi to
account, for my absence from Dub
1in." said Mrs, Skeffington. "I let
II be generally known that had
fallen Ill and had gone to the home
OF friend in the country to be
nursed.
Way Prepared for Her.
Letters had prepared were posted
by this friend every day while I
was on the high seas and in America.
Providence again came to my
mind-although 1t did not seem so at
the time--when my seven.year old
son developed diphtheria on the eve
Of our departure from the Scotch
port. 1t was necessary to put him
in a hospital at once, and there he
was isolated for ten weeks under
the assumed name which had
adopted. Finally, when he was re-
ieased-to my astonishment-he WAS
not only very changed in appear
ance. but had acquired Scotch
accent!
Travels Disguised.
ITO further my chances of event
ual success, and realizing that
could be of no use to my boy while
he was in the hospital, returned
TO Dublin. had recovered from my
Illness and resumed my former c.
cupation as a teacher. Thus / put
the sleuths off the scent.
my second trip across the Irish
Seattle possession of the false pass
At Liverpool the authorities sub
iected Greeks, Americans and Irish
aboard the boat to a rigorous exami-
nation, but my Scotch passport and
passable burr let me escape with a
question or two.
THE most difficult part Of my
task was travelling in ireland itself.
There was, of course, no chance OF
my leaving from the port OF Dublin.
] had to go north by q roundabout
route, during the course Of which
adopted a series Of DISCUSSES. At
one stage of the journey I was an
elderly invalid-at another / was a
touring actress. These were neces-
sary transitions from my own iden-
tity to that of the Scotch woman
named in my passport.
"Of course the passport was bogus.
But, like my makeup, 1t was good
enough to deceive the authorities
who examined it. The turning out
Of those bogus passports is story
Ly itself, which. one day, perhaps,
can be safely told.
Her American Tour.
'My little boy was obviously an
invalid, and as such an object of
compassion-a fact that served to
distract attention from me. Also ]
encouraged him to chatter In the
hearing of the British authorities
and his suddenly acquired Scottish
burr was better for my purpose than
o dozen passports.
"I remained in the United States
for eighteen months, lecturing on
British Miltarism as I Have known
It. In this period I addressed au.
diences in every large city from
New York to San Francisco, and
from the State Of Washington to
Texas. I spoke at women's clubs,
at universities, including Harvard
Chicago and Columbia, at peace and
labor conferences and, Of course, at
Irish assemblies. l was arrested In
San Francisco for speaking against
conscription for Ireland-aftsr
America had entered the war. But