San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-15
IRISH WOMEN
WANT AMERICA
To GIVE AID
Make Appeal at Gunter
Saturday Night Before
Small Crowd.
ESCAPED FROM PRISON
Miss Linda Kearns Says
She Got Key in Baked
Chicken.

Only a small audience was present
to greet the attempt of Misses Linda
Mary Kearns and Kathleen Boland,
Irish Republicans, in their effort to
swing the American public to the side
of those fighting for the independence
of ireland, at their meeting held in
the Gunter Hotel ballroom Saturday
night at S o'clock.
A stirring appeal was made by Miss
Kearns for the women and children
of Ireland, who, she declared, were
badly in need of financial help. She
said that a total of one pound was
sufficient to keep a mother and her
children for one week in Ireland, and
that since the soldiers of the Republic
offered their services voluntarily, there
was no one to provide for the wives
and mothers at home. Hence the plea
for help from America.
Miss Kearns is extremely sore, to
use the familiar term. on the press of
the United States, declaring that it
is controlled by England and that no
effort is made to print the truth of
conditions as they exist in ireland.
Tells of Escape.
Although Miss Kearns declares
that it is only financial aid that the
Irish are seeking from the United
States. the fact was repeatedly stated
that America went into the World
War to make the world safe for De-
mocracy and to give the smaller colIn-
tries their independence. She said
that the 10000 American soldiers who
died for that cause have not been
treated just as Ireland is still under
the rule of a tyrannical government.
In her talk, Miss Kearns told of
great many of the horrible incl
dents of the Irish Revolution. The
interesting manner in which her es-
cape was effected, her betrayal to
the Free State troops by the indiv-
ldual who was instrumental in her
escape and her final escape-all of
these were eplained in detail.
She was confined in prison in Dub
lin. where she was on a hunger
strike. A certain Englishman, whom
she described as a forger. was q
personal friend of a priest, who hap
nened to be a good friend of Miss
Kearns.
This forger sent her a thermos
bottle of tea. On the inside of the
bottle was concealed some wax. with
which she was instructed to make an
imprint of the key to her cell. This
she promptly did and soon afterward
received the key in baked chicken.
s55 Is Collected.
She then described how she and
three others who accompanied her
scaled a 35-fOot wall by means of a
rope ladder and in constant danger
OF being shot to death by the guard.
who traversed the ground underneath :
OF her trip to convent, accompanied
there by the fOrger; of him return
ing to the city. and being tempted
by the reward offered for her capture
putting the Black and Tan troops on
her trail: and Of the timely arrival
OF the Republican troops.
Horrible tortures which the Re-
pnDhcans are forced TO endure. were
also enumerated by Miss Kearns. She
told OF instances where men had been
known to have had their eyes gouged
out because of failure to divulge Re-
publican plans. She also spoke of
men who had had their finger nails
pulled from their fingers. and of a
woman who went crazy upon seeing
her husband after he had been killed
and his eyes pulled from his head.
After the talk was concluded, con-
tfibutlons were asked of all those
present A total of $3.50 was COL
, ,cd in cash and 500 was pledged.
These figures. however. do not reb.
resent oil that has been donated. as
private donations are to be given