The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1932-03-18
De Valera Escapes Prison Term
A Ballad Singing Gardener
And Two Colleens Make
a Page Of History

who arrayed themselves as shop
girls and came to Lincoln.
THE girls deliberately set out
to flirt with the soldiers and soon
came to know most of the
guards" O'Ceallight related. DE
Valera was informed by code In
letter that Feb was the date
set for his escape. The attempt
was to be made when the prison.
ers were taken to the rear yard
at p. IN. for their three-hour ex-
ercise period.
'In the dusk, shortly after 4
O'Clock. the girls appeared and
enticed the guards from the rear
of the prison as far as possible.
Then two Sim Feiners cut path
through the barbed wire. ~
"At o'clock, de Valera, with
McGarry and Milroy 1.-TWO Sim
Feiners who escaped with de va
lera) sauntered to the back gate.
Their friends outside crept up and
opened the gate with the false
KEY, while the sentries continued
their filtration with the girls. An
automobile was waiting and In IT
de Valera was whisked to London
while the police chased four de-
coy motor cars that the commit-
tee had sent into the vicinity for
that purpose
That Irish girls played part
in de Valera's escape from Lin
coin goal has since been denied by
Harry Bolnnd, later secretary OF
the Sim Fein. But this is the
story as O'Cealligh told 1t in Paris
less than n month after the event.
FIccs to America.
Escaped, de Valera fled to
America to raise $6,000,000 for
the Irish republic" by selling
bonds among 1rlsh-Americans. Ho
is said to have disguised himself
and shipped as stoker. He pre-
sented himself as president of the
Irish republic" which had been
formed early in 1919 when a large
number of members Of parliament
elected for Irish constituencies
had styled themselves the Dali
Eireann (the Assembly of Ire
land), declared q republic in eX-
istence and chosen q president and
ministers.
BY the act of 1920, the British
government capitulated to the en-
tent that It set up the Irish Free
state, composed of 26 counties in
southern Ireland. The Free state
was given q dominion status like
that OF Canada, but not independ-
ence. Six passive counties In
northern ireland were made into
u separate union, and their parlia-
ment was formally opened by the
king In June, 1921.
In December of 1921. southern
ireland and Arthur Griffith agreed
to the Free State treaty after de
Valera had withdrawn from the
negotiations. When, In 1922. the
Dali finally accepted the treaty
by the narrow margin of Ga to 81,
de Valera resigned the presidency
and Griffith was elected by only
two votes.
Civil War Follows
De Valera predicted that ac-
ceptance Of the Free State treaty
would cause civil war In Ireland.
Accordingly, June, 1922, found
his aides Leading forces of ir-
regulars against the Free state
army, which he had helped build
up. In battles at Dublin the ia
mours Four Courts building was
destroyed and fine hotels and
business houses burned or blown
up.
DE Valera proclaimed that there
was only one legitimate govern
ment In Ireland-that of the re-
public.
The war was as bitter on ono
side as on the other. 1t was n
grim era of shots and screams,
when ambush followed ambush.
reprisal followed reprisal, and
men were murdered In sight of
their families In their homes at
night. English soldiers distin-
guished themselves with their
heavy handed methods.
Sir Henry Wilson was MUIR
dered In London by two Irishmen
who had served In the British
army. Michael Collins, COM
mander-in- chief of the Free State
army, was killed in County Cork.
Rory O'Connor was captured after
he had blown up the Four Courts
building with all Its records. De
Valera. who had Joined the insur-
gents, escaped.
Hides In tho Hills
De Valera fled TO the country
finding refuge in the bleak homes
of peasants who We're loyal to his
cause. lie lived as q hunted man
like an outlaw. Communication
with him was tedious and diff
cult. Newspaper men would sub.
| cember s, when the Dali assembled
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