IRISH PRIESTS' CODES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 100, 21 January 1918, Page 8

IRISH PRIESTS' CODES

"MICHAEL," "MIKE," AND SINN FEIN. ' Father Michael Daly, agod 2!), a Roman Catholic priest, was recently sent to prison for three months by tho Liverpool Magistrate for having in his possession a code capable of communicating naval or military information to the United Kingdom and making a false declaration to an alien officer. The evidence showed that Father Daly was a saloon passenger in a ship which reached Liverpool from New York. He said to tho aliens officer he had no letters for other persons, but when he was searched a code and two sealed letters were found.

Detective Storoy said that .Father Daly told him lie was born in the County of Cork, and was,ordained a priest in 1015. Hβ left Ireland for America in September of that year, and obtained a chaplaincy in Virginia, and was afterwards appointed an assistant priest. He told the detective ho received the code written on a piece of notepaner from Father Murphy, of the diocese- of Richmond, Virginia, who wns "a throat Irishman" and inclined to ho a, Sinn Feiner. Father Daly also said he was not going to send information about Ireland by cable to America, but post it'in the ordinary way. If ho signed his name "Michael" it would mean Sinii Fein was "all right." Asked to explain that, he said it would mean that Sinn. Fein would be recognised by the Government, tbero would bo uo revolution, and they would obtain a full measure of Home'llule. If be signed his name "Mike" it would mean that Sinn Fein was "bad." The letters, he .said, had been given him just before he embarked at New York to deliver to friends of the senders in Ireland. ■Hβ was not a Sinn Feiner, and brought the letters and code in ignorance of the Defence of the Realm Regulations. Ho did not think Father Murphy would use the information to foment trouble against the American Government in the prosecution of xhe war. He had often .heard Father Murphy "give England hell." Regarding another code written in a notebook, Father Daly said he received it from Father Mullhearn, an Irishman living in tfew York._ Father Mullhenrn's code was a different code with the same idea. InspecVir Holbrook said the word "automobile" wdr in both codes, which were verv short. Father Daly replied , that botfi Father Murphy and Father Mullhearn had "automobiles." The Magistrate said it was almost incredible that the existence of Father Murphy's code should have been unknown to Father Mullhearn. The codes were 'strikingly similar. A military representative said the War Offire took a serious view of the case, and the Magistrate said that would he anf/arent to everybody.