CORK HUNGER-STRIKERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 May 1921, Page 12

CORK HUNGER-STRIKERS.

BRITISH DOCTOR’S ORDEAL. ATTENDANCE ON PATIENTS. SINN FEIN “DEATH SENTENCES.” A medical officer, Dr. A. C. Pearson, M.C., who was “sentenced to death - ’ by the Irish “Republican Army,” recently arrived in England, after carrying out his duties at the bedside of hunger strikers in Cork prison. Dr. Pearson gives the following graphic account of his experiences: / “I was sent over to Ireland on August 31, at the request of the Irish Office, by arrangement with the Home Office. I took c’.arge of the hit’.ger strikers at Cork next day.

“Three days after my arrival at Cork I received this type-written letter: “ ‘To Dr. Pearson, Cork Gaol, September 4. 1920. As yon have taken over the responsibility of the lives of the elevon men on hunger strike in Cork Gaol —a responsibility which three doctors before you asked tn be relieved of —this is to notify you that should any of tlie men die in gaol or after, release, or as a result of the strike, you will be held to account and punished by death under the laws of the Republic. You are also advised to moderate your attitude of hostility to the meh and their relatives. O.C. Cork No. 1 Brigade, Irish Republican Army.’ “I did not take any notice of the communication, which was incorrect in one particular. Instead of three doctors having given up the task before I was called in. the number was eight.

“On September 6 came the following: “As your professional attendance upon eleven hunger strikers in Cork Gaol gives a tinge o-f legality to the slow murder being perpetrated upon them, you are herebv ordered to leave the gaol at once, and the country within 24 hours from this date—3 o’clock p.m.. September 6. 1920. Failure to comply with this order will incur drastic punishment. O/C. Cork No. 1 Brigade,l.R.A. “SIMPLY CARRIED ON.” “I took no notice, but simply carried on until the abandonment of the hunger strike was announced. seeing that the mon we”e shortly to be out of danger, I asked if i could proceed home on private affairs and leave the prison in which I had been confined for so many weeks. “My request was sent by telephone to nblin Castle, but, of course, in view of le threats against my life, it Was neces. sary to take certain precautions. The telephone wires have been tapped continually, so as a blind I’volunteered to travel by the ordinary route, DublinHolyhead. “Immediately afterwards Dublin Castle sent out cypher messages to the competent military authority at Cork, to arrange with the Navy that I should be sent over in safety, and on no account was I to travel by the ordinary route.

UNDER ARMED ESCORT. “I left Cork Prison under armed escort. at two o’clock, and was taken to Victoria Barracks. Cork. Then I was transferred to an armoured car under the escort of a lorry, and proceeded to Custom House Quay. “The Admiral’s launch then picked me up and took me down to Queenstown, and T travelled on H.M.S. Heather*with the Admiral and his flag lieutenants to Pembroke Dock. “I would not for a hundred pbunds a day go through again the experiences of the past elevon weeks. “To be in France during the war seems to me child’s play compared with the conditions in Ireland, where you never know who is your friend. It is an extraordinary relief to be able to move about once more without an escort. ‘■When I arrived in Ireland I was met in Dublin, and went through to the Castle at v fifty miles an hour on a car. The detective with me had a revolver nn his knee, and the man beside the driver also had a weapon. “That was the start of the nightmare. Tn the first few days at Cork prison I was awfully worried; I did not know where to turn; I had no friends; I could not sleep.

“THE SINNS WILL HAVE YOU.” “The governor, who. like his deputy, is a man with a wonderful personality, said cheerily, immediately I arrived: You are a fool for coming here. The Sinns.will have you.’ “However, I stayed on in safety, and became accustomed to the restricted existence. Every week I used to toast the health of the governor in such words as; ‘Three weeks ago /you called me a fool,’ and so on. “The arrival of Dr. Battiscombe from London, on September 7, was a great relief. “We had as nurses four sisters of Bon Secours Convent, end three highly trained men who were hospital The careful nursing kept the prisoners aliVe during a fast that is probably the most remarkable in history. “It lasted for 94 days, and during that period no food of any kind was taken. “From the point of view of medical ethics T consider my duty, so far as saving life was concerned, began and ended when I recommended immediate release. I did I arrived. My duties, therefore, were confined to actions (or refraining from actions) to the benefit of my patients.

TO THE VATICAN. “On September 9 I sent a message to the Vatican, through the Roman Catholic priest of the prison, to whom 1 wrote: I beg to report that when beside the hospital patients early this morning I became extremely anxious as to the condition of Thomas Donovan, whose posture in bed and general appearance were not such as I was prepared to find. On bending over him he was muttering, the r Acrds being hnrdiy intelligible, but to the best of mv belief he was expressing a wish that the Pope should send him a p?:..onal ln=t ynessaee. I am entirely ignorant of what action T should take in this matter, but T feel strongly that T should not be right m failing to report the matter to you. as from a. layman’s and professional man’s point of view it won-id appear to he a most natural desire for a man dying under the circumstances in which Donovan is dying.’ “I never heard anything further about the matter, though I saw ; t stated recently tha/t the Vatican was considering the morality of hunger-striking. A HUNGER-STRIKER’S DEATH “At the inquiry into the death of one of the hunger strikers. Joseph Murphy, T was asked if the deceased man wore encouraged or discouraged in the taking ot

food. I replied: ‘I have never heard of anyone beside the prisoner who could conceivably have influenced his determined conduct exercising persuasion in either direction.’ “I am glad to find there were nine survivors, but I wish all eleven had recovered. “No one previously has ever experienced cases in which men free -from active disease and under perfect nursing conditions tried to starve themselves to death and held out for so long a period as 94 days< “I am told there is an authenticated case of a man who was able to do so for 30 days. “These patients were not picked men, and they had no nourishment whatever, to the best of my belief or that of the prison officials. CAREFULLY NURSED. “They would not take medical treatment of any sort, but, of course, they were very carefully nursed. Everything was considered in the way of temperature and comfort. Not one had. a bedsore. They refused to have water beds, but air cushions and mattresses were provided. \ “The wonderful thing is that although they all had a desire 'for death they could not die.”