"LISTENING POST."

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 251, 22 October 1919, Page 7

"LISTENING POST."

AUSTRALIAN CHAPLAIN TALKS FATHER O _ONNE_L'S ARREST. CHARGES OF SEDITION. a _ _ it c (Received 0.45 a.m.) s Ii LONDON, October 21. t It is understood that the charges jjagainst Father O'Donnell, who was aj" chaplain in the Australian forces, and I who was arrested in Dublin on Saturday, j ° and placed under an armed guard, allege s that he attended the Sinn Fein Conven- I ° tion in uniform, it is also stated that Father O'Donnell dined with Griffith,.? Aeting-l'rcsident of the Sinn Fein. | c Father O'Donnell, in an interview, says | c that he visited Dublin to consult a. "j specialist, and subsequently visited friends and relatives in various parts of Ireland, lie soon discovered that he was being followed, and realised that he had struck a '-listening post" in Kilbirney j Hotel, when he begun to talk to a man!. who professed deafness. He discussed current affairs, including the strike and ; . Britain's failure to solve the Irish prob- j lent. He chose his topics carefully in' view of the fact that listeners Were in ! the room. i ' lie met more mysterious strangers ill I ( Cork who were anxious to converse with him. jWhen he returned to Dublin the Assist- I , ant-Provost Marshal saitl that he had received a report that Father O'Donnell • had used bad, seditious language at Kil- ■ larney. He replied that the charge was absolutely untrue, and his arrest followed" I on a charge of conduct prejudicial to . order and discipline. L It is reported in Dublin that Father O'Donncll's release is immi- j nent. He remarked to an interviewer: "It is a strange climax to find myself iii n traitor's cell in the land .of my forefathers, considering tlie part I I played in Australia in connection with the war. the recommendations with which I came to Kngland, and the fact that 1 frequently risked my life in battle."— (A. and N.Z. Cable, i