THE IRISH DEPORTEES.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 148, 23 June 1923, Page 5

THE IRISH DEPORTEES.

ART O'BRIEN'S MGHTNING APPEARANCE. GRAVE ACCUSATIONS OF ILLTREATMENT. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, May 18. The political sensation of the week is ; the Government volte face in the matter of the Irish deportees, and the case of "Art" O'Brien, his freedom for five minutes, achieved by the putting into action of the Habeas Corpus Act, and his re-arrest before he left the precincts of the Law Courts. The court was crowded, for there was high expectation of a forensic duel of some length and ingenuity. Barristers of both sexes by the score were tnere eager for instruction in the convolutions of the legal mind. Mr. O'Brien himself, a pink-cheeked gentleman with greying hair sat with his sister until he was told he was free. This was indicated to him by Sir Douglas Hogg reading aloud a document ending with the legal formula, "I produce the body of the said Art O'Brien." Pressmen crowded round him at once eager to interview him on the 6pot, within the very portals of the law, a thing unprecedented, and the presiding judge, although his attention was called to the fact, seemed only amused. Mr. O'Brien said little and was hurried out of the court by his solicitor. In the course of his passage through the crowd some women greeted him and one kissing his hand said, "God bless you." Then he disappeared from the court and

from public view. Yesterday interest was centred on the return of more deportees to this country. ■ They seemed cheerful enough in the crossing and sang Irish songs aboard 6hip with occasional interjections, Are we downhearted? Interviewed on their arrival the deportees made complaint of their treatment while in the Free State. Mr. Purcell, a town councillor of Woolwich, made the most formal accusations of illusage, as lie called it their "scandalous treatment" at the hands of the Free State authorities. They ran considerable danger from shots fired off by sentries without any warning. Several instances were brought to his notice of persons tortured in the basement cells and roughly treated by C.I.D. men in the Governor's office at Mount joy. Mr. P. J. Lynch, a Dublin journalist, when he entered B wing of the prison was covered with bruise* and had the appearance of dark mahogany. He was in a very bad way, and Mr. Purcell called the attention of the prison chaplain, Father McMahon to him. Miss McDermott, a London lady, Mr. Purcell says too, was brutally ill-treated by the wardresses and assaulted by two prison officials. As recently as last Tuesday the sentries fired shots at the prisoners in D wing, ■but fortunately no one was injured. The deportees protested strongly against the insolence of the prison officers. A London woman deportee adds some further information. The treatment, she said, that we received was almost incredible. Before we women left Mountjoy for the union we were searched in a* most disgusting manner. The women searchers were insolent to a degree in spite of the fact that we offered no resistance. Miss McDermott was brutally ill-treated. She resented the manner in which the women searchers went about their work and men officials were called in. I saw a police adjutant kneel on Miss MeDermott while women searchers were beating her face with tlie soles of her boots. She was dreadfully bruised and presented a most pitiable appearance. .She suffered so greatly from the treatment she received that she had to be put to bed and was unfit to be sent to the union with the other deportees from Mountjoy. The union was in a filthy condition, and as a result two women had scarlet fever and others suffered severely from septic throats. The call for some inquiry is being made from all political parties in Kng" land. This, the latest episode in Ireland's tragic story, is as incredible as any.