Letter from Alice Schmutz, 28 October 1916.

Foo, Bar; Bar, Foo

Letter from Alice Schmutz, 28 October 1916.

1 43 Moyne Road, Ranelagh Co. Dublin Oct. 28.16 Dear Sir/ With reference to a letter Mrs Skeffington
which gave me to read (Mr Dukes safely -Parliament) I fear you have
been misinformed about the real facts of the case. On Oct 11th Constable Devine came to my house and asked
me if I was aware of the regulations with regard to
registering lodgers, I told him I was , he produced a
book of rules and regulations and showed me a paragraph
in it; he then said he would like to see the forms
I showed him two, one for M rs Skeffington & one for her
little boy; when he read them he asked me why
No's 10. 11 and 12 were not filled in, and I told him
none of my lodgers ever filled in those numbers as I
thought - they referred to aliens he told me I made a
great mistake 'as I would be responsible for her
address, I referred him to M rs Skeffingtons Father
Darill Sheehy Esq. he then asked who received
her letters and then asked for M rs Skeffingtons
sister's name and address which I gave him and
he took down notes in his note book On the same evening I went to 2 the Rathmines Police Station and saw Sergt Megahey
and told him what happened; he told me if I
ever heard about M rs Skeffington or heard where she
was I could keep the address, he also told me that
'if a question did arise as to her whereabouts' I would be held responsible. On Oct 16th Sergt Megahey came to my house himself and
asked me if I had heard anything further and I told
him I had not. He asked me if there was any furniture of hers in my house. On Oct 19th Mrs Skeffington returned home unexpectedly arrived at my home
through family trouble. I then sent for to Sergt Megahey and
told him M rs Skeffington was with me, thinking it was
necessary on account of their recent enquiries. When Sergt Megahey called in person & made further enquiries.
Why Sergt Megahey denies all this I cannot understand, and
a Sergt Hearon also called also (between Oct11th and Oct 16th) and said he wanted to see
M rs Skeffington privately and also asked for her address. On Oct 9th Constable Devine called with reference to my
permit - I would also like to state that my Father is a
retired member of the R I Constabulary,I have also (2) two
brothers in France since the beginning of the war, and
what would be my object to bring myself under the
notice of the Police if I had not been annoyed by
them? Hoping you will give my statement your careful
investigation. I am
Faithfully Yours Alice. Schmutz

The letter was written by Alice Schmutz and enclosed with Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington’s letter of the same date to John Dillon MP. Mrs. Schmutz gives her version of the visits to her house by detectives between 9 and 19 October 1916 and says that she cannot understand why Sgt. Megahey denies all of this. This note was enclosed in a letter dated 28 October 1916 from Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington to John Dillon MP. This letter also survives.Alice Schmutz was the landlady of Hanna Sheehy Skeffington, a suffragette, nationalist, language teacher, was the widow of Francis Sheehy-Skeffington. She was active during the Rising, bringing food to the Volunteers in the G.P.O. and the College of Surgeons. Francis Sheehy Skeffington (1878-1916) was on the streets trying to muster a civilian force to prevent looting during the Rising. On 25 April 1916, Skeffington, and two others, pro-British journalists, Thomas Dixon and Patrick McIntyre, were arrested by Captain J.C. Bowen-Colthurst (1880-1966), an Anglo-Irish officer of the Royal Irish Regiment. On 26 April all three were summarily executed by firing squad at Portobello Barracks.

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How to cite

Letters 1916, published by the Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities, Vienna, 2026 (https://letters1916static.github.io/letters1916-static/item__1514.html)