EXCITING SCENES AT IRISH EVICTIONS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1399, 5 November 1886, Page 3

EXCITING SCENES AT IRISH EVICTIONS.

The scenes at the Woodford evictions in County Galway were of the most exciting nature. A force of 550 policemen was engaged, besides a large’number of bailiffs and emergency men. The house of a tenant named Saunders had been in a state of siege for s' 1 me days, being occupied by a number of armed men to resist eviction. The roof was lonpboled, tnd the storming of the place was a very exc t'ng aff4r. Scaling ladders 1 were used, also a shield similar to that used by Roman soldiers in ancient t’me* while approaching the wall of a besieged town to protect them against the missiles of I he deftnders After a desperate struggle the house was carried by storm, and tjie police, jumping in through the roof, made prisoners of twenty men irslda. A lumber of the bailiffs, emergency men, and police were injured by boiling water wjilch Tjyas poured op''them- A a war pi of bees was al* o let loose against them, but they d d no seem to give any trouble, Just before the operations were begun an estate bailiff of Lord Clantlcarde named Page created a sensation Vy pnbliclv re igning l is office and in token thereof handing over hi: double-barrelled gun o the supe intending priest. On the police entering tbr house an extraordir ary scene was presented. There was a large fire in the kitchen, wl h three pi te of w tar placed over it. and n bag rf lime was lying close at hand. While the house was being stormed, boiling water was banded from the ikiteben up to the men who stood beside the loopholes, and they threw 1 out on the bailiffs One of the apartments almost half filled with stones. It was ihe wall erclosing this apartment thai the bailiffs attacked on the p 'tside with prowbars ; but, owing to auoh a large quantity of stones being piled up Icalds. they qnly sncoeeflrd- ia making a small opening aboye the alo.'es. »Tfcp green flag which waved from the chimney cf tb* house was taken down by ope of the emergency men, who put up in its place a white flag with a blue stripe in the centre. The sheriffs bailiffs, protected by ably policemen, attended at Donogbmore, deputy Cork, recently for the purpose oi carrying out a series rf eviction ' On theb arrival the chapel bell was tolling, and s large crowd assembled from the surrounding country, who hooted and stoned the police and bailiffs. The police used their

batons among the crowd, and the greatest excitement prevailed. One eviction was carried out with d flicnlly, the others hating to be abandoned, owing to the violence of the crowd.