military Occupation of Belfast. Scenes in the City. (FROM THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE "TIMES.")

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 173, 9 October 1886, Page 6

military Occupation of Belfast. Scenes in the City. (FROM THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE " TIMES.")

Ireland ia the country of paradoxes. Trade and commerce are widely recognised as active missionaries of concord and civil order, and yet Belfast, the moat enterprising and prosperous of Irish cities, is a prey to contention and riot. Still more astounding, professed religion bufc seems to intensify the strife, and men, in mere sectarian difference, are "hating each other" and fighting like savages " for the love of God." The more it ia looked at the more puzzling the situation appears. Protestant and Catholic even to-day in Belfast can be easily found working aide by aide in mill and workshop, earning their daily bread from the same employer. At work all goes well, but when the time arrives for rest and recreation they play at maiming and taking each other's lives. The disturbances which have occurred have chiefly takon 'outside the business centres, and within the area of th 6 long rows of plain two-story brick bouses occupied by the working classes. These are situated to the west of tho town where it slopes upward toward the nil's that hem Belfast in on the north side. In the business parts the streets are wide, and the samo may be said of many of the principal thoroughfares in the Smithfield Ward where the riots have occurred. Disturbances of a minor character have taken place also on the opposite or east side of the river Lagan, in Ballymacarret. In the centre of the town the streets are paved with stone, but is the other portions they have macadamised roads. The stone, unfortunately, affords an unfailing supply of miesilea *for the riotously disposed ready ta hand. As a Belfast "boy" of forty years said of the stones, "They are mighty fine for chipping one,'' and chip one they would like a chisel. What occasioned the riots iB often asked, and it is also impossible accurately to assign the immediate provoking causa of any of the innumerable streets fights that have taken place. At the came time there is a general consensus of opinion as to the influences that have prepared the way for the disturbances. For once both Catholics and Prote3tant3 are agreed that the beginning of the strife arose out of the heated political feeling engendered by the recent proposed Irish legislation. A Roman Cathulic carman --himself a Home Rule partisan — fairly described the state of matters that gave rise to the Belfa&t riots in this way : "The people were all expecting great things ; when the elections went the way they did everybody was in a buzz. The day of the first row last June was as it might be the afternoon of the day of judgment ; we were all looking for something. Words passed and the people who were stung broke out, and the fighting began." The population of Belfast had been prepared like tinder, the provoked spark was struck, and a blaze was kindled which more than once within the last three weeks magisterial authorities here ever has narrowly missed breaking forth into a civil conflagration. To-day Belfast is more like a captured city wit'i an enemy in possession than an ordinary Englrh town. The Irish constabulary—who are to all intents and purposes soldiers— British regulars, infantry and cavalry, are quartered at stations in some instances not thirty yards apart throughoutthedisturbed districts. Luckily, the weather has been both mild and dry, and the men, who have had to bivouac on the pavements and open spaces, have managed to pass the time fairly well. The soldiers havo been favourites with both the Catholic and Protestant parties, but the constabulary are by no means so well liked. Indeed, the Protestant party regard the constabulary, who have been drafted from the country, as their avowed enemies, and a moat intense and rancorous feeling is entertained towards them. Without in anyway becoming sponsor for the accusation of the Protestant party against the police, it is as well the public should know what is on all aides openly said. When, previous to the greneral elections, the country conetabulary were ordered into Belfast to assist in preventing any disorder, the Protestant or Orange party assert that these rural men boasted they had been cent to suppress them, and meant to do so. Home Kule was going to be granted, and there would be an end for ever to the old ascendency. Unquestionably foolish bigots on both sides were allowed to indulge in a great deal of threatening and strong language, and once blood was shed the 'quarrels between the poorer Protestanta and the constabulary and the poorer of their Catholic neighbours were increased daily in virulence and ferocity. In London after the recent Socialist riots there was a general closing of premises by the shopkeepers ; in Belfast none of that timidity of capital is manifest, for to all appearances in the city business goes on as usual, although most people are afraid to venture any distance from their own premises. Citizens say that it is positively unsafe, even in daylight, to go about in the disturbed districts of the Falls Shaokhill, or Old Lodge Road», Hack-drivers will only drive you about in the districts where their co-religionists preponderate. Today a hackman positively refused to convey a wounded man away from the Royal Hospital into a district inhabited by townsmen of an opposite persuasion. This distrust is unnecessary and ' exaggerated, for repeated driving to-day through all the worst districts failed to reveal any such dangers lurking in the streets or alleys of Stithn'eld Ward. In turning Springfield was told that though they knew he was a Catholic, and although they had been wantonly assailed by his party a"nd an attempt made to murder them and wreck their houses the day before, still he was safe, Thia was the only circumstance that happened which in any way justified the alarmist fears of the people, who tried to discountenance others from moving freely about. With some degree of pride the Cupar street people —and it was the game with Catholics as well as Protestants— showed all who cared to look the points where bullets had struck, or where the mobs had moet deter- j minedly striven to wreak' their purpose. The plain little two-story brick houses in the disturbed districts resemble the rows of better-class workmen's houses in the Mid lands. They are barrack-like in their freedom from ornament. Many of the streets were well-kept, and the houses also appeared tidy and clean. Several of the thoroughfares, such as Millfield-street, were of an opposite character,and the dirt and aquallor prevailing were more wretched than anything to be found in Soho or the Bast End of London. The' streets themselves bore the most " unmistakable evidence of the rule of King Mob. - The " pavere," or bouldere, had been dugeut of the sideways, and they had been thrown in such numbers that you could not put your foot down without treading on some one of these missiles. The opposing mobs who used them frequently faced each

other at .ranges of nob more than twenty -five yards. What with revolver and bullets and "pavers," it must have been awful work. The true tally of the dead and wounded in these numeroua encounters^ it ib feared, will never be known, as both sides strive to hide and minimise their losses. ' There are no groups to-day of gossiping workmen's wives, but, instead, knotß of men and lads hang about, quietly boasting over the incidents of the last few days. They eaid they were afraid to leave their homes unprotected, and also that they did not care to run the risk of their lives walking through their antagonists' quarters to go to and return from their work. In Hanover-street, near the corner of the Old Lodge-road, lay the body of one of the victims. At the corner of the street named there is a public-house, owned by a person named McKenna, who has several houses of the same kind in Belfast. Most of them have fared badly at the hands of the mob. Seven or eight policemen were sheltered in McKenna's upper rooms, the shop "being closed. A boy or two and then some drunken men began stone- thro wing. The police fired, killing a | woman who was staudlng but fifty yards away. Then the stone-throwing became 1 more violent, the mob shouting and yelling: defiance at the police. More shots were fired, and the man 'William Nelson fell mortally wounded just opposite McKenno's. I saw his body to day in an upper room, A fine stalwart frame, with a face and front like a Noree Viking, he lay, with a emile on hia lips, his shirt and shroud stained with his lite-blood, as was the bed, whilst his dazed widow and seven children gazed too bewildered for grief at the corpse of the bread-winner. A magistrate said to-day that numerous secret interments wer6 made by both parties, just as was done after the 1564 riots. I walked through the hospital. I am glad to be able to write that, except in five cases, there is every reason to believe the patients will recover. The current opinion wasthatto-day would pass without any outbreak, but unfortunately that hope has not been realised. At the dinner hour, between one and two p.m., there was a little stone throwing near the Shankhill-road, but the police very promptly dispersed the youth? and idlers engaged. A painful feature about the street attacks is the recurrence of assaults made by bands of young women, girls, and boys on others of their class who belong to the opposition faction, In many instances women and girls have been set upon, knocked down, robbed, shamefully beaten, and their clothes torn from their backs before the police or soldiers could interfere to save them. The chief police inspector and his four assistants are all disabled from blows received in the last few days, so that the sub-inspectors have to take command. Of course they do so under the magistrates' orders, of whom there are eighteen engaged in going about with the different military and police bodies to assist in tho preservation of the public peace The disturbance to-day arose in connection with the funeral of the young man Devlin, who was shot on Sunday, and was buried this afternoon in the Catholic cemetery at Milltown. The cemetery is just outside of the city, near the Falls-road. It appears that the funeral, which was followed by about 500 sympathisers, got safely to the cemetery, then some of the mourners turned aside to enter the stsblas to get a drink of water. A scuffle ensued between them and the tram-car employe's. It resumed in the ■ Catholics being ejected, and one man being twice stabbed in the body with a pitchfork. Stones were then thrown at the residence of the manager of the tram lines, and an attack was made on the atablea, the doors of which were promptly barricaded. Shots were fired by those inside at their aseailants and a man named Wm, Tennant, of 50, McDonnell-street, fell, shot through the lungs. He was taken to the hospital, where he expired during the evening. A boy, named Thomas O'Conner, was also slightly wounded in the shoulder. The firing happened about 3.30 p.m., and attracted for a time little notice, as it was believed to be occasioned by a burial party of the Black Watch, who were intering a dead comrade —who died a natural death- at the adjoining cemetery. The police on having their attention called dispersed the mob and arrested ten of the tram-car men, one of whom, named Whelan, is accused of having shot Tennant. At half-past five thi3 evening the Island workmen, as usual, marched in a body about 1,000 strong from the shipyard to their homes, up Petershill. They were preceded through the more dangerous part by a troop of Dragoons, whilst ; the regulars and police blocked and kept back the denizens of the Catholic quarters. Not the slightest ensued, I and the troopers and soldiers were loudly cheered by the Protestant party. As a precautionary measure the police have all been withdiawn from the neighbourhood of the Old Lodge-road, for the Protestant party threaten to take vengeance if they remain. Their places have been taken by the soldiers, with whom the people freely fraternised. Clergymen of all denominations have been about the worst districts, trying to persuade their people to keep the peace. It is hoped the worst is past. If the power were placed in the hands of any strong and resolute official, it is held, the town would resume its ordinary quiet condition in a few days. As matters still stand the continuance of order cannot be really said to be safely assured. This afternoon a meeting of Roman Catholics was held ia St. Mary's Hall, Mr I Edward Hughes, J.P., presiding. Mr Joseph Bigaar, M.P., was presenb, and addressed the meeting. He said that the really guilty parties in the riots were not the Shankhill-road party or crowds on that or any other road, but those who incited them and encouraged them by direct or indirect means. The parties who were especially guilty were the Mayor of Belfast and the borough magistrates. The borough magistrates, however, had given most direct encouragements to the rioters. These gentlemen had more to do with inflaming the passions of the people than any other body in to vpn

A Ciaveb Doc—This is a little boy's true story about a little black-and-tan terrier called Spot. His master allowed turn to go and pay the baker's bill every week He carried the money in his mouth. J- he baker always gave him a bun for his trouble and intelligence. One clay, as he was going on his errand, he saw a big black dog biting a Skye terrier. He first carefully laid the money under a stone; he then went and attacked the big dog, and made the coward run away. He then -went to look for the money, but could not find it fcny where. After spending about four hours looking for it he then went sorrowfully to a To,?^'T 0 ,?^' ? he baker oame the Bam& day and told Spot's master that the dog had not seen with the bill: His master at first was very angry with, him for losing the money and was going to beat' him, but the poor dog looked so sorrowfully at him that he put down the stick. One day, about a week atter bpot had lost the money* ,when lying down by his master'sisidein -the.gai'den, he suddenly gave a loud bark as if pleased, and ran out of the garden. He had remembered the place where he had hidden the money, and came back with it to his master, who was very pleased with him.