THE BELFAST TRAGEDY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 15 August 1907, Page 3

THE BELFAST TRAGEDY.

TROOPS ASSAILED BY FRENZIED THOUSANDS. HAND-TO-HAND ENGAGEMENTS. THE ORDER TO FIRE. London, August 13. Farther details of the rioting at Belfast have been received. For hours the soldiers and constables were subjected to a Bombardment with paving stones and other missiles by from two to three thousand frenzied people. Women carried atones and other missiles in their aprons to upper windows and joined in the fray. The troops, pursuing the rioters, used the butt-ends of their rifles. From the bouses men hurled stones in showers. The stones came back, thrown by the troops.

Mobs of maddened men and women were rushing in all directions, cursing the military. Captain Welsh, Military Magistrate, called upon the crowd to disperse. Stones and groans were the only response. Eventually the order was given fur the troops to fire. A third death from wounds has occurred. Many houses are completely wrecked. Several streets, previously paved with ■tone*, have been entirely torn up. The Times and Daily Telegraph agree

in stating that the soldiery themselves, many of whom were wounded, became . infuriated, and charged down the streets with fixed bayonets yelling. No sooner had the cavalry cleared the thoroughfares than the mobs returned, or surged up and down the side streets, where their tactics were i.jKated. When three thousand maddened people were in possession of Fulls Road, soldiers and mob came to fighting hand to hand. The troops were driven back. The position of the Belfast sinkers is strengthened inasmuch as they are to share the strike benefits of the General Federation of Trades Unions, consisting or a regular weekly payment to each striker independently of any money voted by individual Trades Unions within the Federation.

FUBTHEB DETAILS. TEOOPS ASSATI.KI) FOR SEVES HOUKS. ' EVERYTHING SOW O.UIET. Heceived 14th, 10.9 pan. Loudon, August 14. One of the Royal Engineers' searchlight companies and apparatus has been hurried to Belfast. When the troops returned to barracks On Monday night, they had been under intermittent onslaughts for seven hours. The Bine Brigade and the Sussex. Regiment bore the brunt. The troops separated the Nationalist and Protestant quarters. The i'rotestanU loudly cheered the troops. Women rioters loosened stones, and for hours participated in stone throwing. Everything is now quiet.

A COMPROMISE. TJBOOPB WITHDRAWS EBOM SATIONALIST O.UABTEBS. CONDITIONALLY OX KiOTIXG CEASING. .WISE COUNSEL PREVAILS WITH THE PEOPLE. Received 14, 10.9 pjn. London, August 14. The Lord Mayor of Belfast received a large deputation of leading Catholics from the Falls Road district. It was decided not to send troops to the disturbed area unless rioting was renewed, tie deputation promising to use their beat endeavors to prevent * recurrence. _\_ .Many priests talked to the people." Mr J. Devlin, member of the House Of Commons, and Mr Larkin, Labor leader, addressed a meeting, and induced the people to go to their homes.

OFFICIAL REPORTS. HEAD K THK HOUSE OF COMMONS. , FORBEARANCE OF THE TROOPS. I Received 14th, 10.13 p.m. London, August 14. Mr R. 11. Haldane read the military reports, 6honing the forbearance ami steadiness shown by a picket of the Berkshire Regiment on Saturday, when three-quarters of the mob were women and children, while the men remained in the rear, and threw paving-atones and ' bottles. , The Middlesex Dragoons on Sunday behaved admirably, though mercilessly ' ■toned at short range. The mob extinguished the street lamps, and placed wire ropes across the atreet, impeding the cavalry. The picket on Monday was hard pressed when the order to fire was given. Seven rounds were fired. His information was to the effect that the participators in the attacks wefe not the strikers, but a mob. TBe military reports showed that the rioU mainly occurred in the Nationalist quarters in Falls Road. SETTLEMENT OF STRIKE POSSIBLE BOAfiD OF TRADE OFFERS TO ARBITRATE. Received Hth, 10.13 p.m. London, August 14. Iu the House of Commons, Mr Birrell, answering question*, mentioned the willingness of trade unionists at ISelfast to arbitrate, and said he was hopeful of an early and satisfactory result. The Board of Trade had placed two representatives at the disposal of the two parties. AX UNWORTHY M.P. ? Received 14th, 10.13 p.m. London, August 14. Questioned regarding Mr Grayson's mooch, Mr Birrell remarked that this was not the time to pay much attention to wQd language to which importance waa attached, by any man. (Belfast eheen). He added that the Belfast peo pie, with all their faults, were unlikely to take any guidance from Mr Grayson. (General cheers). (Mr Grayson, M.P., said that the soldiers were weary of idlene-s and would like to spill" a little blood. li the people wcrp without shrapnel they had broken bottles to throw.)