THE BELFAST RIOTS.
] TURBULENT SCENES. | . L :i:ocious attacks by the mob. [ PRIESTS AS PEACEMAKERS. London, August 10. Ti:.> riots which have lately taken | ■ in Belfast, as an outcome of the , culminated at the end of last ' and the early part of the current - In the fiercest outbreak that the t..wn, in spite of its reputation for serious conflicts, has known for years. The fighting took place in the Nationalist ' quarter, where there had been grave disturbances just previously, necessitating cavalry and bayonet, as well as baton charges, with the result that a number of soldiers and police were injured—often seriously—in addition to numerous rioters. The battle began with thi> throwing of stones, brickbats, and bottles by the mob. Baton charges by the police followed; the constabulary barracks were besieged and badly damaged. Infantry and cavalry came early to the assistance of the police, but the rioters, far from being intimidated, grew so dangerous that the soldiers, after making forty charges on Monday, were compelled to fire. There were six volleys, which killed three people and seriously wounded a good many others. The hospitaLs soon became full of injured—police, soldiers and mob—hundreds having been damaged by stones, bottles, batons, and bullets. So serious was the rioting on Monday evening that the troops were or dered to fire ball cartridge. The trouble, it will be recalled, began with the dock laborers' strike. Picketing disturbances led to the use of the Royal Irish Constabulary, whose subsequent strike is fresh in the public memory. As a result of Sunday's outbreak, every street lamp was broken, and the roads were littered with broken bottles, cobblestones, brickbats, and broken sticks. In some of the streets not a single pane of glass was left in the windows of the houses, while here and there red splashes on the pavement showed where missile or bayonet had found its mark. BEGINNING OF THE BATTLE. A Dublin correspondent lyrites with reference to the early outbreak: — "Although the first outbreak of the rioting was due to the police interference in a drunken brawl, there can be no doubt that the battle had been well planned by the leaders of the mob, for the miscellaneous, and apparently inexhaustible array of missiles used by the rioters must have taken several hours to collect. The faets of the outbreak are simple. When the public houses were closed, at 5 o'clock in the afternoon, two drunken men began to fight in Leeson street, thQ combat being watched by a small crowd. Two policemen appeared and arrested the men, and started to lead them off to the Roden street barracks. Then, as if by magic, the crowd suddenly increased in numbers. Hundreds of men, with their pockets full of stones and other missiles, poured out of the side streets. Police reinforcements arrived, but the increase in the number of rioters was far greater, and within an hour a desperate fight was in progress. The police made repeated baton charges, oniy to be met by volleys of stones and broken bottles from the shouting and yelling rioters. About 7 o'clock the police were in danger of being completely overpowered, and a summons was sent to the soldiers. The casualty list among the police had reached alarming proportions hy this time, and many of them had been taken to the ! hospital. The request for troops was responded to with alacrity, and within half an hour about 2500 men were on their way to the scene of -the rioting, while all the rest of the troops in camp were ordered to hold themselves in readiness. ATTACK RENEWED. "The 2500 men were spread throughout the affected district, and for a fewmoments after their arrival there was a lull in the rioting. Then, with infuriated yells and shouts the mob again . poured out of the side streets and alleys where they had taken refuge temporarily, and the scene became one of wild 1 confusion. Charge after charge with [ filed bayonets was made by the sol- , diers, but in the rapidly approaching ' darkness the troops were handicapped ! by their want of knowledge of the streets, and the mob, after firing voli leys of stones at them, was easily able ! to find shelter in the side streets and ■ alleys. "A squadron of the 3rd Dragoons . swept through the streets, striking the rioters with the flat of their swords; . but as quickly as they cleared one . street the mob assembled /n another, . while from the windows of tli? houses ■ stones, bottles and other missies were hurled at the cavalrymen as they gali loped by. Hundreds of women supportt ed the rioters, filling their aprons with > stones in readiness for the men to L throw. Now and then an arrest was made, but more often a soldier made his L way to Cullingtree street barracks to f have his wound dressed, and in some j cases had to be carried in. Numerous doctors were at work rendering first aid, and among the wounded were sev- > eral officers. The weirdness of the scene was increased by the arrival of halt-a-dozen priests, who tried to calm the infuriated mob. Prominent among r these clergy were Father Convery and - Father Healy, in biretta and soutane. 9 All their efforts failed. r DISTRICT ISOLATED, s "Finally a cordon of troops was drawn around the affected district, and all the thoroughfares closed. A grand combined ) charge was then made, beginning at the end of Albera street. The cavalry led the way, followed by the 150 infantry and 100 police, and they dispersed ~ everyone within sight, clearing every alley and side street as they passed. The cordon round the rioters wasgradu- . ally being drawji tighter, and they were finally shut iu with no means of escape s except by the Falls Road end. Soly diers were stationed at every corner. . and though the stone-throwing went, on •. till after 11, it subsided shortly after. Between 20 and 30 arrests were made, and the prisoners were marched to the police oflice escorted by a strong force of military with fixed bayonets. Twentyfive soldiers received severe wounds, and h many others were slightly injured. Many policemen, including Head ConI, stable Boyle and nine sergeants, were -i injured, the more serious of the cases
being treated at the Royal Victoria Hospital, where at .>ne timo there were - as many as 40 wounded men lmdiT treatment. Over 100 soldiers, police ami civilians were treated at the hospital during the evening." "GO FOR THE PEELERS.' Throughout Monday sullen crowds r were to be seen hanging about the street corners. Whenever a soldier or policeman appeared lie was greeted .] with derisive cries and curses, and now and then slight conflicts would take place. A large part of the soldiery , was withdrawn early in the evening, ' and almost immediately afterwards the pent-up ferocity of the mob broke out. | Gangs of men, with their pockets bulg ing with supplies of ammunition, para- ; ded the streets. Au eye-witness of the | happenings of the evening writes:— j "About six o'clock a district inspector < of the constabulary was seen driving in a car down the Cullingtree road to- , wards the police barracks there. A j shout was raised of "Go for the Peelers!" and in a moment volleys of stones j were hurled at the man. Two police- j men ran to his assistance, tint the crowd t which in a couple of minutes had be- , come several hundred strong, set on * them with violence. The policeman ] sought shelter in the nearest doorway. One was struck on the head with a j large stone as he stepped over the ( threshold of a private house, and blood - spurted from the wound. An elderly lady pluekily came to his rescue, and, j despite a shower of stones which was falling thick and fast from all quarters. - she dragged the injured oflicer into the J house and promptly closed the door, only just in time to avoid a half brick which was thrown with unerring aim. , A civilian who was calmly walking down the street was next attacked. lie had been mistaken for a detective apparently, and he was mercilessly stoned, . lining struck about the body, while shop ( windows were smashed. A large force of police was called out and charged the j crowd with their batons. For a moment the mob gave way, and over 30 men ( were arrested, nearly all of whom were much bruised and knocked about. BARRACKS WRECKED. '•But the respite was 'only for a moincut. As the policemen retreated to the barracks with their prisoners they were followed by a howling mob ever increasing in numbers, which rained stones and broken bottles on the , constables in ceaseless showers. Many of the policemen received severe wounds, but all reached the barracks safely. Then the crowd, which now numbered several thousand, set to work to wreck the barracks. Hundreds of women and girls, end even little children, brought up aprons full of stones which they had torn up from the streets, and these were hurled by the men at the windows and doors of the building. "In a few minutes there was not a vestige of glass to be seen in the windows, while the doors were splintered and shattered as if riddled with grapeshot. Urgent telephone messages were sent to other parts of the city for police reinforcements, while troops were again called for. Carloads of police were soon dashing up to the scene, while the 3rd Dragoon Gurads galloped through the main streets to the besieged barracks, followed by detachments of infantry. Two fierce charges were made at the crowd, which, with deadly fusilades of stones and bottles, retired into the narrow back streets and alleys. BAYONET CHARGE. "In a moment or two they returned to the attack again, and poured in further volleys of stones and other missiles. They were taken in the Hank by a body of police and infantry, who, advancing from the rear of (he barracks, charged with batons and fixed bayonets. Led by Lieutenant Winglield, the rillemen, with their bayonets, rushed forward at the double, followed by a large body of police, who had their batons drawn. Up and down the small streets the now infuriated soldiers (many of whom had been struck) pursued the rioters, striking them with the butt ends of their rifles. Aparty of Cameron Highlanders was fiercely stoned in the Falls Road. In all the military ' charged about 40 times, making a des- , perate onslaught just as the crowds assembled. 1 "General Dawson arrived on the scene during the height of the trouble, j and was shortly followed by detachments of the : Essex and Berks Regiments. Again and again the mob was [ beaten back, and again and again it J returned to the attack each time with added ferocity. By this time darkness had set in. Many of the police and * soldiers had been seriously wounded, and the situation was becoming desJ perate. ; "The most drastic measures were ' necessary, and at hut it was decided that the soldiers must ntf aTiowed to e lire on the mob. A magistrate appeared at one of thg shattered windows of the barracks, and amid a terrilic fusilade of stones read the Riot Act. Then the soldiers again charged the s mob, and as the rioters would not disperse, the order to (ire was given. The 3 scene which followed was appalling. Panie seized the rioters, and shrieking . and yelling they lied in all directions. Altogether the soldiers fired six rounds, and it is stated that one man and one p woman were killed, the man being shot through the heart. The woman, who r died on her way to the hospital, was : apparently about 20 years of age. The bullet passed through her right breast ' and came out at her back. She. has not been identified. Many people were seriously wounded. ■ TERRIBLE DIN AND UPROAR. il In the course of an interview, Major e Thackeray, who ordered the Riot Act 1 to be read, said it was only {done in v the more urgent extremity, and when ■[ all other efforts to subdue the crowd v had failed. Never in his career had lie i. seen a mob so desperate and uncontrollable. Bayonet and baton charges were e quite ineffective in holding them at bay, e and soldiers and police were being - severely injured on every hand. So -. terrible was the din and uproar that a Major Thackeray believes the reading of the Riot Act could only have been !, heard by a few persons, but before give ing any directions to the military ollie cer who commanded the firing he ap- - pealed to the people, "For God's sake, 1 go to your homes at once and don't be 1. shot down." The only response was an - even heavier fusilade of stones, and e then, after deliberation and full oppora tunity for the crowd to see what was . about to take place, the command to fire was given and the order carried out.
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TDN19071002.2.27
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 2 October 1907, Page 4
Word count
Tapeke kupu
2,166THE BELFAST RIOTS. Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 2 October 1907, Page 4
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Taranaki Daily News. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.