IRELAND.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 March 1920, Page 5

IRELAND.

MURDER OF LORD MAYOR, WORK OF "BLACK HAND" SUGGESTED. By lelegTaph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. London, March 21. Five bands and a procession a mile long participated in the removal of Mac Curtain's body from his home m Blackpool, a suburb of Cork, to the City Hall, where it is lying in state dressed in the uniform of iho Irish Volunteers. Thousands of people inspected the body to-day, Sinn l-'ein volunteers acting as a guardAll place.-; "f .amusement in Cork closed on Saturday and the city is observing on Monday a general holiday. •The inquest was opened and adjourned. No police were present. The socilitor for the next-of-kin requested that no ex-policemen should be allowed to serve on the jury.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. London, March 22. The Daily Mail Dublin correspondent states til at the Cork public is mystified, asking the motive for the murder of Mr. M'Curtain (Lord Mayor of Cork), who paid tlie tribute of being a Sinn Fein leader. The Mail considers this and other recent murders reveal the existence of secret "Black Hand" societies sworn to kill those considered traitors to the Irish Republic. Recently a notice was posted up on a Catholic church in Mitchelston, County Cork, threatening death to any civilians giving information to the police or soldiery. and mockingly signed "A Competent Military Authority." Similar notices have since freely appeared in the southern and western districts. It is significant to recall that a welldressed man was mysteriously murdered in a Dublin street two days after the seizure of the Dublin Castle correspondence containing secret Government reports. j Received March 23, 1.50 p.m. London, March 22. | In the House of Commons, Mr. J. I. j Maepherson (Chief Secretary for Ireland), replying to Lord Robert Cecil, said he had no furthe reformation regarding the murder of the Lord Mayor of Cork. Mr. T. P. O'Connor asked if, shortly after the crime, a number of soldi.'rs visited the residence, and insisted on examining the whole premises, despite protests. Mr. Maepherson replied, reflecting general resentment at the latter question. It was a monstrous suggestion to condemn soldiers who were merely acting under orders. Mr. MacVigh: "A police murder." Mr. Maepherson said that if the authorities had not, entered upon the scene the accusation would have been made that the British Government had not attempted to detect the murderer because the deceased was a Sinn Feiner. A thorough search was made in order to discover evidence likely to trace the murderers.—lmperial Service.