REBELS’ REPLY.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 July 1921, Page 5

REBELS’ REPLY.

IRISH CRIMES CONTINUE. SEVERAL MURDERS REPORTED. RIOTS IN BELFAST. Bj Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright* Received July 13, 1.5 a.m. London, July 11. Reports of shocking crimes marked the beginning of the truce. Sinn Feiners shot Erie Steadman, an ex-soldier at Tullamore. The body was labelled.- “Convicted spy* sooner or later get them. Beware of tne 1.R.A.” Two men shot Sergeant King dead at Castlerea while he was walking to barracks. Private Letter, who was walking unarmed, was also shot dead at Doneraile. Armed and masked men dragged John Boynton from his bed. and shot him dead at Portarlington. The tension continues in Belfast. Rioting was renewed at eleven o’clock this morning, an hour before the truce operated, a number of attacks being made upon the police. Sinn Feiners also fired upon an Orange procession, which returned the fire. Snipers were active and six persons were sent to hospital. Sinn Finers attacked a police bread van and severely beat the driver and burned the van. The week-end deaths are now eighteen and the wounded total one hundred. The curfew will be re-imposed in Belfast to-night.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. BELFAST’S GHASTLIEST DAY. THE STREETS SWEPT. BY TERRIBLE BOMBARDMENT. London, July 11. Sunday was the ghastliest day in the history of Belfast. Unionist mobs burned down 42 houses, of which 20 belonged to Catholics, in Cupar Street alone. The hospital surgeons had continuous work for nine hours. One hospital announced, at 7 o’clock in -the evening it could not accommodate further cases, and private hospitals had to be utilised. Catholic refugees from the burned-down houses were seeking a spot to lay their heads. Sunday afternoon’s bombardment of the area, comprising three-eighths of the city, was reminiscent of France. For more than three hours nobody except the Crown forces were out of doors. It is estimated that 10,000 rounds of ammunition swept the streets in that locality. Fourteen are known to have been killed; others, it is believed, were carried into the houses during the firing. THE CONFERENCE. DE VALERA ARRIVES TO-MORROW. London, July 11. Mr. Lloyd Georg' l , in the House of Commons, announced the receipt of Mr. De Valera’s telegram, stating that he is arriving in London on Thursday. The Sinn Fein delegation consists of Messrs. De Valera, Arthur Griffiths, Stack and Barton, all members of Dail Eireann.