CITIES OF DEATH.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 April 1922, Page 5

CITIES OF DEATH.

IRISH MURDER WAVE, SAVAGERY CONTINUES, WIDESPREAD MASSACRE, ’ ■ i CHILDREN KILLED. By Telegraph.—Press Aasn.—Copyright. Received April 23, 5.5 p.m. London, April 22. Savagery and crime continues in Belfast and Dublin and other parts of Ireland.

Fourteen were killed and twenty wounded in Belfast streets in two days, including children playing, women and peaceful citizens. The majority of the victims are Protestants.

The ugliest fact is that the massacres have been going on for months, and thus far no single murderer has been brought to justice. The outrages recommenced on Friday with, an attack on a patrol of seven police jn the Shortstand district. After several volleys the patrol located snipers amongst chimney stacks. The Sinn Feiners continued their fire, the police replying until an armored car drove up and opened fire with machine guns. The snipers escaped. One policeman was wounded. A. bad feature was that the police could see people in the Shortstand district signalling to concealed gunmen the position of the Crown forces. ■Sinn Feinera also brutally murdered Thomas Beet, a youth of seventeen, whose body was found still warm in a doorway in a street in Belfast. Elsewhere minor outrages are being perpetrated, sometimes at the expense of Collinsites, Nationalists and other moderates.

PEOPLE TERROR-STRICKEN. Republic troops arrived at Mullingar and seized public buildings, and later Free Staters arrived and demanded possession. Thus far there has been no collision, though large republican reinforcments are arriving. Business in Mullingar is suspended, the inhabitants being terror-stricken. Republicans raided the railway shops at Ennis and disabled the engines, and no trains left to-day. There were other similar railway raids. 'Sometimes the episodes are more comic than tragic. Armed Sinn Fein republicans held up a British liasson commission on the Ulster frontier and deprived them of two motor cans which were flying white flags. Judges in the Dublin High Court sat without their wigs, which Rory O’Connor is detaining. Two men, on behalf of the Belfast boycott committee, demanded money from the Irish Needlework Company in Dublin, and when this request was refused they threatened to close the place. Later eight axmej. men appeared, cleared out the stock and closed the shop. The company was working on Princess Mary’s trousseau and when the threat became known the management hid Princess Mary’s order. The Lord Mayor, speaking at the Dublin Corporation on Friday, said: “Diabolical transactions are happening nightly. We have got rid of the British Army and if these bullies of the night will also clear out the people will see we have peare.”

A PITCHED BATTLE. London, April 21. Shooting continues in Belfast. This morning a man was shot dead and a police sergeant was wounded. Yesterday’s casualties were four killed and 12 wounded.

Thursday’s pitched battle covered 60 streets, which became no man’s land and entirely isolated. It was impossible to enter or leave it. Gunmen occupied vantage points on the roofs and railway embankment. Armoured cars Lewis guns intermingled their shots with snipers’ rifle-fire. Women and children lay terror-stricken for hours in back rooms. The snipers lay proixe on the tram tracks and fired hundreds of rounds before armoured cars interfered. A determined attack was made last night on the Wellington barracks. A fierce fusilade of machine-gun and rifle fire, lasting an hour, was directed on the building from all sides. The residents over wide areas were alarmed by the terrific bursts of firing accompanied by bomb explosions. The attackers utilised houses in the vicinity, and attempted to rush the front gate, through which they hurled grenades. The guard replied by throwing grenades. Several were wounded on both sides.

ANTI-TREATY CAMPAIGN. MR. M. COLLINS MOLESTED. ATTEMPT TO WRECK TRAIN. Received April 23, 5.5 p.m. London, April 22. When Mr. Michael Collins (“head of the Provisional Government) was travelling to Killarney it was discovered the line had been interfered with. The train proceeded to Headfort, where it was found armed men had locked the gates and damaged the points. After repairing the line the train proceeded, but when nearing Killarney a goods waggon was found on the line. An accident, however, was averted. When Mr. Collins arrived at Killarney an I.R.A. officer, brandishing a revolver, warned him that he would not be allowed to speak. Mr. Collins and his party walked to the market square, but found the platform surrounded by men in uniform armed with rifles and revolvers, and Mr. Collins had to go to a resident’s house, where he addressed a cheering crowd from a window. The anti-Free State army council has forwarded a lettei* to the secretary of the Dail Eireann stating the conditions under which the unity of the army may be attained. The terms include: (1) The maintenance of the existing republic; (2) the Dail Eireann to be the only Government in the country; (3) the present I.R.A. to be maintained under an elective independent executive ;* (4) no election on the issue before the country to be held until the threat of war by England is removed.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

STEAMER SET ON FIRE. RAID BY ARMED MEN. Received April 23, 5.5 p.m. London, April 22. Fifty armed men boarded the Ulster Steam* Navigation Company’s steamer Rathlinhead, which was berthed at the s otU» wall, Dublin. Tb®- “**

watchman and then sprinkled petrol over the ship, to which they set fire. The crew extinguised the flames. —Aus.N.Z. Cable Asen. LABOR PARTY’S DEMAND. FOR ENLARGED CONFERENCE. Received April 22, 5.5 p.m. London, April 21. It is not probable that the Dublin Provisional Government will assent to the Labor Party’s demand for an enlarged peace conference, including Rory O’Connor, as it would imply the recognition of this irregular body, which is not the policy of the Free State Government.

WIRELESS STATION SEIZED. MEN SENT AWAY. Received April 22, 5.5 p.m. London, April 21. De Valerite troops seized the Bunberg wireless station, on the Donegal coast, simply informing the British naval men in charge that they required the building. The invaders provided vehicles to take the men to the nearest railway station. FREE STATE CONSTITUTION.

Received April 23, 5.5 p.m. London, April 22 The committee which has been sitting daily at Dublin for the past two months framing the Irish Free State constitution has completed ite labors and the result will be published in a fortnight. Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.