RAIDS AND FIRES.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 May 1922, Page 5

RAIDS AND FIRES.

REBELS RULE IRELAND. PANIC IN BELFAST. BUILDINGS SEX afire, ' FREQUENT MURDERS. By Telegraph.—Pross Assn.—Copyright, Received May 21, 5.5 p.m. London, May 20. The sitnation in Belfast is very grave hnd the people are in a atate of apprehension. The police and military are patrolling the streets in strong force. Incendiaries set on fire six warehouses in widely separated areas in Belfast, between seven and nine o’clock in the morning. A clothing factory was destroyed and others badly damaged. When premises opened for business, hrmed gangs entered Belfast warehouses and held up the staffs. Petrol was sprinkled throughout the buildings and then ignited. Detective Heslep, while following four taen who raided a shop in Belfast, was shot dead after effecting the first arrest. A corn mill and public house were burned down, and two houses were partially destroyed by fire in South Dunns-, all the victims being Catholics. The outrages are believed to be reprisals for the recent murders of constabulary. There were eight further incendiary fire during Friday night. John Conolly was shot dead in a timber yard in York Street. Sinn Feiners, operating on an extensive scale in County Antrim, destroyed & railway at Dunley, cut the telegraph wires, and seized or blew up police barracks at Glenarm, Martinstown, Carnlough, Cushendall and Rutkenny. They raided several post offices and blocked the roads with boulders. Sinn Feinere burned down Lord O’Neill’s seat, Shanes Castle, situated on the shores of Lough Neach. Neighbors rescued Lord O’Neill’s wife. Both are elderly. The attackers arrived from Tyrone in boats, held up the inmates and sprinkled petrol through the building. Soon it was a blazing furnace. No fire brigade was available for - miles and little was saved. Similar raids were made in County Down, where several railway stations were attacked. They burned Galgorm Castle at Ballymena and razed Baroness Deros’ residence, Old Court Castle. At Downpatrick they destroyed the police barracks and Castle Wetlam was also attacked, three of the attackers being killed and seven wounded. Nine men in the afternoon entered Garrett and Little’s cooperage works and found five coopers working. They demanded the religion of each at the revolver point and shot four Protestants named Murphy, Maxwell. Patterson and Boyd and left the fifth, who was a Catholic, alone. DETAILS OF THE OUTRAGES. WIDESPREAD DESTRUCTION. CRUELTY OF THE CRIMES. Received May 21, 11.5 p.m. London, May 21. The Irish outrages were the result of tnnultaneous republican risings 'in Down and Antrim, which are now completely isolated. Telegraphs were cut, bridges destroyed, railways torn up and stations, post offices and police barracks attacked. The outrages occurred in Roman Catholic and mixed centres, {While loyalist centres were not affected.

The destruction of Shanes Castle was carried out at two o’clock in the morning, when Lord and Lady O’Neill were in |>ed. The former, aged 82, is the father of the Speaker of the Ulster Parliament. He had to be carried out on a stretcher. He wept as he saw the beautiful castle, containing many historic pictures and treasures, blazing. During the fighting in Antrim a special constable named McNeill was killed. The police defended the barracks heroically. The raiders broke through a wall at Martinstown and threw bombs, but were eventually beaten off. The Cushendall police defended their barracks for four hours against 150 rebels, who had possession of the village. The residents were panicstricken. The rebels burned the branch of a bank and ’fearired off the post office instruments.

The residence of Mr. Ronald McNeill, a member of the House of Commons, at Cushenden, was burned and many valuables destroyed. A military officer motoring with his Wife to Ballykinder ran into an ambush. (His wife was killed and the officer was picked up later unconscious. The Ulster Cabinet officially announces that the necessary steps to cope with the situation have been decided upon, after consultation with the military and the police authorities. —Aus.JiLZ. Cable Assn.