THE BLACK AND TANS IN IRELAND

New Zealand Tablet, 17 March 1921, Page 37

THE BLACK AND TANS IN IRELAND

v On % Monday, November 22 at 2.30 a.m. (writes Mr. Cyril -Bryan, in the Melbourne Tribune), a party ~e.: <<T>l_,,L , ] rn „>; iJ„J i.~U „ ... ,'J , „-C T\/T„ T Oi r - jJiaCJV-cniu~ictii3v ±cnu.eu. uijjo icijiuciico .ui j.rj.r. ,ii . McCann, a laborer at Rush, Co. Dublin. Mrs. Mary Cosgrove, mother of Mrs. McCann, appealed to the raiders not to take McCann away from his wife, - who expected to be confined in a few days. The reply was given that if McCann did not go with them the house would be burned to the ground. Thereupon they seized McCann, but before they had gone 30 yards they had shot him dead.

Shot While Attempting to Escape. But the shooting was not going on quickly enough to please somebody, and so they decided upon a more rapid method of removing those - whom it suspected of being Republican leaders. The modus operandi most approved by the chiefs of the assassination group has been the killing of prisoners. Since September 10 the following men have been murdered while in custody:—September 21—James Lawless, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin. September 21—James Gibbons, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin. September Thomas Connole, Enmstymon, Co. Clare. September 30—John Connolly, Bandon, Co. Cork. October 15—James Lehane, Bally - makeera, Co. Cork. October Michael Scanlan, Killmallock, Co. Limerick. November Thomas O'Brien, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary. November s—Michael McGuire, Ardfert, Co. Kerry. November Michael MacMahon, Scariff, Co. Clare. November 15—John Egan, Scariff, Co. Clare. November 15—John Connolly Whitegate, Co. Clare. November 15—Michael Connolly! Whitegate, Co. Clare. November 20—Rev. M Griffin, Galway City. November 22—Richard McKee Dublin' November 22—Peter Clancy, Dublin. November 22 Conor ,Clune, Raheen, Co. Clare. , November 24 Michael Moran, Galway City. November 26—Henry Loughnane, Gort, Co. Galway. November 26—Patrick Loughnane, Gort, Co. Galway. December 7—Denis Regan, Clashfluck, Co. Cork. December 18—James Looby, Dualla, Co. Tipperary. December William Delaney Rosegreen, Co. Tipperary. December 19— James Connor, Killeenferna, Co. Kerry. December 20—James Hynan, Emly, Co. Limerick. December 22 -Michael McNamara, Cloonbeg, Co. Clare. December 23— W. J Shaiialia Ermis Gaol, Co. Clare. December 2.6—James Hickey, Knocknagashel, Co. Kerry December Andrew Moynihan, Rathmore Co Kerry. „

Hostages, • e The tota 1 1 » ough not inconsiderable, does not satisty those who have, planned the assassination not of scores, but of hundreds. In order to speed up the removals a new phase oh barbarism has been added to the English method of waging war on the Irish people. On ember 24 the practice began among both constabulary and military patrols of taking prominent townspeople from their homes and carrying them as hostages” wherever the patrols went. These hostages were made to understand that if any attack were made on their captors they would be shot out of „ r L' This system of hostages was put into general practice m the counties of Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tip?Qonln? 1 keiny and Roscommon. On December 19, 1920, this system of providing victims for the murder gang was regularised by the English Army chiefs in the southern counties. On that date the following proclamation was promulgated in various southern commands : —. Owing to the treacherous attacks by cruel civillans on military and police convoys proceeding by road from Monday, December 20, 1920, Irish Republican as p y officers or leaders in military custody will be sent as hostages with . all transport moving armed forces Irtbl ProCeedmg by r ° ad in the -as under | , Hancuffed Hostages. m , C. 1 , h . 6 I ' oc! ynationa originated with Major-Gen-eral Strickland, at Cork. On Saturday, December 18,

the following telegram was , sent by General Strickland to the officers of all posts under his command:— m | "In future a Sinn Fein prisoner ? isf to be taken lfandcuffed in the front; of each lorry which comes into or leaves their areas."- ; ;'%>' '-&*"■_ ' r & i Oil the evening upon which this telegraphic instruction was sent out to the posts under Major-General Strickland's command, Jas. Looby and William Delaney were taken from Cashel Gaol, where they had been imprisoned for four days, and were placed one in each of the two motor lorries making up a military arid constabulary patrol. The patrol traversed" its district without being attacked. There was no excuse given for murdering James Looby and William Delaney. Nevertheless, as the patrol returned to barracks both young men were shot out of hand. This incident explains with sufficient clarity the real object of the new barbarism. Men who are known to be members or are suspected of being members of the Irish Republican Army are to be "removed" as at present by assassination in their homes. Men who have been arrested and are then discovered to be or are suspected of being members of the Irish Republican Army, are to be "removed" after their arrest by the means provided in Major-General Strickland's telegram. In Ireland no Republican's life is safe from the attacks of military or constabulary assassins acting on information which is almost always false: But' the lives of prisoners are now more unsafe than those of any others. J