THE CONDUCT OF THE NATIONALISTS AND ORANGEMEN AT DROMORE.
New Zealand Tablet, Volume XI, Issue 44, 29 February 1884, Page 21
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THE CONDUCT OF THE NATIONALISTS AND ORANGEMEN AT DROMORE.
Several exciting scenes followed the meetings. The Orange rowdies made several attempts to molest the national processionists, who on their part went quietly on their way without allowing themselves to be irritated in the slightest degree by their would-be assailants. The Freeman correspondent, speaking of the rowdy conduct of the Oiangemen, says :—: — '•In one case a large number of Orangemen dashed across a field close to their meeting place, towards where a small section of Nationalists were proceediug homewards. They threw stones and fired revolveis, and although about tuiity police were standing quite close, no attempt was made to seize and search those who displayed those weapons. The Riot Act was twice read by Mr. Tnynne, R.AL, when a body of Orangemen tried to attack the Nationalists. In consequence of the aggressive and utterly unprovoked and unjustifiable action of the Orangemen, there were two charges with fixed bayonets. A charge was also made by the military, who drove back the Orangemen with crushing effect. In one instance they overtook a retreating Orange party, and the flight of the latter over the ditches formed a spectacle that would make a most exciting scene for the powers of an artist. The military used the butts of their rifles upon the fugitives with consideiable effect. At one point a body of the aggressive Orangemen tried to get across the fields to where a small kaut of the Nationalists were passing, and several revolver shots were fired by the former. At what appeared to be the most dangerous point of all, near where the two roads joined, the order was given to the cavalry to ' draw sabres, 1 and, the order having been given to the Hussars, they charged the crowd, using the fla's of their swords. Throughout the eutire of these proceedings the attacking party was invaiiably the Orangemen, who, whenever they found themselves near a small section of Nationalists, endeavoured to tempt them into a tigbt, aud for a second or tlriid time they produced and fired revolvers. A rather serious affray occurred as the processionists belonging to both parti 'S reached the vicinity of the railway station. It appears that a couple of young Orangemen — Pratt and Giffen — ■ supposed to belong to Portadown, were attempting, along with others, to torce a passage through the military cordon, which bad been, by a quick movement, drawn up at that part of the roadway in order, as lepoited, to leach the railway station, when the military charged upon them with fix^d bayonets. The couple were seriously injured, Giifen leceiving a stab in the hip, the weapon penetrating the groin. He was removed to a neighbouring house, where Dr. Daly, army hospital surgeon, attended. Little hopes are entertained of his recovery. Pratt was less seriously injured."
In striking contrast to this ruffianly conduct of the Orangemen was the temper, good sense, and toleraace displayed by the Nationalists. In no case did they allow themselves to be ruffled by the Orangemen, and even when they might have assaulted these latter with impunity they geaerously refrained from doing anything of the sort. As an illustration of this fact we may cite the following incident which the Irish Tunes correspondent relates he saw a3 he journeyed from the railway station to the placa of meeting : — " About half a mile outside Dromore we came up with a body of two hundred men, who, cheering lustily, fell in with more or less successful imitations of a military manoeuvre, and marched after the band in the direction of the village. There was not at this place a single soldier or policeman in sight. At a cross road, which was passed some seven or eight Orangemen, wearing the sashes and full regalia of tha Order, stood and watched the march of the Nationalists, who went stolidly stepping out to the ' White Cockade.' None of the Nationalist party wore any emblem. But there the two parties were, rubbiug clothes almost, yet not a look, not a gesture, not a word was uttered by either. Had this been in Down, Armagh, or Derry, there would have been a very decent 'ruction.' Farther on an aged greybearded man, wearing the Orange coljurs, stood on the roadside and watched with a calm look the passing of the Nationalists, who never bestowed more than a passing glance upon him." — Nation.
