AN IRISH EVICTION.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 138, 10 June 1905, Page 11

AN IRISH EVICTION.

A fort-f. of two linndreil pickeit men i of the Royal Irish Constabulary landed :it LXirsey island in the small hours of Wednesday last lo evict, one defiant -Irish Tbe apparent disproportion between the invading party and j the rt>t>nce is easily explained, fnr ■ Daniel Hcalcy. the peasant. h;i(i prilisteri the whole population of the island • I on his side. Hea.ley resides nn a patch of Jam] for which his rent i? £'9 I.V ;i yrar. but be hns - pa : d nothing fnr . four years—hence the eviction. But : every family on the island 3.1 fami- . I lies in all—made common cause with : Daniel to resist, and men. women and ' ' ohihlron armed thr-insolves with sticks. J and stones against the routing of ihe • "polis."" The islanders had fortilied the .eastern landiatjplaco. but the police, ■ inspector cunningly di\ided bis force. ' t and se.nt XO of bis men round in their boats to effect a land : n<r on thf western side of the island, where there is : n, cove which boats can enter in calm j I weather. The islanders were takeji I completely by surprise. They had not . expected that the police knew theii I j cove, aud therefore had concentrated at | the vn*t stage. Every able-bodied per- ' son in the island had a missile of some,' | sort. As the boatloads of police ap J i prouched they were met by a fusillade ! of stones. Then the covering party ■attacked the islanders from behind. ! They shoved, buffeted, and jostled the , dctendjers. anxious at first in hurl as j few as possible. Very quickly the light j became vicious. The parties fell on one j another, and the wildest excitement ; followed. The men fought the police ! on shore with their lists, while the ] women and children kept up a running ; tire of stones on the men in the boat.-. I The police fought at lirst with tbeir I batons, and laid about them vigorously. | Some of them fixed bayonets iind used 'them, while others used the butt e.uds • of their rifles. One i.f the islanders rejceived a terr'ble gash in rhe hand in j warding off a bayonet thrust. By : weight of numbers and the menace of '. their 'weapons fhe police dispersed tlie* .; defenders, and the ve-st of the force ! landed from the bouts unopposed. • i J lie actual eviction, as described in ■ a message to the "Daily Express." was , a pitiful affair. Uealey is an old man .! living with his wife, his son and -1 daughter-in-law and their two children 1 i in a wretched cabin, the only home [ j they have ever known. When "the 200 i police halted outside the house, Healey i approached them and pleaded for a " j settlement. His proposition was de;!,clined. "The law must fake its course." -■"■l -I nt "(lr-nr r J; •■■■:■,

tmng! lhcn the shenfTs men started 'to remove the furniture. To add to the \ pathos of the scene, a steady downpour ;of rain had set in. The younj? mother j gathered her infant from the cradle, ! while a kindly neighbour took charge of the other child —an ailing mite of three, who bad been ill for some time. The melancholy party dragged out of the house crying bitterly, whilo one by one ' their few goods were thrown after them ; and scattered in the rain round about the hiiu.se. Then the polio?, having ac- , complished their work, departed. They left a force of 3d men in charge of ' the i.sland. The unfortunate garrison , had ;i miserable time on Wednesday night. Their temporary encampments ' which they had erected amid the downpour of rain were Hooded. They were forced to rise iv the night and dig deep trenches round the camp to carry off the floods which threatened to swamp 'them. A tremendously high sea ran ■ all day yesterday, completely eutJing . oil" all communication with the main- , land. If the incessant rains have injured the provisions lad in liv the 'police. Hie little garrison must \on their enemy for food.