A village stunned

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34045, 8 January 1976, Page 9

A village stunned

( ry.Z. Preus Assn—Copyright) ; LONDON. -lan. 7. The tiny lister village of Bessbrook, a community founded by ■Quakers 150 years ago. has been stunned by the revenge massacre, by an I.R.A. terrorist gang, of] 10 Protestant workers! 'who live in and around it. I The Bessbrook Presby- , terian minister, the Rev. (Robert Nixon, who knew; (most of the dead men per-i •sonally, quietly knocked on! [the doors of each of the] ig r i e f-stricken families| j yesterday to offer his con- ! dolences. ! ‘‘The y are eating! their hearts out with sor-( ■row.’ he said. “We are a ; (peaceful community. Roman! (Catholics live alongside Protestants. ! “I knew most of the dead i I men welt. Reggie Chapman; 'and Joseph Leeman were! i both in the choir, and John: 'McConville was planning to|

Igo to Glasgow for Bibie; ! training. ; “The Chapman brothers! recently buried their mother,! and John Biyans. his wife. “I stood in the mortuary; surrounded bv 10 coffins.' How could they line up: ■ these men and shoot them] dead in cold blood?" j Today, the textile factory I where the dead men worked ■is closed: its manager. Jim Graham, says that the workers are too shocked, and ■ frightened, to leave home. “We have decided to shut down until at least Friday [because of this tragedy, j Some of the men had been ; with us for 30 years,” he j said. “They were just ordinary workmen — and better i men you would find no- . | where.” ■ Despite her grief. Mrs Zelda Worton, whose hus- ; band. Ken. was among the dead, pleaded for an end to the sectarian violence in Ulpster, and especially in South j Armagh, now known as .[“bandit country ” i Her eves red-rimmed i (from crying and a night,

-.without Sleep, vics who is 30. said: “Please, no j more. I just hope no-one has Ito go through what I an, I [still haven’t told my daughters, Suzanne, who is six. i and Racquel who is only 1 three, that their Daddy jwon’t being coming home 'anymore. “They have gone awav to ’ stay with relatives — I don’t know how to teL them what’s happened “I had dinner ready last 1 night, and the children were waiting at the corner of the house as they usually do for their Daddy to come home. "They listen every night, 1 for the sound of the mini-. ! bus. but last night I heard a broadcast about the ambush, although 1 didn't know then ’ that Ken was involved ! “I was going mad with i[ worry , although there are - 10) mini-buses on the road, ! and I didn’t know it va- hr ) “T had to tell the children • eventually' that their Dadds i must be working overtime, id or else had gone to his (mother’s house. ji “How can I explain it to tithem?”