MANY STRONG POINTS

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 4, 5 July 1922, Page 5

MANY STRONG POINTS

FREE STATERS' COURAGEOUS

ATTACK. DUBLIN, 3rd July. By means of "pinohittg" movements, carefully planned and courageously cxc-, cubed, the Free State troops have gradually penned the main body of the rebels irit'o a very limited area around SackviUeslreet, though enormous difficulties were encountered, owing to the number of strong points which the. rebels created. The Dublin Guards, many of whom saw , active, servic* in thelate war, and were trained in-, street fighting, are playing a prominent part in the attack. They are i;sing rifle grenades, and machine-gun barrages, and under this hail of varied fire the small rebel;garrison are retiring to tunnels, by means of which it: has Vteen discovered in some cases Republicans escaped. In addition to the machine-gun fire and grenade bombardment, armoured cars dashed up and down Mia wide streets, sweeping the windows and doorways of the defences with machine-gun fire, and driving Republican snipers from their posts. Late this after- .. Jioon the Republicans were driven from the Swan Publichouse, Painters' Hall, Unitarian Church) St. Stephen's Green, and other positions, where considerable .captures of arms, were made. So far there have been 260 casualties, including fifty killed, but the ' Government is guided by a desire to avoid loss of life ;md preserve Dublin from worse damage. In this warfare brother is fighting against brother, and father against son, and the; Southern Government may be eScu6ed for treating the Republicans with ■what English. minds may regard as undue leniency. . • ;