IRISH TURMOIL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18514, 27 March 1922, Page 5

IRISH TURMOIL

MACMAHON SALOON OUTRAGE. “BLACK SUNDAY” RECALLED. COLD-BLOODED MURDER. THE BARNLA.N SUCCUMBS. Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, March 24. The barman at MacMahon’s saloon died from the wounds which were inflicted by the assassins. This makes the deaths at MacMahon’s place five, and two other of his sons are not expected to survive. The assailants rushed upstairs', pulled the male occupants from their beds, took them downstairs to the sitting room, and lined them up against the wall and shot them. Mrs MacMahon and her daughter were placed in another room while the shooting was in progress. —A. and N.Z. Cable. DETAILS OF THE CRIME. A HORRIFYING SPECTACLE. THE WHOLE COUNTRY SHOCKED. LONDON, March 24. (Received March 26, at 5.5 p.m.) Not since the murder of 16 officers in Dublin on “Black Sunday” ha* such a thrill of horror stricken Ireland. Protestants and Catholics alike condemn the murder, which was clearly a reprisal for the assassination of two constables in Belfast yesterday. Mr MacMahon was a Nationalist in politics and a keen sportsman, and was very popular with all classes. The murderers gained admission by smashing a glass hall door and lifting the latch. An inner door which barred the wav was smashed in w'ith a sledge hammer. The house was in darkness at the time. Mrs MacMahon, hearing the noise, said it was a bomb. The wne and husband got up at the same time and went downstairs, meeting masked men on the stairway. The murderers then collected the women—Mrs MacMahon, her niece, and daughter 14 years of age,_ and the maid-servants—and put them in a back room on the first floor. The murderers then went upstairs and wakened seven men. At the revolver’s point they compelled them to come downstairs in their shirts and join their father .the masked men carrying candles which they brought with them. When "all were gathered :n the parlour there was a pause. The leader told the terror-stricken men to use their remaining few moments to pray for their souls. They were lined up against a wall. On one side of the fireplace was Mr MacMahon, and then his son and the barman. On the other side were two other sons, and on a chafr near the door the fourth son. All were shot one by one. Jeremiah, aged 15, died immediately, but the others lingered on. The masked men missed a boy of 11, who, shrieking with fright, ran round the table. Two other shots at the boy ricocheted off the surface of the table into the walls. The boy was finally found under a sofa petnned with fear. All was over in six minutes. The murderers then climbed over a paling fence into a garden and disappeared into the darkness, while the police, hearing Mrs MacMahon’s screams from a window, entered at the front 'door. On a chair in the hall they found a young man in his nightshirt gasping out his life. The scene in the parlour was even more horrible. MacMahon was writhing in agony, and on the floor were five dead or dying. Before they left the murderers unlocked the door of the upstairs room, and when Mrs MacMahon came downstairs and saw the horrifying spectacle she collapsed, and is still unconscious. One boy is expected to recover.— A. and N.Z. Cable. SEARCH FOR THE MURDERERS. £IOOO REWARD OFFERED. LONDON, March 25. (Received March 26, at 5.5 p.m,) The Ulster Government is offering a reward of £IOOO for information which will lead to the conviction of MacMahon’s murderers.—A. and’ N.Z. Cable. RAIDS IN ULSTER. MOTOR-CARS AND LORRIES SEIZED. CONSTABULARY BARRACKS ATTACKED. TRAIN ROBBERY REPORTED. LONDON, March 24. (Received March 26, at 5-5 p.m. Since Monday, Sinn Fein armed men seized 20 Ulster motor-cars and lorries, especially those belonging to commercial travellers carrying samples. An armed gang attacked the Constabulary barracks at Strathbane. There was fierce gunfire for 20 minutes, when Vero lights, sent up by the police, brought the soldiers of the Rifle Brigade to the scene. The attackers then fled. Twelve armed Sinn Feiners stopped a train from Belfast and raided the mail van, stealing registered letters. This is the third robbery on the same train in a fortnight.—A. and N.Z. Cable. BELFAST OUTRAGES. FIVE PERSONS WOUNDED. LONDON, March 2A. (Received March 26, at 5.5 p.m. There was much firing in Belfast on Friday night. Five persons were wounded, including a child three years of age.—A. and N.Z. Cable. GRAVITY OF THE SITUATION SIR J. CRAIG INVITED TO LONDON. LONDON, March 24. (Received March 26, at 5.5 p.m.) Owing to the gravity of recent events in Ireland, the British Government has telegraphed requesting Sir James Craig to come to London with any colleagues he wishes, in order that the Government may examine with them every aspect of the situation.—A. and N.Z. Cable. CATHOLICS AND PROTESTANTS. ACUTE TENSION IN ULSTER-. LONDON, March 24. (Received March 26, at 5.5 p.m. The tension between the Protestants and Catholics in Ulster is increasing hourly. It is understood that Mr Collins is coming to London immediately, but there are indications that Sip James Craig may be unwilling to confer with Mr Ollins again in view of the results of the last interview. Circumstances are drifting towards the military occupation of the affected areas which are net confined to border districts. Sir Nevil Macready regards the situation as most serious. The bombing and shooting in the east end of Belfast are continuous. • Mr M’Guffih, Home Secretary in the Northern Parliament, said he deplored the occurrences of Thursday and Friday. Every step was being taken to bring the murderers to justice, no matter tp what class or creed they belonged.—A. and N.Z. Cable.

TERRORISM AT TRILLICK. PEOPLE AFRAID TO GO TO BED. LONDON, March 24. (Received March 26, at 5.5 p.m. The terrorism at Trillick, where thre* Catholics were shot on Friday, is so great that neither Protestants nor Catholic* eo to bed at night. Families ait beside the fire all night long, and if they hear foot* steps outside they dash from their homes.' All clothing is packed in boxes and hidden in fields, and money *is secreted in hollow trees, where the police occasion- • ally discover it.—A. and N.Z. Cable. MURDERS IN TYRONE, : CATHOLICS THE VICTIMS. POLICE PATROL AMBUSHED* A SIX-HOURS’ FIGHT. LONDON, March 24. (Received March 26, at 5.5 pjn. There were three murders at Tyrone today, all the victims being Catholics. The • murders were presumably reprisals for the murder of loyalists. A police patrol of 50 was ambushed near Pomeroy. The fighting lasted six houra. Several members of the patrol were wounded and one was captured. William Campbell, City Corporation in spector at Belfast, was shot dead in th. • street.—A. and N.Z. Cable. BOMBS DISCOVERED. LONDON, March 24. (Received March 26, at 5.5 p.m. Omagh constabulary, searching Lonrik Macrory, found in a trench 52 hand-made bombs and a box of stolen police bomba. —A. and N.Z. Cable. A MYSTERIOUS RAID. SCOTLAND YARD INYESTIGATINO. LONDON, March 24. (Received March 26, at 5 5 p.m. Scotland Yard is investigating a ,mysterious raid on the Irish Office Intelli- • gence Department at Westminster, in'-' : which all documents and files' were searched and important confidential documents which were removed recently from another department—.A. and N.Z. Cable. ■ COMPENSATION CLAIMS. COST TO BRITISH TAXPAYER. LONDON, March 24. (Received March 26, at 5.5 p.m. A Bill for the payment of Sinn Fein outrages, which has just been presented .' to the British taxpayer, amount* . £1,997,500 compensation paid to the vic-‘,7 tims, apart from £750,000 paid to tb*. -; Northern Government as compensation for ■ damage to life and property in Ulster, and ? £1,000,000 which is payable to the Nor- ”, them Government as a contribution to the ; , abnormal expense in the present excep- • tional circumstances. —A. and N.Z. Cable.