IRISH REBELLION

Southland Times, Issue 19657, 6 October 1922, Page 5

IRISH REBELLION

THE AMNESTY PROCLAMATION MEATH RECAPTURED BY NATIONALISTS (/ (By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright). (Reuter’s Telegrams). LONDON, October 4. The Irish Government’s amnesty proclamation says that the Government knows that many persons were forced to participate in the rebellion against their will, and others have come to realise they had raised their hands to bring about the ruin of the motherland. The Government, moved by the hope of restoring peace without further bloodshed or loss, has decided that an opportunity be offered even now to those willing to throw in their lot with the majority of their countrymen to withdraw from the rebellion with immunity. Port Greenore, the connecting line between Holyhead and all inland places north of Drogheda has been completely isolated from a railway point of view, as the result of the irregulars blowing up a large viaduct between Greenore and Dundalk. The irregulars have blocked all roads to Greenore and cut the telegraph wires in many places. The Nationalists recaptured Meath without any fighting, the irregulars withdrawing at dawn. A shocking story of a Republican outrage on a newly-married couple is related by the Daily telegraph’s Dublin correspondent. He states that armed men entered the house and after placing the couple against the wall and holding revolvers at their heads, they ransacked the house, stealing or destroying many valuables. They brought whisky with them and were soon in a horrible condition. The husband was placed under an armed guard, while the wife was dragged from room to room and ordered to find money, the ruffians torturing her by twisting her arms and saying that if money was not produced they would shoot the husband and the wife. .Finally she admitted that she had a few pounds of houskeeping money. As they left the gang threatened if an alarm were raised to return and shoot the woman dead. CAREER OF GENERAL MULCAHY The Dublin correspondent of The Times gives a sketch of the career of General Mulcahy, appointed to succeed .Michael Collins in control of the Free State military forces. General Mulcahy’s career presents several analogies to that of Collins. He began life as a post office worker; he was unknown to his fellows in the revolutionary movement rill the Easter rising of 1916, when he came under the notice of Pearse, but he had been in the Volunteers from the formation of the force, was early active in the Gaelic League, and when the dark days of 1920-21 arrived he was already recognised as one of the outstanding minds in the Sinn Fein movement. Some of his exploits in evading capture were not less exciting than those of Michael Collins. He is a Waterford man. thirty-five years of age, was educated by the Christian Brothers at Waterford, and afterwards at Thurles. He did postal work at Thurl&« and Bantry, and was later in the Postiil Telegraph Engineering Department at Wexford and Dublin. After Easter, 1916 he was deported to Eron-Goch, released after seven months’ internment, and returned to Ireland to resume preparations for the struggle with the Crown Forces, activities which were covered by an ostensible course of training at the National University for the medical profession. He soon became Chief of Staff of the I.R.A. and a “wanted” man, constantly ‘'on the run.” After the truce he retained that position, and in the Dail Cabinet took, in addition, the post of Minister of Defence. During the treaty discussions in the Dail last December and January he displayed marked individuality, spoke with deliberation and without rhetoric, and instantly conquered the attention of the Assembly. As a man out of the common, who had something different to say, it was prophesied of him that he would, in suitable crcumstances, very soon show himself to be a man of real constructive ability.! His chance has arrived. He will be verysoon tested.