THE PORTADWN DISTURBANCES.

Thames Advertiser, Volume XX, Issue 6232, 20 October 1888, Page 2

THE PORTADWN DISTURBANCES.

A paragraph that appeared in the Advertiser a day or two ago in reference to the above was hardly accurate. The Belfast Weekly News of the 11th August gives the following account of the proceedings:—

On Sunday morning at about a quarter past seven a number of excursionists, said to be connected with the Irißh National Foresters, left Belfast for Dundalk, whioh was reached without any occurrence of an unusual nature. On arriving there the party were met by large crowdß and a . band from Newry. Games of football were played by a local branch of the Gaelic Athletic Association, and teams representing Belfast and Dundalk played games of hurling. Portion of the company left for Belfast by train at six o'clock iu the evening, and the remainder left at eight o'clock. It is stated that many of the excursionists were intoxicated, and as the. trains proceeded handkerchiefs were displayed from the carriage windows, and on passing through various distriotß the parties in the train made use of provoking epithets. A short distance beyond Portadown a shot was fired from bheoflhe carriage windows, and this, together with the language used and the handkerchiefs that wore displayed, caused an attack to be made on. the party. Stones were thrown at the train, breaking several panes of glass, but fortunately no person was injured. In consequence of the misconduct of the parties occupying l the second, train a similar attack was mado on it, this also being provoked by the bad language of the excursionists On the arrival of the party in Belfast they were met by a large crowd, but owing to the admirable police arrangements there was no disturbance. Nothing could have oxcelled the police arrangements, both in Belfast, Dundalk, and along the line of route, which was patrolled by men at certain intervals. In Belfast a large party of plain-clothes mon were also on duty. Tiio police arrangements in Belfast were carried out under the supervision of the Town Inspector, Mr Cameron. In this connection, it may be mentioned that Patrick Nevio, Dublin; Michael Enright, Dublin ; Michael Moran, alias M'Cormick, Ballina, County Mayo; and Michael Reilly, of Glasgow, all described bb gamblers, were arrested on Sunday morning at nine o'clock on the arrival of the excursion train from Belfast at the Dundalk Railway Station. The pmoners were followed from Belfaßt by Detectives Rogers and Ryan, who pointed them out to Head-Constable Egan, of Dundalk, and that officer immediately placed them under arrest, on the charge of being rogues and vagabonds. Prisoners Were put under a special escort,- and taken to the Ann Street Police Barrack. Later ia the day they were taken before Mr Murphy,, J ,P., who, after hearing;evidenoß remanded them.

Our Portadown correspondent,writes—l have made : inquiries resp'ectiDgmreport which was published in'the Belfast Nationalist print to the effect that a crowd of i Loyalists at Portudown Made a most cowardly and anprovokefl attaok on the Foresters' excursion jWher\returning from Ddndalk (on SuntlaY I can learn, it appears tlint the" crowd of Loyalists" were a number of who were., collected pri ith'e fr&i rwfiy; emijaHkdieDt in the townlatid of Armagh, about half a mile from the railway terminus, an<l as the trains wes]> aseirig iseydral revdlvljr shots were fired at tbem by the who, waved green andl. white handkerchief s, and cheered fori Parhellj and other probinent members of the Home Rale party. Stones were Ihea thrown by. the "crowd," who niirobered abbutf eightf no revolver shots ware fired, except nh'at was fired by the excursionists.