A WILD FAREWELL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 20057, 21 September 1920, Page 6

A WILD FAREWELL.

MANNIX LEAVES NEW YORK. IRISH DOCKERS ATTACK ENGLISHMAN. Never before since the days of Brian Earn did a British ship receive, so wild a. farewell from Irish throats ‘l’, 1 . hash flags as was accorded the 'vhite Star liner Baltic yesterday afternoon ns she backed out into the North River (says the New York •Sun,” of August 1). But it was not the vessel the thoujSands of Irish men and women, bj birth, extraction and inclination, who jammed Pier 00 ■were cheering, it was Archbishop Daniel J. Mannix, of MelIwurne, Australia, tall, -gaunt and grave, who stood with raised hat bosuio the rail on the boat dock as the mg liner started on the final lap of tho long journey, which ho says is to end in Ireland, and Premier Lloyd George declares is to end elsewhere. Whatever happens to the Archbisliop and champion of Irish independence when the Baltic reaches Queenstown, ho can hardly bo more maltreated by ms enemies than by the multitude of mends who simultaneously bid him Godspeed and well nigh mobbed him yesterday. St Patrick himself could have received no more tumultuous greeting. AN INDISCREET ENGLISHMAN. Although a hundred policemen under inspector James Boland will probably mark yesterday down as tho hardest day of their official careers,, only one ready serious incident occurred during the day. Joseph Sha\y, a coal merchant, whose home town is Leeds, England, standing beside his wife on the deck above the main gangway facmg a sea. of Irish faces and Irish flags on tho mer below, suddenly conceived a particularly messy way of attempting suicide. * Possibly Shaw thought he was safe, being once more on a. British ship, but at any rare, as policemen wrenched the prelate from the grasp of the crowd and got ham on to the gangplank leading aboard, Shaw began booing and hissing with might and main. At the hrst h°Q, longshoremen who were natchmg the spectacle from' the upper deck of the ship, and from’ the dock, swarmed up the gangplanks and up the side of the ship, and down from above hko monkeys. Within an instant he was the centre of a mob of infuriated men. ANGRY LONGSHOREMEN. Shaw, who is a dapper little man, seemed somewhat bewildered by the sudden eruption of enraged men, but tried to fight. He was almost killed b. the pressure with which men from alf sides, twenty-five at least, came in on him. lor a moment it seemed as it lie could hardly escape without serious injuries. Ho was thrashed severely. assailant Ul ° lime ‘3 uicers! ” shouted one of the police a B ' ofc Mv- They dashed 1 ® &;™S**y and to the upper deck, f . I'Hisfernag their revolvers from them hack pockets to shooting v mi?- , coats - fortunate-ly-only Mrs Shaw had intervened to bavo her husband, and one ship's officer was shouting to the dock for "constables. Ihe fighting had! therefore not become general, and the detectives were able after a hard struggle to get Uicir guns against the longshoremen and back them off, growling! and ready to spring even in tho face of the H?n S bonef hair escapcd withoul) Meanwhile Archbishop Mannix had also been escorted up stairs and reached( th 0 scene of the conflict. Stop it I Eehare yourself 1" h 0 commanded, and tho longshoremen reluctantly drew away, muttering threats and assuring the prelate they would se© no one bother him. A STRIKE AVERTED. a PP ear ed dubious whether the Baltic would got away. It became known that the cooks and stewards on hoard had held a meeting, and M all are Bntfsh, had decided to strike it tho Archbishop came aboard. The firemen, on the other hand, had also held a meeting, and had decided to strike of the Archbishop did not como aboard. There were a number of Irishmen among the firemen, who prevailed on their companions to take this stand. The cooks and stewards stood 1 firm in' their decision, however, until the mili(ant West Street' longshoremen heard about it. The longshoremen also held an impromptu meeting. They then) sent a delegate to the cooks and stewards on the’ Baltic, who said that the longshoremen deplored the stand taken by tho cooks and stewards, -and would bo waiting for them outside tho pier for unspecified reasons if they walked out. After a hasty conference the cooks and stewards sent word back that It was all a mistake; that they had morey been spoofing two Orangemen on board, and intended to sail right nlon-r Hint ended that. 13 The ship was delayed an hour and five minutes, but it was because the Binp’s officers had a hard time shooing Archbishop Mannix s admirers and reception committee off tho boat, and in getting on board a few belated passengers not of the Irish party who didn’t know what they were running into when they found a crowd of thousands outside and on th 0 pier, through which they bad to fight their way. Archbishop Mannix was accompanied by Eamonn dc Valera, president of the unrecognised Irish Republic, and others of a big reception committee. . By making his way along under the lower deck and emerging out of a freight elevator tho prelate and his party escaped a- good many ravening sympathisers, but in approaching the gangplank it was a hard physical battle to progress. POSTERS ATTACK ENGLISH. During tho wait of almost two hours until the big ship backed out at 1.5 the crowd on dock and street cheered unceasingly, waved American and Irish flags and displayed, l posters. Among these latter were observed tho following , ? England has committed more than 1000 military assaults in tho Irish Republic.” . reedom—American 17 7G—lreland 1916* * Ireland for tho Irish or tho world in a blaze.” “There can be no peace whilo English militarism menaces Iho world.” . “Armenians massacred—intervention. Irishmen massacred—silence.” When the Baltic hacked out into the stream members of the crew of tho Olympic; docked at tho next uior, secure from Irish attack on the after deck of their ship, got out several British flags and waved them triumphantly. ■ After cheering tho Baltic out into midstream the crowd booed and hissed the Britishers, bub tho many feot of water in between prevented a, clash.