IRISH NEWS

New Zealand Tablet, 21 April 1921, Page 31

IRISH NEWS

. luu DE VAIifeEk^WRITES- TO TORY M.P.'S. '/ :,; The London Daily Herald, in its issue for February n 1 correspondent: Mr. de Valera has -sent the following letter to each Coalition Member of Parliament: "Lest on a plea of ignorance ? you should disclaim responsibility for what is being done here in your name, I, speaking -for the elected representatives of the' .people of Ireland, now bring directly' to your notice the following facts: .'., •■"' " '' "''' ■'■■■■■'■■■■''■"■"^ v . "The troops in Ireland employed by your Government are not only waging an unjust war upon our people, but are carrying ,on that war in ' a manner contrary to all rules of civilised warfare. • ... In defiance of these, rules your forces are guilty of—1. The torturing of prisoners. ..,; ;:&c The assassination of men and boys in their homes, on the streets, and in prison. 3. The murdering of women, of children, and of clergvmeri. . . * ' ■■■'". „ .4.. The outraging of Irish women and girls. . 5. The flogging and maltreatment of groups of civil- I ians taken in the villages and countrysides. i-i • 6 " The . issuing and enforcing of 'crawling and such- I like humiliating and degrading orders. *•■ '+v 7. The taking of men. from their work and forcing I them to do military duty or work at military labor as ; slave gangs. ; 8. The burning and looting of factories, creameries, ' shops and dwelling-houses; the destruction of farmsteads - stock farm produce; and tho killing and maiming of live I stock. In order to help you to realise the situation, it is neces- : -. sary to restate this fact: The Irish people are a free I people. They acknowledge no right to dominion over : ; them on the part of the British Executive, the British . Legislature, or the British people. ■ v "They are engaged in a lawful effort to defend a i sacred right which you are invading. Abandoning justice ' and reason, the only ground on which it is possible for civilised peoples to come to ,an Understanding, you are ' violenfe. ° that laWful effrt by a blind ' barbaric { -l 'i^i 686 ! thingS r", are do "e" because it is your will they - should be done. If you willed otherwise they would cease! \res P onsi^° U ' and not VUV tro ° PS > U ° are primarily } '(Signed) Eamon db Valeea.", > \ ATROCITIES BY CROWN FORCES. the 4 Cwff in^, f if tVU pJ? the descrj Ption extorted from 1 the Chief Secretary of the murder .of Patrick Kennedy and James Murphy in Clonturk Park. Since our efer- i ence last week to the facts and .to-the usual initial col '• ■S Aof testimony between the Castle authorities and civ- i S n T? Peta l OrS (says the London Nation for February 26) Mr Devlin has read to the House of Commons an affidavit of Joseph Murphy, brother" of one of the murdered men and two members and one ex-member of the Crown Forces have been arrested on a charge of murder. The affidavit ..of Joseph Murphy, is the account given him: by lSf i' rmfri X • V ? descnbes the arrest of the murdered men, their satisfactory examination at the Castle, and : their discharge v after curfew. According to the Affidavit the officer m charge handed : them over to some soldiers ' - who were to take them home in a lorrv:- skiers 'lnstead of bringing my brother "to his lodgings the: Ji: TI U themotor lorry to. Clonturk Part 8 Ihey halted the motor lorry near a .field where there w « unused and derelict ground. They took my brother and l Patrick Kennedy out of the motor lorry, brought them" Gainst 6 thfw&K a ° ld , *? T S over their y heads nut th m . i - LbeHeve P.rSl'ir .fired; a number of UKbtsV at them. i v MVb^ot ICk Kennedy was killed almost instantaneouson the y ipft of. T S hit.through, the tin can in hi ß l mouth, | : on the left cheek, on the right cheek, and through the ! S V 1 n fr do \ 6 th A the y.» them and went : . _ U James Murphy had not lived long enough to eive this account of himself, there would have been no expkna that the tn Sa 7 e ' maybe ' an official sugSsMon ; that the men were shot by a Sinn Fein murder cans or if the facts permitted it, on failing to answer a : or m trying to escape. Cases like thid are .naturally rare? ■ where witnesses survive. There was another in tance "n the matter of the murder of Canon Magner We may be excused for believing that this form ( of ! activity on tKart f n Ss° Forces is ™* wholly confined to casfs " ihei" h work- he mUrd6rerS HaVe carried through ~; ~ : ■i ■ ■ I " jfisv v. -.! .■■.'"■■' r ; 'I ,f .