RECITAL OF HORROR

New Zealand Tablet, 28 April 1921, Page 18

RECITAL OF HORROR

CARDINAL LOGUE’S LETTER READ IN PARLIA- . . MENT. ' The following extract from the Freeman’s Journal for February 22 last, was sent to us by Father O’Connor, of Cork, Ireland (says the Catholic Advocate, Brisbane): Lord Robert Cecil, in the House of Commons last night, read the following letter from his Eminence Cardinal Logue to Right Rev. Dr. Amigo, 4 Bishop of Southwark; “With the assistance of the priests, I have done my best to keep things quiet in this diocese. Hitherto-' we have had comparative peace, but the forces of the Crown seem determined that we shall suffer like the rest. “There is a camp of “Black-and-Tans” at Gormanstown, on the borders of the diocese, and while that camp remains we may give up all hopes of peace and safety. It seems to be a nest of bandits and homicides. “In the month of December they visited Ardee, a country town, which was, and is, perfectly , peaceful. . As far as I could ascertain, there was not a murder in the whole district for a hundred years. Those guardians of the peace invaded the hojise of the principal merchant and carried away a quantity, of goods to the amount of / £l5O. ■- , Ardee Crime .Recalled. “Their next visit to Ardee was made under their officers in lorries, some of the men having their faces blackened. They dragged two poor young men out of bed in* ' the small hours of the morning, and shot them dead. Others would have met the same fate, but fortunately took the alarm in time and were absent when sought for. “Their last exploit in Ardee was to seize the, whole stock-in-trade of .two young people, a brother and sister, and load it on their lorries. These young people kept a draper’s shop, and there is nothing left to them —hardly , a reel of thread. Their loss amounted to £ISOO or £2OOO, ‘ and now they are ruined. Ths people about Drogheda and the surrounding cfiuntry wall soon be reduced to beg- • gary. ■■ Their houses are raided day and, night on .pretext iof a search, and money, valuables, and anything that can , 2 be carried 1 away seized at the point of the revolver. . | ' q Murders at Drogheda. :v, v. -. I “As, an instance, one man who was raided and lost ; heavily some time since, 'has just . lost - £4OO in a second ■ raid. Those who, sell cattle,or farm produce have not time | to put the money in the bank for safety .before it is seized ; upon. The poor people are afraid to complain lest theiir I houses should be burned down. | .“Hitherto it was only robbery ,in the Drogheda dis- : trict. . Now bloodshed has commenced. A few nights since I two young men, fathers-of families, were taken from their , | beds at dead of night, brought to a lonely place by armed i men, ; and ere found shot dead there next morning. There |is not even the excuse of reprisals-for this action. There | was no crime in -Drogheda and the district, except robbery to which I have referred. You may judge, my dear I lord, how vain it is toi counsel peace or secure a spirit of [ peace and charity in such; surroundings, i ,