Unabated Slaughter of Catholics in Belfast

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XLIX, Issue 29, 27 July 1922, Page 11

Unabated Slaughter of Catholics in Belfast

Without pause or break the massacre of the unfortunate Belfast Catholics continues (says the Irish Catholic for June 3). Once their religion is known, no mercy is shown them by the wild beasts who roam the city streets. Heading the recent declarations of tbft Freemason body anent their profound regard for of religious belief, it comes with a certain shock to hear that the Belfast murderers ask their victims for "signs," and when these are not forthcoming they are promptly shot. The world over the Freemasons make use of "signs" to claim brotherhood, but it will certainly not redound to the honor of the '-craft" that they are utilised by Belfast assassins. In every occupation the blatant hypocritical query is put by pagans who believe in nothing but rapine and murder: "What are you?" Evasion does not serve as reply. Rather does it goad the. demons to increased ferocity; as, when a distressed wife, mother, sister, or daughter seeks to shelter a loved one by denying them to avowed murderers, the rejoinder comes: "You will do as well," and this is followed by an unerring shot which maims if it does not kill. In this way many Catholic homes have been visited during the past week and a heavy toll taken, and, in conjunction with the many fatal "hold-ups," they leave no doubt in the minds of the Catholic population that a thorough extermination of Catholics in. the North-East is being relentlessly carried on. An obscure English solicitor, Dawson Bates, has the credit of being the "strong man," or Cromwell the Second, of this cruel vendetta. A man after the heart of the hypocritical bigots of the "Lodges," he was brought over to Belfast to do the dirty work, was knighted and well paid for his services, and when these are no longer required he can return to "Merrie England" with the means acquired, in a very short time, of living out his span of .life in ignoble opulence. However, he is going rather far with his Draconian regulations in shortening Curfew hours from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., thus depriving the suburban non-Cath-olics of their outdoor amusements, and so the cry has gone forth that "Bates is just going too far with his nonsense." But not one.meeting has been held to protest against, the wilful slaying of. Catholics— the audacious murder of the Crown witness, young Essie McDougall, who last week paid with her life for courageously identifying at an official inquiry the uniformed murderers of the poor workingmen of Arnon Street, This wanton outrage excites no comment, nor does the brutal beating, kicking, and drowning of poor John O'Hare, whose only offence was that of being a Catholic, draw forth stern condemnation from the authorities, who never doubt but that they can resume usual trade relations with Irish Ireland when this trouble blows by^-^ The ferocious "murder, gangs"' are also on the warpath; as the midnight outrage on the home of the McEntee

family, in King Street, on. May: 27 ,amply testifies. Hero a crowd of uniformed and civilian-clad men did their utmost to break in and capture the two young brothers of Sean McEntee, T. 1)., and no Belfast Catholic is unaware ,of the fate destined for these youths. / By N the mercy bf God they were saved by the heroic efforts of their brave mother, a delicate little lady, who raised a terrific alarm by hurling into the street every article of glass and delf .that she could lay her hands on, and by vigorously ringing a loud-toned bell. Her own frantic cries of ''Murder! murder!" added to these caused a'stampede amongst the marauders, who, firing wickedly in the direction of the window where the distracted mother stood, withdrew shouting: "We have got one of them anyway, and we nearly did for the girl." Such are the conditions Catholics live under at present in the capital city of the North.

Some prominent Catholic citizens favor the idea of approaching Winston Churchill and of requesting him to visit Belfast and see for himself how Catholics are treated. They recall his visit to that city in 1991. in the. Liberal interest, when he, a Cabinet Minister, was assailed, by the Orange shipyard men, the same "braves" who flung rotten eggs on their employer, Lord Pirrie, later on in that year, because he did not favor their programme of intolerance. Yes, the rowdies who mobbed the "Minister" at the Grand Central Hotel and trial with all their might to overturn his motor car, with the hope to kill him, are still the same lawless men. Surely, then, it is thought that the Catholics of Belfast who saved his life on that occasion and who also '•saved his face" by procuring him a, place to speak in—when the Ulster Hall was denied the King's representative—and then escorted him by long and circuitous routes out of the city, will be at least gratefully remembered and bare justice be done to them.

. Others doubt that it will be. the same with Winston as with many other public mop who took their turn out of Catholic Ireland. "Eaten bread is soon forgotten." Anyhow it would do no harm if a deputation from the afnlicted Belfast Catholics would approach the British Government and claim protection of life and property for their coreligionists. The lists of Catholic dead and wounded in Belfast would appal the rank and file of justice-loving people, and they would unhesitatingly declare that it was their first duty to see that impartial administration of tho law was dealt out to Belfast citizens, not as at the present time, when even the Scotch and English "Tommies" stationed in Belfast unanimously say that r 'here there is one law for the Catholic and another for the non-Catholic. Well, when we return home Ave will let our people knowhow things are managed here. The Specials have it all their own way; we can do nothing. But if there was martial law enforced we would see that there was fair play for everyone."