Police Attack Tuam
The Galway Observer, Saturday, July 14, 1920.
Carrying Fire and Destruction
Particulars of the shooting of the two constables appears in another column and their bodies brought to Tuam, when all was peaceful until 3 o'clock that morning, when the sleeping inhabitants of the town were awakened by volleys of musketry fire.
At first only a few shots were fired; then the fusillade became terrific.
It was accompanied by explosions as if bombs and hand grenades were being hurled and it soon became evident that the fire was general throughout the town.
Children and women screamed and all sought shelter in the rere of their houses, where they lay flat on the ground.
Subsequently cheers were heard in the streets and the old Town Hall was seen to be in flames. Apparently the cheering had heralded the application of the torch.
Soon after the outbreak the military, who are stationed in Tuam came upon the scene, but were immediately afterwards withdrawn.
Mr. Quinn a well—known solicitor, who witnessed the thrilling scene from the vicinity of two houses which were in flames, declared that morning that he directly heard the military officer calling off his men, and shouting "This is not our job," the inference being that the military did not wish to be associated with the outbreak.
About five o'clock the tumult of firing died down, and townsmen who ventured abroad found many houses in flames.
Policemen were then moving about in groups and appeared to be perfectly cool.
Some difficulty was experienced in getting the town hose to play upon the burning building, as the water was cut off during the night in order to effect a saving.
Willing volunteers, however, were quickly at work, and by a providential dispensation the flames were isolated, and a great portion of the town saved from destruction.
£100,000 Damage
Damage, it is estimated at nearly one hundred thousand pounds, has been done.
The Town Hall has been gutted, and there is evidence that paraffin or some other inflammable liquid was used by the incendiaries.
The building was partially detached, and its walls were self—contained, so that the fire was isolated.
The clock tower was made of wood, and the sparks from the lower portion of the building quickly caught this.
Only last week the first public district Sinn Fein Court was held in the Town Hall.
A further Court was to have been held in the building on Thursday.
Canny Brother's drapery establishment at the coroner of Vicar street and Bishop street was gutted and about £20,000 worth of stock destroyed.
The flames swept across the narrow street and a fire broke out in the premise of Fredk. Stafford, chemist, but this was extinguished at the outset by the police.
Shops Fired Into
The windows in the branch office and shop of the "Connacht Tribune" were wrecked.
The premises of Mr. J. J. Nohilly and Mr. J. Burke, both publicans and grocers, were fired into, and the conflagration here did much damage.
The windows of Mrs. Maher, draper, were also smashed, while those of Mr. O'Conner, saddler, at the lower end of the town, near the bridge, in Shop Street, were also attacked, as were those of Mr. White motor owner.
The attacks on houses were widely separated from each other, and the fact that intervening buildings remained unmolested shows the outbreak to have followed a deliberately conceived and well—executed plan.
The Reward of Friendliness
No attack was made on the police barrack, and the friendliest relations existed between the police and people in Tuam town. This was in a large measure due to the good offices of District Inspector Comerford who, upon his recent retirement received sincere tributes from all classes in the township.
The full extent of the damage has not yet been ascertained.
Archbishop's Action — Demand for Reparation
Most Rev. Dr. Gilmartin on Tuesday dispatched the following letter to Sir Nevill Macready: —
I regret to have to trouble you again, and that this time the matter is very serious. Two policemen were shot dead yesterday evening about three miles from Tuam. This was a dastardly crime which we deplore and condemn.
It is the first of the kind in this district, and I am satisfied the good people of Tuam do reprobate this deed; but the sequel is calculated to seriously imperil the peace and good order of the town.
The sequel is that about 5 a.m. this morning, in revenge for their deaths of their comrades, the police raided the town almost from end to end.
They burned our beautiful town hall to the ground; they set fire to one large shop, which is now completely demolished; they tried to set fire to at least four other shops, and they ruthlessly broke plate—glass windows. Shots were fired into an upper room of at least one house.
I heard bombing and firing from 5 to about 5.45 a.m. I have just visited the whole scene of destruction. I have interviewed the police authorities, who tried to put the blame on police who came from Galway under the County Inspector. One man Casey, alleges it was the Tuam Head—Constable who kept him from being shot dead by other police.
You may imagine the state of terror and indignation that exists today. It was yesterday a peaceful and prosperous town, where the relations between police and people were as cordial as could be expected. I hope you will see that a sworn inquiry is opened immediately with a view to bringing all culprits to justice and making reparation to the town as far and as much as possible.
Bombing and Shooting — What the Archbishop of Tuam Feared and Saw
His Grace the Most Rev. Dr. Gilmartin, Archbishop of Tuam, in a statement made to a special representative in Tuam on Tuesday night, said — :
The first intimation I got of the trouble was to hear bombing and shooting that morning at 5 o'clock. I thought it was the usual attack upon the police barracks, but on making inquires I found it was the police who had wrecked the town, burning the Town Hall, and the magnificent shop of Mr. Canny, both of which were destroyed, and having attempted to burn three or more other shops they fired shots indiscriminately into the houses and broke plate glass windows.
On inquiring the cause of this I found that two policemen were shot dead last evening about three miles from Tuam on their way to Dunmore. After walking round the town I called at the police barracks and saw the remains of the deceased which presented a very sad spectacle. Having expressed my horror of the foul deed I protested against the retaliations to the District Inspector which I thought were altogether unjustifiable, and was entirely wanton and provocative to an extreme degree. The District Inspector did not attempt to justify the wreckage, but, said that it was police who were from Galway who were principally responsible for it.
In West Galway a man was arrested and taken to an unknown destination.
The Government of the Cordopa (S. America) has addressed to Congress a message proposing the granting of pensions to journalists after 24 years service.
Galway Summer Assizes — Very Few Jurors Attend — Collapse of Crown Cases — Display of Military
The Galway Summer Assizes were opened on Monday last by Mr. Justice Ronan sitting in the Record Court and Mr. Justice Pim in the Criminal Court. There was the usual parade of military for some time previous to the arrival of the judges, and the soldiers were put through several military exercises such as "right about turn" "three paces to the right," "advance," for which many persons have been sent to jail in this country. There was one difference between the military parade and that of the last Assizes, there were no armored cars to be seen, so that old country men had nothing to be frightened of, nor was their anything to command their admiration. A small squad of police used to be drawn up till the judges passed in, but they were dispensed with on Monday and in fact there appeared to be fewer police than we remember to have seen in any previous Assizes. It appeared that only so many as were considered necessary to take charge of the Court were on duty.
In the Crown Court Gerald Cloherty, Esq. Clerk of the Crown and Peace, called over the names of the Grand Jury, when the following were called and were sworn. It will be seen that they had barely the number required when the names on the panel were exhausted. They usually swear 23 grand jurors, but on this occasion they had only 17, the list exhausted.
Mr. Cloherty called over the names on the special jury panel, under a penalty of £5. At the conclusion it appeared that out of a list of about 250 names only 16 attended.
Major Henry Hall (foreman), Chas O'Hara Trench, Pierce Joyce, Joseph M. Meldon, Martin McDonogh, Major Thomas Wilson Lynch, Francis J. Blake, Walter Joyce, Walter Lambert, Burton B. Persse, Colonel Doig, John C. Bagot, N. E. Lushington Tulloch, Francis J. Turnley, James Cooke, Arthur Jackson, Martin J. Hynes, Joseph S. Young.
Mr. Justice Pim, having referred to the 9 bills, one of which was for murder and another for manslaughter, said he was very much tempted to say no more, as it was an unpleasant and a horrible task for one who loved Ireland to have to find fault in the horrible conditions that now existed, and which filled him with intense and horrible perplexity.
Mr. Justice Pim continued:
Before us in this country stand great changes it is not only probable, but certain, that very great and far—reaching changes will take place within the next year or two, and whoever has control of the government of the country they will have very difficult problems to solve, one of the greatest of these being the control and administration of the law, which may have become so weakened as to make it impossible any longer to carry on. Therefore, the men who are indulging in these crimes are the greatest of this country, and of those who love Ireland.
About an hour was spent going over the panel for a second time while the police were testifying to their service of the summons on the delinquents, and appear under a pain of £53. When it concluded, the Court adjourned for lunch, and it was intimated that the petty jury would be called afterwards.
Having assembled after lunch, about 150 names were called and only 21 answered. The same dreary performance had then to be gone through with the police proving the service of the summons, but the great bulk of the trouble fell on Mr. Cloherty, repeating three times the name of every absent juror. When it came to about half past three o'clock.
The Judge asked Mr. Fetherstone, the Counsel for the Crown, what he should do.
Mr. Fetherstone said he didn't see how he could go on; he had only 16 special jurors and 21 petty jurors. If counsel on the other side exhausted their rights of challenge he would have no jury to go on with.
In reply to a question from the judge, Mr. Fetherstone said so far as he was concerned he would not mind if the jurors were discharged.
The Judge then suggested to adjourn till morning and call the juries again.
Mr. Fetherstone said in the meantime there were some of the cases where the prisoners could be arraigned.
The Criminal Cases
Joseph Burke and Joseph Wade were then called and pleaded guilty to an indictment for the larceny of a number of articles costing up to £15, from a shop in Ballinasloe, consisting of knives, watches, jewellery, etc.
Mr. Fitzgerald Kenny, K. C. (instructed by Mr. Colohan, solr, Ballinasloe) defended and made an appeal for leniency for the defendants who up to that bore a good character from their employer and that the act was committed in a fit.
Tuesday
On this morning when Judge Pim took his seat on the bench, Mr. Gerald Cloherty, called out the names of the special jury, when it appeared that only 9 answered to their names, and at the close he announced that the missing jurors were called on fines of £5.
Mr. Cloherty then called over the names of the petty jury panel, when only 18 answered.
In reply to the Judge, Mr. Fetherstone said he did not see his way to go on with only 9 as special jurors and 18 crown jurors. If the other side exercised their right, they could challenge six, and there would be none left for the Crown to stand by. He would ask the cases to be adjourned to next Assizes.
This was accordingly done in several cases. Both panel jurors were afterwards discharged.
Sentences
Colman King, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter, where a man named Ridge who died from the effects of the stroke of a hammer.
The Judge said it appeared from the evidence that the prisoner gave two blows of the hammer and one blow was warded off. For such an assault the (Judge) could not think of letting him off easily and sentenced him to 18 months imprisonment with hard labour.
Joseph Burke and Joseph Wade were also called up who pleaded guilty to the larceny of several articles of a fancy description. His Lordship said he would let them out under bail for two years and if they behaved themselves during that period they would hear no more about it, but if they committed themselves again they would have to go to jail for three months.
The "Boycott" of the assizes was initiated with the following circular, which was served upon practically every juror summoned:—
I.R.A. — You are requested not to attend as a juror at the coming British assizes in Galway. No decent Irishman can do so without acting traitorously towards the nation.
On Monday morning cordons of Volunteers held the reads leading by the city and all motor cars approaching were stopped and jurors requested to leave them.
A remarkable feature of the assizes was the number of Protestant Unionist jurors who did not answer their names.
Lord Dudley's Great Sorrow
Lord Dudley, acknowledging a letter of sympathy on the death of Lady Dudley from Mr. R. J. Kelly; K. C., says: —
It is too tragic that all our hopes should have been destroyed by this terrible calamity. Had she known that she had to die I am not at all sure that she would not have chosen as the scene of her passing that wild country of the West (Connemara) that she loved so much and where she had worked so hard to ameliorate the lot of her poorer neighbours.