The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-08-21
THE BELFAST RIOTS.

Man Killed and Several Wounded-State- |
ment ola Participant and Eyewitness |
The Police and Military Almost Power
less.
BELFAST, Aug. lG.-The city is again
completely upset. The hour of midnight
had hardly passed Saturday night when
firing was heard in the vicinity of North
Howard street, which runs between the
Shank Hill and the Falls road. At first
there were but few shots, and the au-
thorities did not give serious attention to
the matter. But the shots came quicker,
and it was soon apparent that the mobs
were again at each other. The night was
very dark, and it was almost impossible
to locate the firing, but it was soon discOy-
cred the Catholic mob was at the corner
of the Falls road and Conway street, and
the Protestant mob at the upper end
of Conway street, about quarter
of mile apart. The weapons used
were rifles and revolvers, but the range
was too long FOR the latter and no pos
sible harm could have been inflicted by
them. There was'the greatest confusion
among the police and the military forces.
The mobs shifted their ground and small
parties on each side lodged from corner
to corner and from house to house. The
policemen made two charges, and
the riot act was read twice by
the resident magistrate without any
result and the firing grew more
constant 1t was nearly six O'Clock be-
fore the police and military succeeded
in quellng the combatants.
Strange to say, there was not fatality
! on the Catholic side. One man was
killed and two were badly wounded on
the Protestant side. One of the Catho-
lies who carried a gun told me he hap
pened to see the killing of an Orange
| man whose name was Samuel MCFar-
land, man of twenty. "I saw" said
/ he, "one of our men, an ex-soldier and a
| good marksman, climb to the roof of a
house and get behind the chimney, max
! ing a rest for his Snider rife. 1t was in
| First street. close to Conway street, and
at about four o'clock. Mcfarland came
out into the middle of the street, firing
at other men. A shot from the man
at the chimney made Mcfarland throw
up both hands and tumble over. A
shout went up IRON the other side and we
moved up. Mcfarland Law there fully
thirty minutes, and knew he was dead,
for he never moved. BY and by two men
came out of house and started to take
him, but shot from the man at the
chimney hit one of them in the leg and
they dropped Mcfarland and got back.
Later on a woman and a man went out
and carried Mcfarland away"
Mcfarland was taken to DR.. Lewis
surgery on the Shank Hill road. Within
few minutes of his arrival two others
were brought there who received dan.
gerous wounds, James Smith, of East
land street, aged twenty-four, who was
struck while endeavoring to assist Nc
Farland, his wound being in the hip,
whence DR.. Lewis subsequently extracted
the ball of Snider rife, and secondly
Thomas Johnston, forty years of age, who
was shot at the corner of David street
The ball passed through his shoulder
smashing the blade and inflicting 6
lacerated wound at the point of its exit
He walked to DR.. Lewis, and after hi
had received surgical treatment he coolly
inquired from the medical men whether
he could 90 to his work in the morning
In the meantime there had been an at
tack on a squad of twenty-four police
men under the command of District In
spector Warburton, who had been sen
out at midnight to relieve thu
guard on the Springfield road
The attack came from the Protest
ant quarter. They had hardly takel
their places when report was heard ant
a bullet whistled between the head of tn,
inspector and that of one of his men
The marksman was behind hedge. II
q moment two other shots struck tn
ground near by. The police tool
refuge behind pile of bricks, whereup
, on the firing was renewed from anothe
quarter. The inspector then Withdrew
his men into q half-completed bricl
building near by, and kept them Their
during the remainder of the night. ON
of the bullets that struck the neighbOrin!
Catholic chapel was foundin the mornin!
and was of unusual size,
There was no shooting by the police
They seemed absolutely powerless. TIL
firing would be one moment from on
quarter, the next from another, and al
. that section of the city was in a state 0
= absolute terror.
3 The police were under strict orders no
I TO nre ana une dispersion Vi INC llOu wa
4 accomplished by a company of soldier
( who, however, did no firing. The onl
arrests made were those of a ma
and his two daughters who live
> in house from which the polio
saw shooting. They were Catholics an
. claimed that three mop forced their wa
into the house against their will, BIT
small confidence was put in this stor!
for the house is believed TO have been
: rendezvous for Catholics.
/ have learnt from a participant Thu
!, there were only nine guns on the Cath'
/. lie side. These were all Snider rifles
improved pattern. There were about a
II many Snider rifles on the Protes
ant side and several revolvers.
It would be difficult to describe Il
. appearance of the city yesterday.
o rained almost continuously, but this d
not deter the people of all size
o ages and classes from strollir
about the quieter districts and in
"a the riotous portion. The whole pc
4 ulation seemed to be on the streets in
state of great excitement The who
% body Of troops and police were und
;. arms and on active duty. Squads