The Osceola times., 1886-08-21
THE BELFAST RIOTS.


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-
thorlties 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 Il was almost impossible
TO locate the firing. but 1t 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 a mile apart. The weapons used
were rifles and reyolyers, but the range
was too long for the latter and no pos
siblc 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. II 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 a man of twenty. al saw said
he, "one of our men, an eX.soldicr and a
good marksman, climb to the roof of a
house and get behind the chimney, max
ing a rest for mis- 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. shot from the man
at the chimney made Mcfarland throw
up both hands and tumble over. A
shout went up from the other side and we
moved up. Mcfarland lay there fully
thirty minutes, and knew he was dead,
for he never moved. BY and by tNo men
came ont Of house and started to take
chimney hit one of them in the leg and
they dropped Mcfarland and got back.
Later on woman and man went out
and carried Mcfarland away"
Mcfarland was taken 10 DR.. Lewis
surgery on the Shank Hill road. Within
a few minutes of his arrival two others
were brought there who received dam
gerous wounds, James Smith, of East
..f,s g.,
struck while endeayoring to assist Nc
Farland, his wound being in the hip,
whence DR.. Lewis subsequently extracted
the ball of a Snlder 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 inficting a
laccrated wound at the point of its exit
lie walked to DR. Lewis and after he
had received surgical treatment he Coolly
inquired from the medical men whether
he could 20 to his work ia 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 sent
out at midnight 10 relieve the
guard on the Springfield road.
The attack came from the Protest
ant quarter They had hardly taken
their places when a report was heard and
a bullet Whistled between the head OF the
inspector and that Of one of his men.
The marksman was behind a hedge. In
a moment two other shots struck the
ground near by. The police took
refuge behind pile OF bricks, whercup-
on the firing was renewed from another
quarter. The inspector then withdrew
his men into a hali-completcd brick
building near by, and kept them there
during the remainder of the night. One
of the bullets that struck the neighboring
Catholic chapel was found in the morning
and was of unusual size.
There was no shooting by the police.
They seemed absolutely powerless. The
firing would be one moment from one
quarter, the next from another, and all
that section Of the city was in state Of
absolute terror.
The police were under strict orders not
to fire and the dispersion Of the mob was
accomplished by company Of soldiers
who, however, did no firing. The only
arrests made were those of a man
and his two daughters who lived
In a house from which the police
saw shooting. They were Catholics and
claimed that three men forced their way
into the house against their will, but
small confidence was put in this story,
for the house is believed to have been a
rendezvous for Catholics.
have learnt from a participant that
there were only nine guns on the Catho-
lie side. These were all Snider rifles,
improved pattern There were about as
many Snider rifles on the Protest
ant side and several reyolvers.
II would be difficult TO describe the
appearance of the city yesterday. 1t
raincd almost continuously, but this did
not deter the people Of all sizes,
ages aud classes from stroling
about the quietcr districts and into
the riotous portion. The whole pop
uation seemed to be on the streets in
state of great excitement. The whole
body of troops and police were under
arms and ON active duty. Squads of
Royal dragons in long, loose wa.
ter-proof coats, rode at quick pace
up and down many of the streets,
and long lines Of them were on their
horses all day in the yard of the college
barracks. At every street crossing in
the riotous quarter there was either a
company of soldiers or of police.
Several companies of the famous Black
Watch regiment from Scotland were on
the Shank llill and Falls roads and pre-
senled n picturesque appearance, with
bright-colOred kits and long heavy black
plumes.