New-York tribune., 1920-11-27
No Formal Charge Made

- LONDON. Nov 2s.-The Irish Office,
,. in stating this noon that Arthur Grif
ifth had been arrested in DubllN at 2
o'clock this morning, said no formal
charge had yet been preferred against
hing. He was taken away in lorry to
"a destination which was not made
public.
Sir Hamar Greenwood, Chief Secre
cary for Ireland. in the House of Com
mons this afternoon read a telegram
from Dublin concerning the arrest OF
Mr.. Griffith, saying he was taken into
custody during the systematic raids
which were being made throughout
Dublin following last Sundays mur-
ders of British officers. The message
: found in Mr.. Grifith's house which
necessitated further investigation and
that Mr.. Griffith was being detained
pending its result.
MANCHESTER, England, Nov. &C.
The Lord Mayor and Chief Constable
OF Manchester. acting with authority
from the Home Secretary, issued an
order to-day prohibiting the meetings
had proposed to hold Saturday and
Z Sunday. 1t was at these meetings that
oArch.r Griffith had promised to speak.
20 The authorities explained that they
had reason to apprehend the holding
of such meetings would conduce to
u breach OF the peace and promote dis
affection.
In the absence in America of Eamon
de Valera, "Presdent of the Irish Re-
public Arthur Griffith has been prob
ably the most active spokesman in Ire
Land fo: the cause of Irish freedom.
1t was only last night in an interview
cabled 70 this country that he charged
the policy of raprisals in Ireland was
determined upon by England more
than year ago and inaugurated last
March with the assassination of Lord
Mayor MacCurtain of Cork.
Every bo1y in Ireland deplored the
bloodshed, MIR. Griffith said, "but Eng
iand started it, and she could get It
stopped in twenty-four hours If she
$50 wished" At the outset of his inter
view Mr.. Griffith disclamed any respon
sibilIty for the operations of the "mur
der gang" .he existence of which was
charged by Sir Hamar Greenwood,
onhieI Secretary for ireland. in q re-
cent speech. The real murder gang"
WAS in Dublin Castle, Mr. Griffith de-
cared.
Arthur Griffith began to come into
. prominence n the Sim Fein move
nent in lrslard in 1917, and he pre-
sided at the opening Of the Sim F6in
conference in Dublin in October of tat
year. In d by-eiee.ion in June. 1918,
ne was elected u the House OF Com
moas Sor East Cavan. ana was returned
for tais consti ueucy and Northwest
Tyrone in the general election OF the
same year. Like the other Sim Fein
members, however, he GRAINED from
rAEaHing lis seat after the general elec-
ton. Last year he WAS elected one OF
the VIC presidents OF ,he Sinn fein
Organization. During the hunger strike
Of Lord Mayor MacSwiney OF Cork he
was the author Of an appeal to Presi-
dent Wilson and all the heads Of gov
ernmerts on behalf Of the Lord Mayor.
Professor John MacNeill. is profes-
sor Of Jaw in the National University Of
Ireland. In May, 1916. he was found
guilty by court martial of comp icity
in the Las er rebellion Of that year
and sentenced to life imprisonment, but
was recessed during l9l7. and III the
rourd-up OF Sim Fen leaders by the
British the next ear he was one Of the
few prominent SIM Ftiners VINO were
ret arrested. In the general election Of
1918 he Wa chosen to Parliament as Il
Sim Fe!ner, but did not take his seat.