The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1920-11-24
BLACK AND TANS
ARE A HARD LOT
n. E. A. Correspondent

WASHINGTON NOV. Z4s-1He
BLACK and tans" who are men
| toned SO often In reports of do
ings in Ireland were the subject
Of questions by members OF the
special committee investigating
charges OF British atrocities In
Ireland.
Francis Racket, witness, e1-
planned that the so-called "black
and tans" get their name from the
trimmings of the Royal Irish Con
stabulary with the tan or KHAKI
uniform of the ex-army man.
These men are nominally aux
Hilary police. They have been sent
over from England to supplement
the constabuIary. The latter, hay-
Ing been in ireland for many
years, were believed to have gone
over to the cause Of the Irish Re
public.
In order. therefore, to stifIen
the British influence in the force,
the British government enlisted
these special men, mostly ex-army
men and some men with a crimt-
nal record, and sent them to Ire
land, each with the rank of SER
geant. This makes them superior
in authority to the old Irish con-
stabulary which fact incidentally
caused much hard feeling.
The black and tans draw a
pound a day to which Is shilltngs
is added II they are serving In
disturbed areas" So the black
and tan" is accused of keeping his
area disturbed"
Hackett informed the investi-
eating commission that many OF
these men in his judgment would
do anything from murder and ar
son down or up. Similar tes.t-
tnony given before the coLIIais-
sion seemed to justify this charge.
1t was all a narrowing, gruesome
tale, but there are dramatic
episodes that stand out with the
vividness of pictures taken by
1ashs of lightning. There is one
in the testimony Of Mrs. King, a
school teacher Of Irontown, O.,
who was travelling in Ireland to
visit the birthplace OF her mother.
She got the story from the mother
Of the boy killed the day after It
happened.
In one of the raids conducted
by the black and tans the latter
appeared Mt the door of a work
ingman's little cottage. 1t vas eve
ming and in response to the bang
ings on the door, an old woman
appeared with a candle in her
hand. She was pushed aside by
the black and tans who leaped up
the little stairway carrying electric
flashlights and drawn revolv-
ers. The only other occupant Of
the house was q hunch-baSked
crippled boy OF ~.
The black and tans rushed up
stairs and discovered the hunch-
backed boy in one of the oed
rooms. He was on the bed in an
attitude or prayer One of the
police fired a bullet which went
through the boys hands and face
killing him instantly.
1t is not denied that there hive
been killings Of the police by rep
resentatives OF the Sim Fem gov
eminent.
In a guarded way, the witnesses
explained that the killings Of po-
lice, of which the British govern
ment complains SO bitterly, were
decided upon by the Sim Fem
government after careful delibera-
ton and as a last desperate rem
edy against the brutalities and
killings which could no longer be
tolerated. In every case the mar
killed was a man who had been
given trial-that is, he had been
tried by a secret Sim Fein court
and testimony had been taken
showing that he was guilty of
some crime, somo uncalled for bru'
tality and that he ought to be exc
cuted.
The commission was told by
most of the witnesses that c"p l.
lions are becoming daily worse In
Ireland: that the railroads are ue-
coming gradually checked in :heir
operations by the government
and that famine is the next .areat
for the country. This. it is be-
lleved, Will set Tthe stage for a gen
eral massacre.