Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1921-05-06
INSIDE S 0 R|ES
Of AMbUSHES FOR
BRITISH OFFICERS
REPORT OF IRISH BRIGADE COM
mANpERs TELL OF TRAPS LAID
FOR ENGLISH coNSTA6LEs,

London, May C. inside stories
the ambushes laid BY the Irish Repu'
lcan army to trap and Kill squads G
British Constables in Ireland are dl'
closed in the reports from Irish br
Rade commanders which have JUS
been given out at the headquarters o
the Volunteers in Dublin Mos o
these attacks have been reported b.
the British but the Irish accounts are
now given for the first time
They give the details Of desperate
fights in which. sometimes, the ut i
British commands have been driver
off with severe losses Tor Irish Vol
unteers occasionally run into a coun
fer trap and find themselves exposed
10 the whitening blast OF a machine
gun
These reports show the methods
pmplowed 20 barry on the guerilla
fighting. the hurried calls to assemble
the Irish attackers, efforts TO surprise
the British constabes in some isolat.
ed spot aud tell Of the use OF mines
TO block the passage OF motor cars so
that the attack can be delivered with
greater execution.
A typical ambush is described IN a
report of the commander OF the East
County Clare brigade Thirty'iye
men. five acting as scouts, attacked a
police lorry containing district m
spector and nine COnstabIes at Glen
wood Relvor killing all but four who
escaped Twenty Of the attackers, II
is stated, were armed with rifles and
ten with dOuble.barrelled shotguns
They were concealed on one side OF q
road near q stream.
AS in previous ambush. the com
mander reports, the main body was
divided into three parties. The posi-
ton which was occupied at : a. m"
was not very favorable. but we count
ed on he element of surprise and the
concentrated fire Of fifteen of the
rifles and the ten shotguns in the first
volley TO make up for shortcomings
and in this we were successful"
They waited, it appears. until four
O'Clock in the afternoon before the
lorry came in sigh When the car
came into the center position the
report continues. cit was raked with
the fire of the twentyfour guns. most
OF the police were shot off and the car
came to dead stop Some Of the po-
lice when ,hey got on the road made
an attempt to put up a fight but the
second yolev, which included all the
rifles, wiped them out
What is termed IAN exceedingly
risky operation as We were half the
enemy strength" was the attack in
County Donegal on a military train
from Derry. According to the hri-
gade commanders report the attack
ing party numbered twenty-six In
formation was received al $3.50 at
night. the report says that the special
train was to leave Derry al 3 a. m,
the next morning.
Little time was left 10 choose a.
position and get settled. but the train
was late giving us three-quarters Of
an hour o gei ready We chose a
cutting, one side of which was on a
level with the carriage windows. At
the ends of each side we placed
bombers and rifle men and between /
were placed the remaining rife men
and the others differently armed. Two
large boulders were placed on the
rails and the wire fences at each side
were pulled up to afford a safe exit. |
The station building a short dis ance
away was taken possession of and a
green light displayed.
There were seven carriages on the /
train and it was travelling at a great /
speed when it struck the stones
Fire was opened from DO II sides /
and bombs were hurled through the |
windows. The fire was returned from
the cab of the engine. where a Lewis /.
gun was in position Our rifiemen at |
the rear end of the train got down on
the line for entiading fire. but after
about ten minutes. | was forced to or |
der a retreat to effeCi the safe escape
Of our men, Eight bombs We're thrown, /
two of which we are certain landed .
in carriages
III tHc ISlIcdl one Ol our TWO par /
ties were surrounded twice but fought /
it's way through on each occasion .
One Of our men is missing and we be
lieve he has fallen into the hands of .
the enemy No other casual les were .
suffered on our side and despite their
denial, we have every reason to be-
lieve that al least ten men were either .
killed or wounded on tho enemy side"