Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-04-23
INSIDE STORIES
OF AMBySHES IN
ERIN DISCLOSED
Reports Show the Methods
Employed BY the Irish
Republican Army to Trap
Forces of Great Britain.
tBy The Associated Press)


London, April 22.--Inside stories
of the ambushes laid by the Irish
republican army to trap and Kill
squads of British eonstables in
Ireland are disclosed in the re-
ports from irish brigade com
manders which have just been Civ
en- out at the headquarters Of the
volunteers in Dublin. Most Of these
attacks have been reported by the
British but the Irish accounts are
now given for the first time,
They give the details of desper-
ate fights in which, sometimes, the
little British commands have been
decimated and at other times the
Irish have been driven off with
severe losses, for the irish vOlun-
teers occasionally run into Coun-
ter trap and find themselves eX-
posed to the whitening blast of O
machine gun.
Mines Block Passages.
These reports show the methods
employed to carry on the guerrilla
fighting, the hurried calls to as
semble the Irish attackers, efforts
to surprise the British constables
in some isolated spot and tell Of
the use of mines to block the pas
sage of motor cars so that the at
tack can be delivered with greater
execution.
A typical ambush is described in
report of the commander of the
East County Glare brigade. Thirty
five men, acting as scouts, attacked
a police lorry containing a district
inspector and nine constables at
Glenwood BelyoT, killing all but
four who escaped. Twenty Of the
attackers, it is stated were armed
with rifles and with double bar
relied shotguns. They were con-
cealed on one side of a road near
a stream.
LAS in previous ambush" the
commander reports, the main
body was divided into three par
ties The position which was Oc-
cupied at a. m. was not very ia
vorable, but we counted on the ele-
ment Of surprise and the concen-
trated fire OF fifteen of the rifles
and the ten shotguns in the first
volley to make up Tor shortcom-
ings and in this we were success !
full"
Car Raked With Fire.
They waited, it appears, until 4 |
O'Clock in the afternoon before the !
lorry came in sight. When the car
came into the center position" the |
report continues, 1T was raked |
with the fire of the twenty-four
guns, most of the police We're shot |
off and the car came to a dead |
step. Some of the police when they |
got on the road made an attempt |
to put up a fight but the second |
volley, which included all the ri
files, wiped them out.
What is termed IAN exceedingly |
risky operation as we We're half |
the enemy strength" was the at
tack in County Donegal on a mill
tary train from Derry. According
to the brigade commanders report |
the attacking party numbered |
twenty-six. Information was re-
ceived at $3.50 at night, the report
says, that the special train was to
leave Derry at 3 a. m. the next
morning.
Little time was left to choose
a position and get settled, but the
train was late, giving us three
quarters of an hour to get ready,
We chose cutting, one side of
which was on a level with the car
riage windows, At the ends of
each side we placed bombers and
rifle men and between We're placed
the remaining riflemen and the
others differently armed. Two
,,1o |
rails and the wire fences at each
side were pulled up to afford sale
exit The station building a short
distance away was taken posses
sion of and a green light dis
played.
Train Strikes Stones.
There were seven carriages on
he train and it was travelling at
! great speed when it struck the
stones.
Fire was opened from both sides
ind bomts were hurled through
ne windows. The fire was returned
rom the cab of the engine, where
/ Lewis gun was in position. our
'iflemen at the rear end of the
rain got down on the line for en-
'ilading fire, but after about ten !
minutes, | was forced to order a
-etreat to effect the safe escape of /
)ur men. Eight bombs were
brown, two of which we are GER
ain landed in the carriages,
I'm the retreat one of our par
les was surrounded twice but [
ought its way through on each
One of our men is miss
ng and we believe he has fallen,
nto the hands of the enemy No /
,ther casualties were suffered on
,ur side and, despite their denial,
We have every reason to believe
hat at least ten men We're either
titled ,or wounded on the enemy