The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1921-04-22
IRISH REPUBLICANS
DISCLOSE METHODS
OF AM BUSH
(R Associated Press)

London, April 22.-Inside stories of
the ambushes laid by the Irish Repuo-
hcan Army to trap and kill squads
of British constables in Ireland are
brigade commanders which have Just
been given 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 desperate
British commands have been decima-
tied and at other times the Irish have
been driven off with severe losses,
for the Irish Volunteers occasionally
run into counter trap and find them
selves exposed to the whitening blast
! of a machine gun.
These reports show the methods en-
ployed to carry on the guerrilla fight
ing, the hurried calls to assemble the
Irish attackers, efforts to surprise the
British constables in some isolated
spot and tell Of the use of mines to
block the passage of motor cars so
that the attack can be delivered with
Igreater execution.
A typical ambush is described In a
report Of the commander Of the East
County Glare brigade. Thirtylfive
men, five acting as scouts, attacked q
Ipolice lorry containing a district in
spector and nine constables at Glen
wood Belvoir killing all but four who
ESCAPED Twenty of the attackers,
and ten with double -barrelled shot
guns. They were concealed on one
side oe road near stream.
"As in previous ambush,' the
commander reports, the main body
was divided into three parties. The
lposition which was occupied at a
M, was not very favorable, but W.
counted on the element Of surprise and
, the concentrated fire Of Is of this
: rifles and the ten shotguns in tho
{ first volley to make up for shorteom
: ings and in this we were successful. ,
They waited, it appears, until fou
5 'clock in the afternoon before th'
. lorry came in sight. ''When the ca
i came into the center position.' tn
g report continues, cit was raked witt
the fire Of the "a guns, most OF Til
L police ere shot off and the car cam
Il to dead stop. Some of the polio
T. when they got on the road MADE al
c attempt to put fight but the secon
vollev, which included all the rifles
;, wiped them out.
What is termed can exceedingly
:, risky operation as we were half tn
=. enemy strength' was the attack i
:, County Donegal on a military trai
= from Derry According to the brigad
commanders s report the attacking PAL
tv numbered 26 Information wa
lreceived at $50 at night, the repor
G. says. that the special train was t
Us leave Derry at a. M, the next morn
ST. ing.
a 'Little time was left to choose
S position and get settled, but the trai
" was late. giving us three-quarters
ID an hour to get ready. We choose
cutting, one side Of which was on
"A level with the carriage windows. A
IN the ends of each side we placed boml
~ ers and rifle men and between wei
"a. placed the remainin riflemen an
wv the others differently armed. Tw
va large boulders were placed on IL
M rails and the wire fences at each sic
q were pulled up to afford a safe ext
nv The station building short distan'
Nv away was taken possession Of and
green light displayed.
ttThere were seven carriages
the train and it was travelling at
great speed when it struck the stone
86 .FFire was opened from both sid