The New York herald., 1921-01-11
SllN FEIN AMBUSH
BRITISHTO DIVERT
DE VALERA HUNT
Gunmen Attack Officers
and Attempt to Kill an
Englishwoman.
MOTOR CAR RIDDLED
Tactics Used Similar to
nose in Attempt on
Visc0unt French.
MAN HUNT SPIRITED
Search for Irish Chief Stim-
ulated by DenunciatiOn of
White Book Charges.

special Gable to THE NEW York HERALD
Copyright, 1891. bv THE New York HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau,
London, Jan. 10. r.
A renewed burst of activity on the
part of the Sim Fein forces in the
counties surrounding Dublin, with an
other attack to-day on a motor Car
bound for Dublin Castle. and similar to
the attempt to kill Viscount French,
Lord Lieutant of Ireland, last Decem-
ber, Is looked on in London Is an at
tempt to distract the attention Of the
Crown forces in their systematic
search for the leaders of the Sim Fein
movement, particularly Eamon de Val
era, Michael Collins and James Null
cahy.
De Valera's denunciation Of the
British Governments charges in the
White Book, issued Saturday, that
Sim Fein plotted with Germany
against England during the war is re-
garded as almost certain to stimulate
Dublin Castles search for him.
The ambush which occurred in Dublin
to-day when gunner tried to kill two
British officers and a woman. is the
most sensa ational for weeks. One report
sad this woman was the wife of one of
:he officers, while another report said she
was the widow Of one Of the men muir
dered in Dublin last November and that
she was on her way to Dublin Castle
to try to identify a man who was helu
en- the charge of having murdered her
hrsband This is believed to have been
the first time the Sim Fein have tried to
kill an English woman.
AS the automobile approached Charlie
mont Bridge. over a canal in the out
skirts of Dublin, this morning a shot was
fired. Thechauffeur. thinking a tire had
purst, slowed down, whereupon two more
shots were fired, the bullets passing
through the hood and the windshield of
the automobile At the same time two
r1en stepped from the side of the road
and opened fire with revolvers at close
renge. while Il third man jumped on the
running board and, clinging TO the hood,
fired twice point blank at the woman.
The driver speeded up his car and
crossed the bridge. when a horse and
wagon was driven across the road in
front of him. blocking the way after
the fashion of an old Sim Fein trick
and which very nearly cost the life of
Niscount French when the Sim Fein.
adopting like tactics. tried to murder
him last December. However this time
the chauffeur drove head-on against the
wagon, striking It such blow that he
knocked il out of the road and sped
straight ahead for the Castle. while
eight or ten men In the Sim Fein at
lacking party fired fusillade of shots
after the automobile.
One of the officers in the motor car
was grazed by bullet, but not seriously
wounded. while the other officer was
cut by flying glass. Two bullets passed
through the woman's clothing. but she
was uninured.
The automobile was ridded with bull
let's. a man working near the bridge
said the affair was over in about a
minute. When the automobile disap-
peared the assailants walked slowly
away. making no attempt TO hide their
identity. Officials in Dublin Castle re-
fused to make public the names of the
two officers and the woman.