The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-06-17
BRITAINBARES
ARMINC IRISH
FROM AMERICA
Gun Seizure in HObOken
STAGED to Furnish Abb
sOlute Proof"
LONDON EXPECTS
CONGRESS TO ACT
u. S. Customs Employees
Linked with Plot, Say
Reports.
Special cable to The Washington Herald
and United Eevs.)

Special Cable to The Warrington nehh
and United ssvs)
LONDON. June 16.-Confronted
Fith the worst gun-running cam
,aign in fifty years of Irish trou-
,le, Great Britain's secret service
,oastal patrols and and confidential
Igents of the Irish office are CO.
,perating with Scotland Yard men
10Th here and in America to shut
n this source Of armament.
Highly sensational developments
re expected IL the rebel agents do
Tot quit trying to smuggle arms to
he Sim Fein army from America
he British intelligence. service pro-
esses that it has long been aware
hat a certain make of machine gun
vas being purchased by American
;inn Feiners. Two consignments of
orty and fourteen respectively, are
believed to have reached Ireland.
Inventor an American.
After a consultation. officials here
ACNANCN " NAPOSC NiAN ~
Ieizing a shipment in Hoboken,
which was done Wednesday, instead
Il waitink until il arrived OF the
.urnish irrefutable proof of the
ource Of the weapons
The inventor of the gun. Gen.
Thompson, formerly of the Ordnance
Department of the United States
Irmy, Is now in London and has
peen here for a considerable time
iegotiating-almost successfully
% sell his patents to the British
government. Army gunnery experts
made exhaustive tests of the weapon
md approved it. Recommendations
re now before the British Treasury
or the purchase of the patents, but
hey probably will be cancelled. ow-
ng to suspicion that persons con-
serned with manufacture of the
;uns have been dealing with Ameri-
an Sim Feiners.
Captured Sim Fein docume nts
gave the British authorities their
irst clue to alleged smuggling of
guns from the United States. Other
documents disclose that the
Weapon in question has been desig-
mated as the chief weapon of the
irish Republican army. Elaborate
directions as to its operation were
vent out. accompanied by footnotes
igned by Richhard Mulcahy, chief
II stan Of the Sim Fein army.
Gun is Small.
The gun uses a AS caliber U. S.
army pistol she'll. which is said to
De the ammunition most easily
AVAILABLE. The gun itself is small
and compact, and ideal for guerilla
warfare ginst the police, s it can
De carried under a mans raincoat.
The magazines are so smll that they
:an fit into a mans coat pockets.
British destroyers are constantly
patrolling the Irish Coast to catch
gun runners and have already cap
Eured fairly large consignments of
various sorts of weapons and am
nunition whichh had been packed
n bags and suitcases and thrown
overheard attached to improvised
MARKER buoys which enabled fish
.rmen to pick them up later.
officials here anticipate that the
United States Congress will make
IN official investigation and perhaps
.ause the discharge of some sub
ordinate officials of the Customs ed
,artment as a result of disclosures
which are expected to be made.
I'VE are expecting America to
take care OF her end of this matter
said an official of the Irish office
That is why we tipped the situa-
ion and caused the raid in Hobo
zen, instead of waiting to seize the
guns over here"