The Monmouth inquirer., 1922-07-06
CIVIL WAR
IN IRELAND
All Dublin Traffic Halted While
Armed Revolters March Streets
and City Roars With Gunfire.
MANY SLAIN AND WOUNDED
Civilians Shot Down by Vagrant Bull
Iets-Big Guns Used to Batter
Walls; Fighting Spreads
Through City Streets.

London.-The Free State provision
al government is solely responsible for
the operation against the rebels at
Four Courts and has declined all Brit
ish offers of assistance, Winston
Churchill, secretary of state for the
Colonies, told the house of commons.
1t was generally believed here that
the Free State attack was the result
of Great Britain's warning that unless
the provisional cabinet took steps to
put down disorders the London gov
ernment itself would have to step IN
and take suitable measures. The
colonial secretary, however, indicated
that the real reason for the attack
was the renewed aggressive and an
archistic action of the insurgents.
Dublin.-Civil war between the Free
State and the Irish republicans broke
out in Dublin, when provisional gov
ernment troops opened fire on the
rebel headquarters, the -Four Courts
Building, overlooking the Liffey River.
An artillery attack, followed by steady
machine gun and rife fire throughout
the day from every nearby vantage
point failed to drive the republicans
from their stronghold.
To the people of Dublin the battle
meant that the great day had come
for a test of strength between the
pro-treaty forces and those who stood
out for an Irish republic
Terrific fire was returned by the
rebels, who had every advantage of
show that the Free Staters have lost
only five dead and twenty wounded.
The republicans report only one man
killed and several wounded. Many
civilians have been killed or wounded
by stray bullets.
At daybreak the Collins army under
the leadership of Richard Mulcahy,
chief of staff and for long time a
comrade of O'Connor, opened fire on
the Four Courts Building, which bad
been barricaded with sandbags by the
irregulars. Twelve Founders were
used at first and they tore great holes
through the solid masonry after
breaches had been made in the outer
works. Several thousands troops We're
used in the assault which was made
on all sides simultaneously.
AS the day wore on the fighting
spread to different parts of the city.
A body of rebels, ensconced in Fowler
Memorial Hall in Parnell Square, set
fire to the building when they were
driven out by the Free Staters. The
rebels seized two hotels in the i'm
mediate neighborhood, the Hughes and
the Moran, and quickly fortified them
as best they could with furniture of
all sorts, in preparation for another
siege.
Other rebel forces came to the res
cue Of the beleaguered -Four Courts
forces by seizing the Clarence Hotel,
near Gratlan Bridge; barry's Hotel, in
Great Denmark street, and other struc-
lures, thereby forcing the Free Staters
to withdraw some of their attacking
forces from the Liffey scene of attack.
Two ambushes of Free State forces
extended the zone of hostilities to dis
tant parts of the city, both in areas
where British troops frequently had
made attacks in the old days. In Les
son street a car containing an officer
and two soldiers was bombed and the
three were wounded. A second attack
occurred in Camden street. known as
the .'Dardanelles" because of the num-
Der Of attacks made there during the
period of British occupation. Three
occupants of a Free State lorry were
seen to collapse at this point following
a fusillade.
During the afternoon a motor car
containing republican reinforcements
from Kildare dashed along the Liffey
quay, exchanging shots with the Free
State outposts. One occupant of the
car was wounded and three others
were captured by the Free Staters.