The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1922-05-24
STARTS RAID TO CLEAN
UP ULSTER AREA
Northern Ireland Government Takes
Drastice Action to Prevent Muir
ders by Sim Fein
MANY ESCAPE THE NET
Three Hundred or More Prisoners
Taken by Special Constables in
Big Clean-Up

Belfast May 23.-Three hundred
Us or more prisoners were taken by
special constables in the various
81 counties of Ulster today. The pris-
oners comprised for the most part
officers and men of the Irish Re-
4 publican army, as we'll as members
Of the Sim Fein and other organi-
cations opposed to the constituted
authorities here.
Although the Northern govern
ment had contemplated drastic ac-
1 ton against the Sim Fein,. it was
the assassination Of w. j. Twaddell,
q member of the Northern Parlia-
ment, that really decided the gov
!. elnment to act promptly. But at
the same time it reduced the num-
ber of captives in the round up, as
many of the leading Republicans
left Belfast, dreading reprisals, and
thus escaped the police net. 2
Prisoners to Be Interned
fhe prisoners will be interned,
but the place Of their internment
s1has not yet been decided.
Premier Craig in Parliament to-
day declared that the recent Sc
rious disorders made it clear that
foreible action was necessary, con-
y sequently he had issued new reg
uiaClol iiahilS membership III Ihe
Irish Republican army an offense
in itself. The government had fur
ther decided to arrest a number of
persons under observation because
4 it was impossible to allow such i'll
dividuals in Ulster to carry on a
conspiracy against authority. The
government would not hesitat, to
employ it's full power to suppress
such conspiracy.
The premier emphasized that this
action was not due to panic, but
had been in mind for some weeks.
He evidently anticipated reprisals,
for he proceeded to speak of the
military which would be required if
there was any invasion Of strength
against Ulster tonight.
Raid Carried Out
Belfast, May 23:-(By the Asso-
ciated Press.)- The greatest raid
in the recent history of Ireland was
carried out early today when
swarms of police swept through Uls-
ter and rounded up 200 Sim Fciners,
the majority of whom were Irish Re-
publican army officers.
The northern governments action
was taken, it was stated, in an eff
fort to suppress not only the Irish
Republican and the Irish Republi-
can Brotherhood, but al other Sim
Fein organizations in the six coun-
ty areas.
The governments move follows
! swiftly upon Irish Republican army
raids and burning of buildings in
the counties of Down and Antrim
and the intensified hostilitics in
Belfast recently eliminating in the
murder yesterday Of w. j. Twad-
doll ,,lnn,hnr nf bo IIlcfor Do,,1io
ment
Taken in Country Districts
Nearly every town and village in
Ulster was visited, but the bulk
of the prisoners was taken in the
country districts, from farm houses.
Comparatively few captures were
made in Belfast and most Of the
Irish Republican army men living
in the Sim Fcin districts of Bel
fast, anticipating action by the po-
ice as a result Of the Twaddell
The captures include Caapal Healy
member of the Fermanagh County
Council and prominent Sim Fein
leader in that district; Thomas c..
Corrigan, accountant for the Fer
managh County Council; Samuel
Sheridan, chairman of the recently
dissolved Ncwry Boards of Guard
ians, and Eugene McGilligan, coun-
ty councillor, who was the Sim
Fein candidate in North Derry at
the last general election.
The early estimates Of the num-
Der of prisoners taken ran as high
as 1900, but these proved to be
greatly exaggerated, and officials
expressed belief that up to this
noon the tota had not exceeded
200. In Belfast, particularly, the
number of Irish Republican army
mo ncaught fell far beolw the early
estimate.
PROTESTANTS RIDICULED