Evening star., 1922-08-24
THRONGS At DOCK
AS COLLINS BODY
REACHES DUBLIN
City Pays Remarkable Trib-
ute as Remains Are Borne
to Hospital Chapel.
MANY KISS FOREHEAD
OF FALLEN. LEADER
Five Mentioned as Possible Sue
cessor-Parliament to Meet
Saturday.
By the Associated Press.

OatuTQ6y.
By the Associated Press.
DUBLIN, August 24.-Draped in the
beloved tricolor of Ireland. the coffin
containing the body of Michael Col
| Inns. slain chief of Ireland's new Free
! State government. was landed here
today from the steamer Classic and
borne through the streets amid an
multitude.
Gen. Collins body was met at the
dock by large throngs Of mourners
including Richard Mulcahy, chief OF
staff. and other prominent representa-
tives of the army. The body was
/ taken on gun carriage. preceded by
a band Of pipers, to st. Vincent's Hos
tpital chapel.
Prayers were said as the procession
passed in silence, broken only by the
distant crack of snipers' rifles in vari-
Gus parts of the grief-stricken city.
The cortege was f1anked by a line of
Dublin guards marching in slow time
with the muZZfes of their revolvers
protruding from the holsters. A de-
forms followed. They were the only
nnarmed uniformed men In the pro-
cession.
Body to Lie In City Hall.
1t was arranged to remove the body
from ST. Vincent's Hospital to the city
hall later in the day in order to give
the thousands of sorrowing Irishmen
and women an opportunity of seeing
for the last time the features of their
l,,f,, yto4a
row the remains will be taken to the
pro-cathedral, where high requiem
mass will be sung preceding the fu-
neral at the Glasnevin cemetery on
Monday.
Regular officers draped. the plain
oak casket in the Free State colors
and placed it on the wooden platform
built on the eighteen-pounder gun
carriage. The dead generals charger
was led. riderless, alonsside.
The members of the provisional
government and deputies Of the dali
eireann,e together with the members
OF, the headquarters staff, imme ediately
followed Then came the throngs of
bareheaded men and women, many of
them making no effort to restrain
their tears
Crimson Stain ON Uniform.
Collins lay dressed exactly as he
met death, the uniform bearing the
crimson stain which told the story
of the end. Poignant scenes were
witnessed in the little chapel as the
mourners came and went.
Miss Kitty Herman. Collins fiancee,
and his sister. Miss Powell Collins.
were among the first to enter the
chapel. After them. others came in
gering before the body and reluctant
to leave 1t.
Many kissed the forehead of Ire
lands dead commander-in-ch chief.
Meanwhile. nuns moved silently to
and fro in the pale light of the can
the coffin with a canvas. painting the
historic portrait of the dead hero.
Among the little band Of fighting
men who made the last stand with
Collins and who followed the body of
the slain hero through the Dublin
streets. with lowered head and tear
blinded eyes. was a boyish figure
wearing a ragged civilian coat and a
tweed cap. Across his shoulders he
carried a machine gun, the same gun
with which he said afterward he had
poured a hail of lead into Collins at
tackers.
Tells Graphic Story of Ambush.
Afer the procession was dismissed
he told an interviewer in a shy and
diffident manner and In a voice often
choked by emotion, vivid story
of the fatal ambush.
"The car in which Collins was
riding" NE said. was the first to
meet the ambushers' fire. There
were at least ESQ of them against
twelve of US. 1t was about o'clock
when we passed through the viii
laee. We had not gone over 400
yards along the road, when from
both sides we were caught by a
deadly criss-cross of machine gun
fire.
to drive at full speed. but the gen
eraI ordered him to halt and told us
to take cover He took command of
the whole situation and directed the
fire against the attackers for nearly
an hour. Two machine guns kept
up incessant firing at Mtck's open
car. hut up to then no one had been
, hurt and it began to look as though
| the irregulars were going to scatter
! in order to risk no more casualties.
Collins Fell, Shot in Head.
cit was during a lull in the at
tackers' fire that Mick noticed q
sniper creeping on hands and knees
sone distance down the road benind
him. Mick Immediately went about
g dozen yards in his direction with
the object of stopping further move
ment in the rear of the party. AT
that moment heavy firing swept
across the road from both SIDES. Ine
gun in the whippet armored car
\ z