The Washington times., 1922-08-14
b0LANDLETTER
CALLS COLLINS
BRITAIN 5 TOOL
Message Written Few Days
Before Death Is Read to
Irish in New York.
BY Cosmopolitan News Service.

NEW YORK. Aug. IL. The
following historic letter from Harry
Boland, written on the Dublin Hills
q few days before his death from
bullet wounds, to Joseph Mccarthy,
OF Philadelphia. was read to 1000
sympathizers of the Irish republic
who held a memorial service for
Roland here. Before the Irish Free
State was established, Boland repre-
sented Sim Fein in America. 1t
was Boland and Michael Collins,
now premier of the Irish Free State,
who effected the release of Eamonn
de Valera from an English prison
and started the Irish rebellion. The
letter:
"on the Dublin Mountains.
July Z. 1922.
my dear Joe:
"As 1 may not be in position to
write to you again for some time
and 1t may very well be that shall
fall in this awful conflict. j want to
place on record the events that have
led up to this British manufactured
war on the republic.
I'm my last letter to you I wrote
In a happy strain, as we had signed
a pact of peace Collins and De
ton cabinet. You will remember
that the pact was received with
great alarm by the British. so much
30 that Lloyd George called Griffith
and Collins to London and raised
hell with them.
Worked Out q Pact.
I'VE do not know that Griffith
carried the draft constitution of the
Irish Free State with him to Lon
don. Said constitution was not &C.
ceptable to l.. @. and his cabinet,
with the result that the document
was handed over by Griffith and
company to the British. experts. who
in turn worked out a constitution
which made Ireland safe for the
empire.
Some days before election day,
Mick Collins left for London. What
transpired there we can only guess
At. However. Mick arrived In Cork
on the night before polling day and
In speaking to the crowds that had
gathered in welcome. he, Mick, broke
the pact and advised the people to
vote for any one they choose. He
also said that he could now speak
unhindered by the coalition
The elections showed that the peo-
pie favored the treaty and our party
lost many seats, nevertheless we
were prepared to work with them in
order to stabilize conditions in the
country. AS you know, I was the
liasion, or medium acting between our
party and Collins:
Used British Artillery.
IT expected a call from Mick as
TO the men on our side who would be
required to fill the posts in the Cab
met, in accordance with the agree
ment. No word came. Instead, in
the early hours Of Wednesday MORN
ing, June 2S, the Free State army
opened the attack on the Four Courts
with four pieces OF British artillery.
"As a result of this attack the
country Is at war again. and all Ire
land is ablaze. O'Connell street 10
again in ruins and every county In
Ireland Is up. I have been in the
Gray since the start, and the chief
Is now at general headquarters MEL
low).
Munster is solid for the republic,
as Is most OF the west. I do not
know what may happen in Munster
II the Free State troops invade that
area OF one thing am certain. we
cannot be defeated. even II Collins
and his British guns succeed in gar
risonins every town in Ireland. The
government Of the Free State shall
not function, as they and their army
and officials shall be treated exact
ly as the Black and Tans were treat
ed by the /. r. A.
Mick has outdone Greenwood. His
Green and Tans raided St. Endas at
:11:S0 p. m. last night and caused
Mrs. Pearse to break down. Can you
understand the mentality OF men
who are prepared to carry Ireland
into the empire over the bodies Of
republicansf
Calls It Drunken Treaty"
Tho supreme council, I. r. b. are
being rewarded for their treachery
by being placed as military COVER
nors of his Ms prisons! O'Hegarty
IL governor Of Mount Joy and Omer-