Evening star., 1922-11-24
EXECUTE CH|LDERS
AS DUBLIN ECHOES
WITH SHARP FIRING
Free State Carries Out Sem
tenCe When Effort for
Stay Fails.
By tho Associated F'ress.

J SSssSs
BY tho Associated Press.
DUBLIN. November "a. Erskine
Childers. chief lieutenant OF Eamonn
DC valera, was executed here at :
o'clock this morning for having had
an automatic pistol in his possession
II Is announced in an official bulletin
given out by the national army.
The brief army report states that
Childers was tried by a military court
at Portobello barracks, Dublin, No
vember II, charged with being in pos
session, without proper authority, of
an automatic pistol when apprehended
by national forces November 10, at
Aunamoe House. County Wicklow
The accused. the report adds, was
round guilty and sentenced to- death
and the finding and sentence being
duly confirmed.
No Casualties Reported.
The concerted machine gun and rifle
firing in several districts Of the city
last night, believed to have been
staged as a demonstration against the
expected execution of Erskine
Childers. exceeded in intensity and
duration all of Dublin's previous ex-
periences of this nature. Thus far
however, no casualties have been re-
ported.
Bullets began to fly soon after 9
O'Clock and the din lasted until after
midnight The firing was not con-
fined to any one district. but ranged
over the center of the city, and thus
had the effect of terrifying the maxi
mum number of people. for the
height of it's intensity coincided with
the outpouring of theater crowds.
Many of these people fled back to
the theaters for shelter and the main
streets were speedily emptied of pc
destrians. The tramcars continued to
operate, however, but bullets cut the
overhead wires on some lines and the
passengers were forced to make their
way home as best they could. a,-s--sz
Machine Guns Used.
The main feature of the outburst
was the frequent employment Of ma
chine guns stationed on houetops.
The points attacked were mainly pro-
lection posts occupied by national
troops guarding threatened premises,
both public and private.
Practically every one of these posts
was attacked. and in some instances
the fights grew TO the proportions of
pitched battles, striking terror into
the civilians covering in their homes
or other places of refuge.
Last Effort Fails.
The fate of 'Childers has been hang
ing in the balance for several days,
while court actions were being fought
out over his military trial, but, with
the adverse finding by the master of
the rolls yesterday. on application
for a stay of judgment, the feeling
evening was that the next thing heard
of ChilderS would be the news of his
execution.
While the method of execution was
not officially described. it is believed
it was by shooting.
Opposed Free State.
Childers was an ardent proponent of
an Irish republic and strongly op-
posed ratification of the treaty set
ting up the Irish Free State, on the
ground that it meant absorption Of
Ireland in the British empire He
was defeated last June in the cleo
tions for the south Irish parliament,
receiving fewer votes than any other
candidate in the whole election.
Early in the next month he was re-
ported to be organizing a band of
insurgents in the Dublin hills and later
irregulars who cut the cable in VAL
entia harbor.
Childers was educated at Trinity
College, Cambridge. He served in the
European war as lieutenant COM
mander of the royal navy volunteer
1916, and won the distinguished serv-
ice cross for his service with the anti
submarine forces.
Author of Many Volumes.
Childers was the author of several
books. Among them were 1.-THE
Framework of Home Rule" volume
V of the Times History of the South
African War" "In the Ranks of C.
/. "" and German Influence on Bri-
tish Cavalry"
Childers was captured on the morn
ing of November 10 at the home of a
relative, Robert Barton, situated in a
wooded and picturesque section of
Wicklow.
Two columns of national troops
surrounded the Barton house at dawn.
One of the soldiers raped on the door
and was answered by a maid The
servant was thrust aside and a de-
tachment of the expedition entered
the house.
Childers was found in an upstairs
bedroom He attempted to draw a
pistol, but was overpowered. He was
taken to Wicklow jail and later to
Portobeilo barracks, Dublin.
Robert Barton, one of the sigma
tories Of the Anglo-Irish treaty, later
turned against it.
ENGLAND Is SURPRISED