New-York tribune., 1922-03-25
Britain Invites the Irish
Leaders to London TO
Confer on Means TO
Quell New Outbreaks
Ulsterite Silent
AS Other Accepts
Five Slain, 2 Wounded
in Belfast Home as the
List of ReprisaIs Grows
Prom Tho Trtburc's Euroreon Bureoa.

FroM 1He Trt6n~r'o Europcdb Bured1t
Copyright, 1892. New York Tribune 1nc)
LONDON, March 24-"Owing to the
gravity Of recent events in Ireland. the
British government tonight dispatched
n formal request to Michael Collins
chairman Of the Free State provisional
government, and Sir James Craig,
Ulster Premier, to come to London i'm
mediately for q conference on means
of quictine the situation.
The request has been accepted by
Collins, who will leave Dublin to-mor-
row morning, despite the fact that his
presence is needed at home over the
weekend to forestall the attempt Of
the irish republican army convention
on Sunday to repudiate the authority
or the Dali Eireann. Premier Grain
has refused on two occasions to meet
Collins because of the intenseness Of
feeling in Ulster, but it is difficult to
see how he can reject the formal re-
quest OF the British government. and
he is expected to accept without delay.
New Disorders Cause Request
At the Colonial Office, which is
handling Irish affairs, it was explained
that the request was called forth by
the fresh outbreak Of disorders in Bel
fast and County Tyrone, where twelve
deaths were reported to-day. All the
shooting affairs were in the nature OF
reprisals, and general outbreak is
feared unless ways are found to iron
out sectarian difficulties.
The British request is along the
line suggested in both houses of Parla-
ment this week, where it was held that
q conference between Craig and Col
Inns seemed to offer the only hope of a
solution of the present difficulties
Both Collins and the Ulster Premier
were asked to bring with them any
colleagues they might desire, so that
the situation could be gone into ex-
haustively and all aspects considered.
Five Slain in One Home
The climax Of the sectarian warfare
in Belfast was the murder before daw1,
this morning of the family Of Owen
Mcmahon, a Catholic saloonkeeper. A
dozen armed men inv&ded his home
shot and killed him, his three eldest
sons and his barkeeper and mortaIly
wounded two other of McMahon's sons
Mrs. Mcmahon and the youngest son
escaped by fight.
Although McMahon had taken no
part in the political strife in Ulster
the outrage is believed to have been
carried out in reprisal for the assas-
sination yesterday of two Ulster con-
stables. Fear is expressed in Belfast
that the brutality which characte rice d
the McMahon murders may have a
long and bloody sequel and may even
precipitate general warfare between
Catholics and Protestants again.
Mcmahon was the owner of several
small saloons. He was awakened by
the forced entry of the gunmen into
his house in Antrim Road. The men
rushed through the house, awakened all
the male members of the family-the
oldest son was twenty-six years old
hauled them into the dining room, lined
them up and riddled them with bullets,
the bodies falling in a heap on the
floor. Two Of the boys slain were bar
tenders. The father was still alive
when moved to a hospital, but died
The two wounded sons were still alive
this afternoon, but were not expected
TO recover
The youngest son, seven years old,
lodged behind piece Of furniture and
moment later jumped out of rear
window after his mother. They fed to
a nearby nursing home and eluded
their pursuers. The gunmen made no
effort to steal anything from the house.
Belfast Death Toll Grows
BELFAST, March "a (By The Asso-
GATED Press ).-Joseph Campbell, a
Belfast city official, was shot and killed
by sniper in NeWlodge Road.
Armed men entered house in Altcar
Street tonight and wounded Peter