Ogden Standard-Examiner | 1921-02-20 | Page 27 | Survivor Tells of Irish Ambush

survivor im OFIRUUSH LONDON, Feb. 1. (Cotrespond-I (Cotrespond-I enco of the Associated Press.) The , flrat detailed authentic account of the j killing of 17 auxiliary cadets of the Royal Irish ronstnhulary by .1 party I of Sinn Fein SfS near Macroom. Ire-I Ire-I land, on November 28. has Just been I Ob lined from tho solo survivor of the J ambushed party, Lieutenant II. I'. Fordo. The lieutenant has recovered I from his wounds In a Ixmdon mill-1 mill-1 tary hospital. AH previous accounts of tho affnlr have been based on deductions. de-ductions. In the absence of reports ' r-iTO eye-Wltliesscw Lieutenant Fordo suffered a bullet SrQUnd In tho head and was clubbed with tho butt of a rifle and left for dea d He says that tho two motor cars carrying tho cadets were attacked as I they were passing botweon rocky d -! 1 livltles on either side Just n.i Ihe I h ading car rati Into a ditch wbi' h had beon prepared for U Many of those In tho first car were wounded by the first fire from forces Conor alt d behind huge rocks. 1 Those in the second car came up : .I fought unill tho last man fell j wounded. Fords was lying wounded I wiien ho hes.-d the order to ceiLSo fire. 1 lie adds: "Then n larro number of at-laikers at-laikers from both tides rushed Into 1 in road. They wore the uniform of RrJtlsh soldiers and handled ua all very roughly, not cxcepMnK the dead. After knocking us about th' e 1. 1 on us to all stand up. "TWO of the party w re able t.. m lo their feet and wen- Immediati ly Hhot down at close rejigs by the 'shln-ncra.' 'shln-ncra.' .One of tho cadets noar me groaned and turned o'er. One of the Lilians plunKt-l a bayonet Into his back. I niullerod something and he turned to mo and after cursing mo, said it would be my turn noxt. I could sec the others going through the clorMng of the cadets who wi re being brutally treated. One of the j ; .11.1 tried to pull gold ring from my finger but failed The next thing I remember was when one of the in rolled mc over roughly, to see. I suppose. Whether I w is lie. id "When I woke up li was pitch dark. 'Ihe n Iiibushei-s bid retired lo t hoir positions and occasionally fired a few shots."