A DESPERATE FIGHT BY A BRAVE TENANT. ™*
The special corseapondent of the DublinFreeman, writing from Kilrush, says :—To-day was devoted exclusively to the eviction
of: Matthias Magrath, oi Moyasta, and a strangervisiting the scene would have been bewildered bythe ex raordinary preparations made for accomplishing that purpose. The house itself is a smallthatched building on the road between Kilrushand Kilkee, and the picture presented by the hus
sars, the infantry, the police, the resident magistrates, einergencymen, army surgeon, and armyambulance to turn out the family was one of extraordinary suggestiveness. As on. every daysince the campaign commenced, every shop inKilrush had its shutters up, and the chapel* belltolled as the forces marched from Kilrush de
mesne.The tenant was hard-working, steady, and respectable in all his relations of life, and a morepitiable or a more touching spectacle, putting jaside even the merits of the case, never presenteditself than that of his house and home beingsmashed to pieces to-day. Ihe house having beenreached, the usual cordon of infantry was stretchedaround the fields, the hussars held the road, thepolice kept the neighbourhood clear o£ people,and when possession was demanded by the sheriffthere was scarcely anyone outside the forces tobo seen. Voices were heard inside the house,and the District-Inspector called out — ' Youwho are in there come out quietly, and youwon't bo interfered with.' This proposition wasresponded to by a man's voice sayinar, 'Comeon, Crokor, aud do your worst.' Mr. Croker,
the sheriii, stood at the window with a newsquare shield, and some hot water was pitchedthrough the interstices of the barricade within.The police were ordered to draw their batons, andthey took their places around the ram. The firstblow of the beam having been given to it, the cryof ' Back, away with them/' was answered insideby a shout, ' Come on, you fiends.' The barricademust have been very firm, indeed, for it took a lotof hammering before a hole was made in the wall.The sheriff took a most active part in working theram on this occasion, so much so that ho becamepuliocl, und exhausted by his vohomont exertions.
When the breach was at length made a youngman, Patrick Magrath, was seen standing inside in his shirt sleeves. He called out,'In with you now, and meet me/' InspectorDunning came over and appealed to himto come out. Mr. Croker said there was nofcenough of the wall down, and taking a hand atthe ropes, the ram was worked again and a bigsection of the front wall gave way with a crash.Mr. Cecil Roche, E.M., who hovered around theopening, watching closely the movements of theman wibhin, had a narrow escape from a dose o£water flung by a woman. Mr. Dunning aslcedthat the woman should be sent out, and Magrathreplied, ' I'll fight for them, thank you ; come onnow, and do your best.' A pause then took plncc.The breach was so wide that one could see theyoung man inside, his right foot on a block o£broken debris and. hia arms raised before hisface. Mr. Dunning once more said, 'Come out'*Magrath answered, ' I will die here if I must,but I won't come out till I am taken.' Anotherpause followed, and the most painful feelingof anxiety must have been felt by everyonewho looked on as to what was next to bap-«pen. The police had their batons raised, anolby the side of the breach Mr. Dunning, Mr.
Hill, and a. crowd of constabularymen suddenlyrushed over the heap of rubbish on to Mas rath.One of the officers fell, and the crash of batons, thescreams of the women, and the shouts of the menwere tbe sounds that then filled the air. Thestruggle within seemed to be for the momentdreadful. Magrath laid about him with extraordinary vigour. He had stones and missiles o£all sorts around him, but he used none of them.He struck out with his fists and fought with thecourage of a lion, but the numbers against himwere more than :i dozen such men could copewith. He was seized and dragged to the opening,his head bleeding profusely. Two women, a sisteraud another girl, were also pulled out. Magrathstill struggled with the strength of a HerculesP
and it appeared to me that Mr. Dunningrestrained the disposition of two or three of hismen who seemed anxious to twist the arms o?their prisoner. He was carried, or i*ather pushedover the edge opposite, looking the picture of aca^ed lion. It was a horrid sight; the bloodtrickling down his face, the police holding on tohis arms, the erica and moans of the mother,combined to make it for the time fearfully exciting. Dr. Counihau and the army surgeonattended him and dressed his wounds, which.were happily not serious.The prisoner was remanded until Monday. Se--veral somewhat oxciting hccbos were enactedduring and after the eviction. The crowd whichhad collected on and near the road were chargedby the police, but no one was much hurt. Magrathwas placed in the centre of a guard of constablesand marched to Kilrusb. As he turned the roadfrom, his former house a cheer was raised, and hetwisted the handcuffs so that they broke like tinor cardboard, aud ha stretched out to shake handswith a friend. As the iron cuffs were falling hekicked them as he would a football, but he waaseized, his hands put' behind his back and againsecured. He was then taken to KilruBh, guardedby the hussars, the iufantry, and police, andbrought, strange to say, to Mr. Vandeleur's house,where he was kept till evening, and then takenwith the youth charged with stone throwing tothe bridewell. The procession to the town, headedby the advance guard of huBsars, the redcoats, thepolice, and a long line of cars, formed a mostietnarkable sight as it wound its way down to thetown. The military had a fife player, who playoda variety of: marching tun.es. The constabulary,in the absence of a fife, whistled ' St. Patrick'sDay,' and the ' Regular Army, 0,' and the Bunshining down on the cavalcade as it moved by theback roads to Kilrush House, having succeeded inturning out one tenant, brought into relief one o£the most striking scenes in which the Britisharmy and her Majesty's civil force have ever beenengaged. To-morrow tho evictions will be resumed.
