The Cornhill Magazine (Vol. XLI, No. 241 new series, July 1916) — John Shaqi
The Cornhill Magazine (Vol. XLI, No. 241 new series, July 1916)Various
General
The Cornhill Magazine (Vol. XLI, No. 241 new series, July 1916)
Various
England -- Periodicals; English literature -- Periodicals; Short stories, English -- Periodicals
_Tuesday._—This morning we hear the military are pouring into the city.
All our valuables were stored in H.’s safe and cupboards when we gave up
our house, and all our dear F.’s books, sword, and all his possessions,
which we value more than anything else in the world; we would not trust
them with the stored furniture.
Yesterday afternoon the mob broke all the windows in various streets,
and looted all the shops. The streets were strewn with clothes, boots,
furniture, tram cushions, and everything you can imagine.
While I am writing now there is incessant firing in St. Stephen’s Green,
and we fear there may be street fighting in this street.
_Tuesday Evening._—H. and N. have just come in, having seen Dr. (now
Major) W., Surgeon to the Forces in Ireland. He told them that so far we
had had about 500 casualties, two-thirds of them being civilians shot in
the streets.
The first thing Dr. W. heard of the outbreak was a ’phone message
telling him to go at once to the Shelbourne, as a man had been shot. He
supposed it was a case of suicide, so jumped into his car and went off,
fortunately in mufti. In Nassau Street his car was stopped and he was
ordered by rebels to get out; he attempted to argue, and was told if he
did not obey instantly he would be shot. Had he been in uniform he would
have been shot at sight; as a civilian doctor they allowed him to go, and
he took his bag and ran. He found three men shot in the Shelbourne, and a
boy was shot as he reached the door.
After we got into bed a ’phone came that H. was to go at once to the
Viceregal Lodge in the Phœnix Park, so he dressed and tried every way to
get a motor; but of course no motor would go out. After some delay he got
the Field Ambulance of the Fire Brigade, at Dr. W.’s suggestion, but when
it came the men told H. they had been carrying wounded all day, and that
they had been constantly stopped by pickets, and the car searched, and if
they went, and the car was stopped and found to contain H., they would
undoubtedly all be shot. So H. considered it too risky and it had to be
abandoned, and eventually his Excellency gave his instructions over the
’phone, first in French, but that particular ’phone did not speak French!
So eventually he took the risk of the ’phone being tapped and gave them
in English.
While we were dressing a terrific bombardment with field guns began, the
first we had heard, and gave me cold shivers. It went on for a quarter
of an hour—awful! big guns and machine guns—and then ceased, but we hear
they were bombarding Liberty Hall, the headquarters of Larkin and the
strikers two years ago. The guns were on H.M.S. _Hecla_, that came up
the river and smashed it from within about fifty yards. It made one feel
quite sick.
H. has just been summoned to the Castle, and there is no knowing when he
will be back. All who go out carry their lives in their hands.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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