She was given a large Mauser pistol. Just then a picket came running in. He saluted and said, "They've left the barracks, sir." He was referring to the police. A line of our pickets had been stationed reaching from the barracks to Liberty Hall; their duty was to report any move they might see made by the police. In that way no sooner had a body of police left the barracks than word was sent along the line and in less than three minutes Liberty Hall was aware of it. "Now, Madame," said my father when the picket had gone. "Come along, we'll be ready for them. Finish those, Nora, and come down to me with them." I finished them and went down to the Co-operative shop. Behind the counter stood my father with his carbine laid along it; beside him Madame, and outside the counter was Miss Moloney taking the safety catch from off her automatic. I gave the batch of orders to my father; he called one of the men who stood in the doorway, and said, "Get these around at {32} once." The man saluted and went away. Just then another picket came in and said, "They will be here in a minute, sir, they've just crossed the bridge." "Very well," said my father, and the men went away. Miss Moloney then told me that some policemen had come in and had attempted to search the store, and that she had sent word to Mr. Connolly through the men in the printing shop, which was back of the Coöperative shop; and then busied herself resisting the search. One policeman had a batch of papers in his hands when my father came in. He saw at once what was going forward, drew his automatic pistol, pointed it at the policeman and said: "Drop them or I'll drop you." The policeman dropped them. My father then asked what he wanted. He said they had come to confiscate any copies of _The Gael_, _The Gaelic Athlete_, _Honesty_ or _The Spark_ that might be on the premises. "Have you a search warrant?" asked my father. This was a bluff, because under the Defense of the Realm Act any house may be searched on suspicion; but it worked; the policeman said he had none. {33} "Go and get one," said my father, "or you'll not search here." The police went away; and it was then that my father had come back to the office to sign the mobilization papers. Shortly afterwards there came into the shop an Inspector of the police, four plain-clothes men and two policemen in uniform. I was behind the counter at this time. "I am Inspector Banning," said the Inspector. "What do you want?" asked my father. "We have come to search for, and confiscate any, of the suppressed papers we may find here." "Where's your warrant?" asked my father. "I have it here," said the Inspector. "Read it," said my father. The Inspector read the warrant--it was to the effect that all shops and newsvendors were to be searched, and all copies of the suppressed newspapers confiscated.