On This Day / September 2, 1920

‘Spotters’ Drive Evictions

From the Old Lodge Road to Crumlin Road in Belfast, there was a well-organised gang of what have come to be known as ‘spotters’ at work during yesterday.

They were obviously under the direction of a tall, respectably-dressed young man. This individual had evidently possessed himself of all the necessary details for the locating of Catholic houses.

The trio stood on the Crumlin Road at Eglinton Street and the leader consulted a book. It was evident that he had the Catholic residents specially marked for, having given his instructions, the crowds were organised and went to each house as instructed conveying the order to ‘Clear Out’ or be ‘burned out’.

The inhabitants thus warned lost no time in making arrangements for a speeding ‘splitting’…

At Bedeque Street there was an invasion from the Crumlin Road end and furniture belonging to Catholic householders was thrown into the street and set on fire.

The military arrived but their presence was unheeded until the officer in charge gave the order to ‘fire’ at which the crowd ran in all directions.

Campaign against Catholic Licensed Trade

Writing from Belfast for the [Liberal] Daily News, Mr Hugh Martin notes: ‘All but a very few of the business premises of Belfast Catholics, except those in the heart of the city or in the Catholic strongholds, have now been destroyed.

‘The total number of serious conflagrations during the past six days now stands at 180. Practically all of this damage has been done to the property of Catholics…

‘In the old days the business of spirit grocery was one of the very few that Catholics were allowed to carry on. Hence the trade was up until a week ago, very largely in their hands.

‘It is today on the point of extinction. Catholics are, however, still fighting with the fury of desperation. Although it is impossible to save their shops, they are making a stand in their homes.’

Unionist Military Force to be Launched

The Times special correspondent [in Ireland] writes: ‘I understand that the private meeting of the Ulster Unionist Council will be addressed by Sir James Craig on behalf of the government.

‘It will discuss an offer from the government that the Ulster Volunteers should be… used as a force for maintaining order in Ulster…

‘Moderate men said they could hardly believe that the government would take so dangerous a step as to arm the Ulster Volunteers… Open civil war could scarcely be avoided.’

[Dr Phoenix notes: As the British government backed Craig’s plan for a UVF-based sectarian Special Constabulary, northern nationalist fears can be easily imagined. At Westminster Joe Devlin accused Lloyd George of ‘arming pogromists’.]