On This Day / March 4, 1921
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19210304
Reference Date
19210304
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 4th March 1921, Falls MP Joseph Devlin challenged military death sentences in the Commons, while a Protestant Belfast woman suffered a violent haircutting outrage linked to sectarian intimidation. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Devlin Challenges Despotism | On This Day – 4th March 1921
IN THE House of Commons yesterday, Mr Joseph Devlin [Nat.] asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the large number of death sentences inflicted by Military Courts, he would make immediate provision for appeals from such courts to civil courts.
Sir H Greenwood said the Restoration of Order in Ireland Act, passed last August, contained no provision for an appeal to any civil court from the Courtmartial.
Mr Devlin – May I ask the Prime Minister whether, in view of the fact that there is a universal feeling that many innocent men are being executed, he will reconsider the desirability of setting up some civil tribunal for the purpose of having the evidence investigated before the sentence is carried out.
Mr Lloyd George – To do so at the present time would, I think, interfere with the course of justice. Everybody is very shocked at the necessity of inflicting the death penalty but, after all, if you look at the figures there have been far more murders than there have been punishments.
Mr Devlin – May I ask whether the PM is aware that the major portion of all these evils which sprung up in Ireland are due to the executions of 1916 and whether in view of the great feeling of horror which is being created in the country, he will… not continue a policy which is bound to poison the future relationships between this country and Ireland.
Mr Lloyd George – We cannot possibly allow murders to be unpunished.
Haircutting Outrage
ANOTHER haircutting outrage took place in Belfast yesterday, a young woman named Lily Stitt of Parker Street, Newtownards Road, being the victim.
It appears that about 11 o’clock in the morning she returned home from shopping to find two strange men wearing trench coats.
They asked her where ‘Jimmy’ was, meaning her brother who is a Special Constable.
The men produced revolvers and proceeded to cut off the woman’s hair with a pair of scissors as a result of which she fainted.
They took four pounds out of a drawer and also a number of Orange sashes, regalia and a Union Jack. These they cut up and placed in the fire.
Before departing they said they would ‘get Jimmy yet’. The police are investigating.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: Leading a tiny band of six Nationalist MPs in a hostile Commons, Devlin, along with Asquith and Labour, sought to hold the Coalition government to account for its policy of military oppression and partition in Ireland.
Extraordinarily, while the Ulster Unionists and even the Southern Unionists were consulted about the partition scheme, the Northern Nationalists were completely ignored by the government.)
On This Day – 4th March 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19210304
Reference Date
19210304
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 4th March 1921, Falls MP Joseph Devlin challenged military death sentences in the Commons, while a Protestant Belfast woman suffered a violent haircutting outrage linked to sectarian intimidation. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Devlin Challenges Despotism | On This Day – 4th March 1921
IN THE House of Commons yesterday, Mr Joseph Devlin [Nat.] asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the large number of death sentences inflicted by Military Courts, he would make immediate provision for appeals from such courts to civil courts.
Sir H Greenwood said the Restoration of Order in Ireland Act, passed last August, contained no provision for an appeal to any civil court from the Courtmartial.
Mr Devlin – May I ask the Prime Minister whether, in view of the fact that there is a universal feeling that many innocent men are being executed, he will reconsider the desirability of setting up some civil tribunal for the purpose of having the evidence investigated before the sentence is carried out.
Mr Lloyd George – To do so at the present time would, I think, interfere with the course of justice. Everybody is very shocked at the necessity of inflicting the death penalty but, after all, if you look at the figures there have been far more murders than there have been punishments.
Mr Devlin – May I ask whether the PM is aware that the major portion of all these evils which sprung up in Ireland are due to the executions of 1916 and whether in view of the great feeling of horror which is being created in the country, he will… not continue a policy which is bound to poison the future relationships between this country and Ireland.
Mr Lloyd George – We cannot possibly allow murders to be unpunished.
Haircutting Outrage
ANOTHER haircutting outrage took place in Belfast yesterday, a young woman named Lily Stitt of Parker Street, Newtownards Road, being the victim.
It appears that about 11 o’clock in the morning she returned home from shopping to find two strange men wearing trench coats.
They asked her where ‘Jimmy’ was, meaning her brother who is a Special Constable.
The men produced revolvers and proceeded to cut off the woman’s hair with a pair of scissors as a result of which she fainted.
They took four pounds out of a drawer and also a number of Orange sashes, regalia and a Union Jack. These they cut up and placed in the fire.
Before departing they said they would ‘get Jimmy yet’. The police are investigating.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: Leading a tiny band of six Nationalist MPs in a hostile Commons, Devlin, along with Asquith and Labour, sought to hold the Coalition government to account for its policy of military oppression and partition in Ireland.
Extraordinarily, while the Ulster Unionists and even the Southern Unionists were consulted about the partition scheme, the Northern Nationalists were completely ignored by the government.)
On This Day – 4th March 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19210304
Reference Date
March 4, 2021
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 4th March 1921, Falls MP Joseph Devlin challenged military death sentences in the Commons, while a Protestant Belfast woman suffered a violent haircutting outrage linked to sectarian intimidation. Edited by Éamon Phoenix.
Devlin Challenges Despotism | On This Day – 4th March 1921
IN THE House of Commons yesterday, Mr Joseph Devlin [Nat.] asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the large number of death sentences inflicted by Military Courts, he would make immediate provision for appeals from such courts to civil courts.
Sir H Greenwood said the Restoration of Order in Ireland Act, passed last August, contained no provision for an appeal to any civil court from the Courtmartial.
Mr Devlin – May I ask the Prime Minister whether, in view of the fact that there is a universal feeling that many innocent men are being executed, he will reconsider the desirability of setting up some civil tribunal for the purpose of having the evidence investigated before the sentence is carried out.
Mr Lloyd George – To do so at the present time would, I think, interfere with the course of justice. Everybody is very shocked at the necessity of inflicting the death penalty but, after all, if you look at the figures there have been far more murders than there have been punishments.
Mr Devlin – May I ask whether the PM is aware that the major portion of all these evils which sprung up in Ireland are due to the executions of 1916 and whether in view of the great feeling of horror which is being created in the country, he will… not continue a policy which is bound to poison the future relationships between this country and Ireland.
Mr Lloyd George – We cannot possibly allow murders to be unpunished.
Haircutting Outrage
ANOTHER haircutting outrage took place in Belfast yesterday, a young woman named Lily Stitt of Parker Street, Newtownards Road, being the victim.
It appears that about 11 o’clock in the morning she returned home from shopping to find two strange men wearing trench coats.
They asked her where ‘Jimmy’ was, meaning her brother who is a Special Constable.
The men produced revolvers and proceeded to cut off the woman’s hair with a pair of scissors as a result of which she fainted.
They took four pounds out of a drawer and also a number of Orange sashes, regalia and a Union Jack. These they cut up and placed in the fire.
Before departing they said they would ‘get Jimmy yet’. The police are investigating.
(Éamon Phoenix editor’s note: Leading a tiny band of six Nationalist MPs in a hostile Commons, Devlin, along with Asquith and Labour, sought to hold the Coalition government to account for its policy of military oppression and partition in Ireland.
Extraordinarily, while the Ulster Unionists and even the Southern Unionists were consulted about the partition scheme, the Northern Nationalists were completely ignored by the government.)
On This Day – 4th March 1921
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
On This Day is a daily column in the Irish News looking back either 50 or 100 years. The column was compiled by Dr Éamon Phoenix from the mid 1980s until autumn, 2022. The Foundation is very grateful to the Irish News for giving permission to reproduce Eamon’s columns. Funding gratefully received from Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and the Magill Trust.
* The Foundation has worked hard to recreate Eamon’s distinctive voice through AI. Since this is an emerging technology, occasional imperfections may be audible.