note: The Irish War of Independence, 1919-1921 was a guerilla war fought
between the Irish Republican Army and the British occupying forces.
Raids to steal weapons were commonplace.

OLD LADY'S CRUEL TREATMENT

The Irish Times, 22 November 1919

At a special Crimes Court, held in Nenagh on Friday, before Mr. Hume E. Jones, R.M., Adare (presiding) and Major Brodin, R.M., Birr, Denis Cleary, Timothy Kelly, Patrick Grace, Martin Loughnane, John Aherne, William Herbert, Martin Barry, and John Carroll were charged with raiding the residence of of Miss Minnett, Annaghbeg, County Tipperary, for the purpose of obtaining arms and ammunition.

On the arrival of the prisoners, the crowd surged around the motor lorry, several charges were made by the police, who used the butt end of their carbines and batons freely on the crowd, amongst whom were a number of women and children. When in the dock the accused lit cigarettes, which had been passed to them by friends, and only with reluctance did they desist from smoking.

Miss Anna Minnett stated that on the evening of the 21st October she was at home, and the other resident in the house was Humphrey Dwyer, her nephew ; the two were in the diningroom ; that was about nine o'clock.

She heard a rush of feet into the hall from the front door, which was always open. After they rushed into the room, one man said 'Hands up!'

She was sitting at the fire, and her nephew at the table ; the men ranged themselves around the table. The men then levelled revolvers at them, and demanded rifles ; she said: 'I cannot give you arms.'

Two men then proceeded to tie up Mr. Dyer [sic], who was covered with a revolver all the time. They also tied her up. She was suffering at the time, and was still, from rheumatism, and after being tied she could not even sit down. Her arms were tied down to her side. She told them that that they were silly to tie up and old woman of 73, who was lame. She said that she was tired and wanted to sit down, and to untie her, which they did.

She had one double-barreled gun and a small rook rifle in the house before the men came in. After they left she found that these were missing, as were also a number of rounds of ammunition from the rook rifle. The latter was on a table with the gun in a room. Timothy Heffernan gave evidence to having been instructed by William Herbert to be at Miss Minnett's gate at a certain hour. Witness gave details of the raid, and to seeing Timothy Kelly bring out two guns.

The accused were sentenced to six months' each, the Chairman remarking that that was the maximum sentence that they could inflict, and that they did not see their way to make any difference between the accused.

The accused cheered and sang songs on the sentence being announced, and a baton charge took place outside the court.