1916

THE IRISH TIMES Wednesday, February 9th, 1916
On Monday evening at 6 o’clock two of the vanmen of Mr. J.S. Young, J.P., Controller of Recruiting in Galway, were conveying loads of empty mineral cases from Kinvarra to Galway. Close to the villages of Clarenbridge and Oranmore a crowd of men, numbering between twenty and thirty, armed with heavy blackthorn sticks and revolvers, and disguised with handkerchiefs and masks tied over their faces, jumped over the walls and stopped the drivers, who were dragged from their seats. The horses were taken from the vans and hunted over the country. The mineral cases were scattered over the road and the drivers were dragged into a field, where their pockets were searched, but as the men had their money concealed, they lost none of it. The men were then told to go to Oranmore or something worse would happen to them. They were escorted by the masked men in a round-about direction, and when they were liberated a number of revolved shots were fired in the air. The two men reached Oranmore and caught the night train to Galway. At the time of writing an active search is being made for Mr. Young’s horses. Mr. Young sent his vans out today as usual. There is considerable excitement in Galway over the occurrence, and a large body of police are engaged in investigating the affair.