Galway In Days Gone By

Startling experience

Miss Eileen Baker, Baker’s Hotel, Eyre-st., Galway, had a startling experience on Saturday morning, her hair being cut by masked men who entered the hotel directly as she had opened the door to admit the postman.

Miss Baker is 22 years of age, and her father, who lives in the hotel, served as a captain during the war. She recently saved a little boy named Hennessy from drowning in the canal, and gave evidence at the military inquiry touching the death of Constable Krumm, who had stayed at the hotel.

She was much shaken when interviewed on Saturday morning. “I came down about half-past seven this morning,” she said. “The first thing I did was to open the door to admit the postman. He had just got to the opposite side of the street on the footpath and I had turned by back when the doors were flung open. I heard the bang as I turned around. Six tall men came in. they wore black cloths all over their heads and faces. One man walked up to me with a revolver. I thought at first they wanted to go up the stars to the police who were staying with us. Instead, another man pulled me into the middle of the hail, and the other held the revolver to me, whilst the man behind cut my plait.

“I had my hair in plaits at the time near the head. I was too terrified to cry out, and there was no one about but myself. They cut the plait with a single clip. The whole thing came on me suddenly, and was over in five minutes. They said very little, but they searched all the police coats and capes before they walked out. They said before they left that they would be back again. The man with the revolver had a razor, as if they intended to shave my head. I stooped down to pick up my hair after they had left, and was in a state of collapse in the middle of the hall when my little sister, who was going to school, came down and found me.”

Shots in Roundstone

On the eves of the 19th and 20th inst. Considerable excitement was caused in Roundstone by the conduct of two policemen who fired shots into houses in the village, but fortunately nobody was injured.

No disrespect was ever shown to the police in the village. In justice to the officer in charge of the marines at Roundstone, it must be admitted that he showed his disapproval of the police conduct in a practical manner by having them arrested, and reporting them to their superior officers.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app

The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.