often, and a few times smiling broadly, I found him most courageously cooperative. As a matter of fact, and knowing him so well, we had more or less anticipated his cooperation and, therefore, had already [60] arranged with one of our engineers to manufacture a "dud" part that perfectly duplicated the real thing and fit exactly into the vacant spot inside the car engine. Mr. Murphy being with us 'all the way' he handed over that famous engine part which our mechanics fit into the proper spot within a couple of minutes - while we left the "dud" in Mr. Murphy’s care - and off we went in his car on our big mission. Our attack on the Tuckey Street Barracks went like clock work, and immediately after it, the car was speedily driven away and then parked at Hangdog Road in Togher, a section of Cork City which was far removed from the area of our "crime”. There we quickly drained the petrol out of the tank, leaving just a residue; next we removed the vital engine part, substituting our "dud" part which we had, previously, collected from Mr. Murphy, finally taking the real part back to him. As soon as we had turned it over to him he cooled the part off then returning it to its proper hiding place. We knew perfectly well that it would take the Black and Tans at least a few hours first to trace the car and then its owner before they would show up at his home to question him. And that was exactly the way it happened. Several hours after our raid the Tans showed up at Mr. Murphy’s home and he, being the marvellously cool and capable person he always was, had his story all ready for them. (Needless to say, we had previously rehearsed that story with him!) So, and in most indignant tones he recounted to the Tans that "he had been held up right there in his home by a number of young blackguards"; that they had quickly examined his car and that one of them, obviously a car mechanic by the manner in which he tested the engine, had then announced that there was a vital part missing. Mr. Murphy continued to explain to the Tans that, from this young wipper-snapper's attitude it was quite apparent that he knew all about the British rule that some vital engine part had to be removed from any car. "Gentlemen", Mr. Murphy complained in a most injured tone of voice, "do you know that these blackguards even cut my telephone wires; and do you know that they held myself and poor Mrs. Murphy prisoners within our own home?? Let me tell you, the two men who then went away for a while returned and started fiddling with the car engine. To my utter amazement the engine suddenly turned over and started, so, they all got in and off they went, but let me tell you, [61] they sure didn't take any chances but left two of their fellows behind to make sure that neither the wife or I would free ourselves and get out and report that outrage to you. Let me tell you, both of these fellows actually stayed right here in the house, watching the Missus and myself up to about 10 minutes ago!" Then and to prove his take of woe he led the Black and Tans to the place where he used to hide that spare part of the car engine and there it rested, seemingly undisturbed. The Black and Tans fell for his story like a ton of bricks (in my estimation, Mr. Murphy could easily have held a job as one of the top actors in the Abbey Theatre!), not alone that, but they expressed their regrets to Mr. and Mrs. Murphy at the harrowing experience their "trusted friends" had to experience and to endure at the hands of those blackguards. They even supplied Mr. Murphy some petrol so that he could get his car back from Togher. It NEVER occurred to them to compare the real spare part to the decoy we had left in the car! It was one of the most successful and the funniest actions we had during those years, and it sure gave us many a good laugh. Shortly after this incident another severe casualty hit us when Mick Murphy and several others were arrested in the 2nd Battalion area; Mick had arrived that same morning from the Column. I was on my way to meet him when I saw several Black and Tans taking Mick and the others away. Fearing the worst, owing to Mick's well-known record, an alibi was attempted which was, fortunately, very successful. To give an idea of the complexity of problems which arose at that time, Mick Murphy gave his name as "Jack O'Brien". At the same time an ex-British Sailor, home on leave, discarded his uniform and was caught by the British some weeks later. When arrested, he gave his name as "Mick Murphy" and, both, he and the real Mick Murphy met in Cork prison later, both listed under their assumed names. Around that time, Denis Coleman, a member of G Company, 2nd Batt. and employed at the Bandon Railway station, gave us the information that quite a large amount of military stores were being dispatched to Kinsale and to other points, all along the route of the Bandon railway. With this knowledge we figured out that the train containing the military equipment, would have to [62] reach Waterfall Station around 2 a.m. Owing to the nightly curfew it was
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