little nutshell close again. Frankly, a few times there, I really thought he would pull my arm right out of its socket, still, everything worked out grand and we made the transfer without being detected. Rowing back quietly to the Marina, we loaded our precious cargo into the car and, later, after driving to a safe hiding place, we checked out the guns and carefully stored them. Later that same Sunday, Mick Murphy and I reported to Sean Hegarty who was then staying in a room over Wallace's shop. Handing Sean the detailed list describing the guns, he, and with his usual brusqueness, said, [75] "Well, I thought we were to get seven Thompson guns". He had been misinformed due to an error on the original statement given by Schmidt. Knowing Sean for the strict disciplinarian he was at all times, his abrupt manner did not faze us (although, we secretly had hoped to get, if not verbal praise, yet perhaps a pat on the shoulder) so, Mick and I departed in the knowledge that we were just two soldiers who had been given an assignment and were expected to carry out the job to perfection. Schmidt, by the way, was a most resourceful man and we supplied him all the items he asked for, including several cases of Whiskey (prohibition was then in force in the U.S.), a detailed bill of receipt, and several letters of thanks for our friends in the States who had so greatly helped us. Schmidt accepted all the documents and letters and then sailed back to America. Five years later, and while in Maurice Horgan's Restaurant on East 97th Street, New York, I was shown the very same receipts I had made out for Schmidt, as also the letter and receipt from Sean McSwiney, Quarter Master, Cork 1 Brigade., My brother Dan told me then that Maurice Horgan, a native of Lixnaw, Co Kerry had been the man mainly responsible for getting the guns and ammunition for us. Maurice was a delightful character, deeply and genuinely patriotic, always ready to further our cause. The same was true for his partner, Tom Duffy, who hailed from Co. Mayo. Both men were active members of the Devoy-Cohalan Clan na Gael Group. As to the armaments in question, which they were so instrumental in getting for us, it should be specially recorded here that both men also paid for that consignment out of their personal accounts. I then learned that they had contacted arms manufacturers and, with the aid of several friendly soldiers in the U.S. Army, they effected the whole transaction. The way the whole thing started was through a man, working in a Military Barracks, who noticed some boxes of ammunition and arms crated and being made ready for shipment to a western depot. Immediately, he erased the name and address marked on the crates and was then successful in rerouting them to the Horgan restaurant. It so happened that my brother Dan was there when a Military Guard arrived with the crates. Immediately, he phoned Maurice Horgan at his home and asked what he ought to do in this extraordinary situation. Maurice quickly and simply replied, [76] "Listen, Dan, just give those fellows all the whiskey they can drink and, after that, give a bottle to each of them. I will be down to the place as quickly as I can make it." By the time Maurice arrived at the restaurant with a friend of his, Dan had followed orders and filled the lads of the Military Guard up with one glass of whiskey after another, and all of them were already happily clutching in their arms, the extra bottle each of them was given. They probably did not even notice when the crates with the armaments were loaded on to a truck and driven away, and that was how they, subsequently, reached Cork City. It should also be mentioned here that Maurice, neither then nor at any time later, ever heard a word about the whole incident from the U.S. Authorities. At that time of 1921 escapes of our companions from prison were becoming quite frequent. After the arrival of Sean Culhane, Brigade I.O. 5 from Bere Island, Frank Mahoney, I.O., 2nd Batt., Cork 1 Brigade, were moved from Spike Island prison to the Cork Military Hospital. I asked Eileen Crean (Mrs. Bob Ahern), who was very active accepting and delivering despatches with 2nd Battalion in addition to her excellent work in Cumann na mBan (women auxiliary of the I.R.A,), to go and visit Frank in hospital there to inform him of our plans for his escape, what he had to do and how we were to assist him. Dependable as ever, she visited him within a few days, and he soon escaped from there. Information had been received then about a man by the name of O'Connor. He had formerly been attached to 1st Batt. but later defected, and he was supposed to be responsible for
5 Intelligence Officer
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