1 From Richard Cruise
(head of RIC in Bantry) Bantry 14. V. 1916 Dear Mrs Leigh White, I thought the letter I enclose from my
brother might interest you. He was a Gaelic Lean
League enthusiast & I can recall his camping out on
one of the Arran Isles years ago with John McNeill
so he is in a position to speak of that side of the
movement. On the whole I think his conclusions
are sound — but the worst of Ireland is that everyone
has a solution in his and then they send over
a chief Secretary who is so torn to pieces between 'em
all that he does nothing. So you remember our effort to stop Peter O'Hourihane coming
on his rounds organising disaffection? they put
that file in a pingeon hole & on some other matter
allowed me to understand that I was not to worry
them. It is really a scandal the way they tied
our hands .... a premium was put on smug
complacency in police work and any man
that tried to make them think was Sandbagged.
'We don't want police work' was the motto — well
they got what they wanted with a vengeance. Just to think of it the Inspector General of the RIC in England
& Dublin Castle held by 13 men they say when the 2 rebellion started!! and this 3 days after the
Casement incident & the sinking of the German ship
If the Government are serious they must make radical
changes in both the D.M.P & R.I.C Crime Special
Staffs. We had a week or 10 days of tension in Bantry — the
little knot of O'Hourihanes friends were very anxious
to do something — probably shoot a policeman or two
— but it did not come off. The Canon came quite out
of his shell and in the end got the arms & ammunition
from them. I made no arrests. I do hope they will appoint a live man Chief Secretary
— it would be a stroke of genius to appoint William
Martin Murphy if he is young & strong enough and
would take it. We had great excitement in Bantry receiving the 107 from
the poor S/S Cymrie ... I missed you tremendously!
everyone was good enough however to be pleased about it
— Your husband was very civil to the American Consul
& this report to the American Ambassador (he showed it to me)
did not omit an essential point. The Captain
specially thanked the B.V.A.S. & this appeared in the papers. I must apologize for this terribly long letter — You will think the
tribe of Cruise Cruise have developed an itch for writing! Eileen is very well & joins with me in sending kind Regards Yours very Sincerely Chief P.S. I had an urgent letter from Mrs Aitchison to go out at once — her nurse would not leave &
was imputent etc. etc. — I went & the nurse left. She was lucky to escape with a
trifling cut on the hand & some damage to her belongings. Mrs A. asked Eileen to send the children out
when she went to Cork & we laughed all the way home! I am afraid she'll end in the Asylum
or in prison. Poor Mrs Wilkinson is also worrying me about her servants....we RIC
are maids
of all work.