MINE EXPLODED AT IRISH GAOL.

105 PRISONERS ESCAPE

WELL-PLANNED COUP.

Dundalk, the county town of Louth, captured by National forces on Sunday week, was the scene of a daring coup by the Republicans this morning, as a result of which 105 political prisoners escaped from the gaol. There have been several escapes from this prison of late, ten men getting away three weeks ago, but this was the most extensive yet attempted, and gave liberty to some prominent Republicans. The modus operandi of those outside who were in the plot was simple. In the hours of darkness a mine was laid on the Ardee-road side of the gaol. This was connected up very cleverly with the town electric supply. When it was fired, a tremendous explosion shook the town, smashing all the windows in a wide radius, including those of the County Hospital and the Crescent, a residential terrace facing the gaol, as well as many windows in the Dominican Church buildings, and in the Great Northern Brewery further afield. The gaol walls are very thick, but a breach was made by the explosion sufficient to enable a man to crawl through, and by this means the prisoners escaped one by one.

The explosion alarmed the National forces in the old British military barracks, and they set out for the gaol, but found their way blocked by road obstructions and ambushes, one at Castletown and one at Barrack-street. In the former, Colonel-commandant Mason was shot in the foot and Private Mccaffrey in the hip, the latter being dangerously wounded. Firing was general from seven o’clock onwards, and the residents were much alarmed. It is estimated that 100 Republicans took part in the outside operations, on completion of which they, with the prisoners, split up into small parties. One of these commandeered a light engine with steam up at the Great Northern Railway running sheds and escaped into the country. The National forces searched vigorously for the runaways, but secured very few of them. The men retaken, however, include a functionary styled a deputy brigadier, who was wounded. One prison warder was injured in the explosion.

All the glaziers in the town were employed during the day replacing windows, hundreds which had been broken. Simultaneously with the Dundalk operations, extensive operations were carried out outside the town. In various directions roads were blocked and the railway signal cabins at Inniskeen and Essexford were fired and partly destroyed. Owing to the destruction of the railway, traffic between Dundalk and Castleblayney was considerably interrupted. The explosion at Dundalk was heard ten miles off.

Later.

Advices received to-night from Dundalk show that between forty or fifty of the escaped men have been retaken in the town as the result of National troops’ searches. Michael Donnelly, a wellknown Republican, captured at Drogheda on the way to Dublin during the Four Courts fighting, and who escaped on another occasion, was also found.

According to a report issued to-day, a Protestant minister who, with the help of some people in the vicinity, succeded in saving Portlaw barracks after the building had been fired by the Irregulars, was afterwards arrested in his house, brought before a drumhead court-martial, and sentenced to be shot. This sentence was subsequently commuted to an apology, after which the reverend gentleman was compelled to undo his good work by setting fire to the barracks himself.