e.

"In order to prevent further slaughter," it ran, "of unarmed people, and
in the hope of saving the lives of our followers, now surrounded and
hopelessly outnumbered, members of the Provisional Government present at
headquarters have agreed to unconditional surrender, and the commanders
of all units of the Republican forces will order their followers to lay
down their arms."

Yet so confident were the rebels of success in some of the besieged
fortresses that they positively refused to believe that their commanders
had given in: moreover, the difficulty of obtaining access to some of
the insurgents also tended to prolong the conflict, especially in the
more outlying districts, and so the struggle went on.

In some cases the rebels, expecting no mercy, preferred to die fighting,
and it was only by the interference of the clergy that further
destruction and desolation was avoided.

Jacobs's factory, for example--second only to Guinness's Brewery in
size, and occupied at first by some 1,500 rebels, who had taken
possession while the workers were on holiday--put up a strenuous fight,
and though it was by now surrounded by the military, the men, firmly
protected and encouraged by the feeling that headquarters depended upon
them, refused all offers to surrender.

Several priests had previously made the attempt to influence them, but
had been quietly and courteously refused, and only succeeded eventually
about 4 p.m. on Sunday, when the Volunteers finally evacuated the
premises.

The majority of the exits had by Sunday become occupied by the military,
who had gradually turned the place into a death-trap, and from this the
rebels were saved by a somewhat picturesque climax.

A well-known Carmelite monk from Whitefriars Street suddenly made his
way through the crowd of spectators and signalled to the insurgents,
whereupon one of the sandbagged windows was dismantled and, amid a
universal cheer from the crowd, the venerable peacemaker was hoisted up
into the fortress.

A short while later his efforts were seen to have succeeded, for the
garrison surrendered.

At the Four Courts a priest was likewise instrumental in bringing about
the surrender.

The place had been strongly barricaded and provisioned, and would, no
doubt, have suffered the same fate as the Post Office had the struggle
continued, but for this intervention and the desire on the part of the
authorities no doubt to save the Record Office at all costs. S