The Murder of James & Thomas Greer at Cootehall. 

The Tragedies at Cootehall : Republicans and Free-Staters Join in Sympathy: From: The Roscommon Herald. Saturday June 3^rd 1922.

On Saturday Morning a painful shock was created throughout North Roscommon when news of the double tragedy at Cootehall became known. Mr James Greer, a Police pensioner and his son, Mr Thomas Greer who had been a member of the R.I.C. also, both lost their lives. The old man was shot through the head, death being instantaneous, while the son bore thirteen bullet wounds. He lingered for some hours and he alleged that the men who shot him accused him of having been engaged as a Black and Tan in the murder of Father Griffin in Galway in the Winter of 1920. His brother denied this at the inquest and said his brother was then stationed at Patrick’s Well in Limerick.

Brigadier P. Brennan of the Republican Troops, Boyle, Brigadier Michael Dockery of the Army and Mr H.J. Keegan, Brigade Police Officer, joined in the expression of sympathy with the doubly bereaved family. Mr J. J. Burke, Cargins, Tulsk, County Coroner, held the inquest.

The shootings occurred at 2 o’clock Saturday morning. The men where taken from their house at Knocknacarrow, a quarter of a mile from Cootehall village on the Ardcarne side, and shot on the roadside , about one hundred yards separating the spot where  each fell. To reach the house one has to cross a pathway of some eighty yards and entrance to the pathway from the road is gained by means of a stile. Just opposite the stile  on the road there is a broad dark patch of congealed blood, marking the place where James Greer was found dead. Mr H J Keegan, Brigade Police Officer (Official Forces)  Strokestown, with a number of his men, visited the scene on Saturday and communicated with the Coroner, who decided to hold the inquest on Sunday.

Local Gentlemen were summoned on the Jury. Apart from the Jury and witnesses, there was room for few, but amongst those who were without were Very Rev. T. Flanagan P.P.  Cootehall and Mr Andrew Lavin T.D. At the outset, Mr Keegan addressing the Coroner said; There is an application here from the representative of the Third Brigade for representation for the Army, it is another Brigade who area borders round here. Coroner; I have no objections. Brigadier P Brennan (Executive Forces) Boyle then entered, as did also Brigadier Michael Dockery of the “Official” Forces, Strokestown.

The following gentlemen were sworn in on the jury; Michael Lynch (foreman), Andrew Hogg, John McDermott, John Cox, Patrick O’Hara, James Kelley, Joe Bambrick, Pat Killoy, Andrew Oates, Bernard Lee, Patrick Flynn, John Shannon. Mr Keegan outlining the occurrence for the Jury, said that on Saturday, the 27^th a message came to the Military Barracks in Strokestown about 8.20am, reporting that a man named James Greer Ex. R.I.C. was shot dead and another man , his son had been mortally wounded and was not expected to recover. As a result of the message a party of military left in charge of Brigadier Dockery and came to house of the deceased. When they arrived they found both men dead. There was a bullet found on the road (produced) where the elder man was.

The first witness called was Mr Valentine Greer, son of James and brother of Thomas Greer. He said "I am a son of the deceased James Greer, I live in Dublin, but I have been home here for about five weeks. I identify the bodies out there in the room as the remains of my late Father and brother, James and Thomas Greer. Coroner; Will you tell us all what you know about this? VG; Well, first of all, Tommy, Joseph and Myself, on yesterday morning, the 27^th about 2am, we heard the noise of a motor, so did Father. Coroner: Where did you here the noise of the Motor? VG; Out on the road, my Father passed the remark that a motor had passed down. About a quarter of an hour afterwards I heard knocking at the front door  and so did Father because he got out of be immediately and asked who was there, the reply came “Raiders for arms”, or “Raiding for arms” I don’t know which, I don’t suppose it makes much difference. He said you are quite welcome. Whilst Father was talking out of the window, myself and Tommy  got out of bed, put on our trousers. I lit a candle and I proceeded downstairs followed by Tommy. I opened the door and immediately three men stepped in, two of them wearing masks. They asked for arms, both of us replying at the same time we had none. One of them whom I presume was the leader, said they would search the house, and I asked which portion they would search first , at the same time opening the door leading to the Kitchen.

Father came downstairs at this time followed shortly afterwards by my sister Annie and brother Joseph. Immediately on seeing Father, they demanded that three Webley revolvers be handed over at once, father replied there where neither revolvers nor ammunition in the house and that they were quite at liberty to search the house. One of them then said “Hand Over the Guns and no more about it” the three of us replying at the same time that we had no guns. They then said they would arrest father and I said they would have to arrest me also, so did my Brother Tommy.

Two of them seized Father and Annie intervened saying “For God’s sake you are not going to shoot the three of them”, and one of them replied “We are Catholics”. They then marched the three of us off, each of us having an escort of two men armed with revolvers. When we arrived at the road, they separated us with I should say nearly a hundred yards distance apart. They told me to stand in the middle of the road and asked me if I was ready, I replied yes. I heard talking from where Father and Tom were at the time, and immediately a man dashes down from where Tom was and asked my intended Assassins,  whatever way you like to put it?

Coroner: Asked what? VG: repeated his last statement and added, “Or asked the men” Coroner; That’s better. VG; What they were doing with me, they replied they were getting me ready, he told them to leave me alone, and ordered me at the same time to run for it, I told him I preferred to be shot where I was stood than to be shot in the back whilst running. He again ordered me to run for it, the two men who had me covered standing aside and I asked them what they were intending to do with Father and Tom and he replied they would not trouble me or I them at the same time giving me a shove. He again told me to run for it and I jumped across the wall and ran for ten or fifteen yards when I dropped into a drain and remained there until I saw two men come after me. I immediately got up and ran towards the house. I was admitted by my sister Annie.

The Death Volleys   

I was about five minutes in the house when I heard a volley of about seven of eight shots, followed by a volley of about ten, I then heard some shouting to come on, and heard a car moving of. Coroner; What did you do after that? VG: I think it was Joe, he lit a candle, some of the two of us and Annie, Joe and Myself dressed and came down to the kitchen. The three of us went outside and listened. I heard moaning and thinking it was the dog, called him by his name. Joe then said it was useless to go and look for any of them as it was better to wait until daylight. As we were about to return I again heard moaning and I asked Joe to follow me which he did, and we proceeded in the direction of where we heard the moaning.

An Awful Sight

When we arrived at the wall bordering the road, I looked across and there lay my brother Tommy lying and moaning. I immediately got across the wall and knelt down beside him, and he recognising me, told me to run for it as they were bound to get me, I told him I would remain and asked him if he was badly wounded and he replied he was riddled. He then asked me to tell Joe to get some blankets, that he was feeling cold. I told Joe to bring the blankets and whilst himself and Annie where carrying them down he asked me to send for Father Tom, the Parish Priest. When Joe and Annie arrived with the blankets I wrapped them round him.

Coroner: That was before you removed them off the road? VG; Oh, long before. Joe and Annie went for Father Tom and I laid down on the roadside beside him and remained there until Father Tom arrived, which would be nearly an hour or so, several people came up with the priest and when Annie came up to me, I asked her if she had seen father and she replied he was lying dead on the roadside. With a few peoples assistance we carried Tommy on a door to the kitchen where he remained until the Doctor arrived. The Doctor then dressed the wounds, we made up a bed for him and removed him to it. We went down with another door and removed Fathers dead body to the house, there was no necessity for the Doctor in his case the bullets had done their work, he was dead.

Miss Annie Greer, corroborated  her brother evidence in so far as he had described her part in the terrible experience of the night. Mr Joe Greer who appeared to be a boy of about 16 years, also corroborated his brother’s evidence. Replying to the Coroner, Mr Valentine Greer further said he saw these men but he did not recognise them, he added: I believe I saw one of them once before, there were, he said about six of them. Replying to a Juryman, he said he believed the motor car came from Boyle direction. There was only one car. After the shooting he heard a motor car going in the direction of Boyle. To a juror: They asked us our names and we told them.

To Mr Keenagh: The man that was the Leader would be about 5 Feet 6 Inches. He had a trench coat on. He had an ordinary west of Ireland accent. One of the fellows that I thought I saw before would be 5 foot 9 inches or 5 foot 10 inches. I don’t know where I saw him before. He was in the house. He was of rather stoutish build  and he had had rather sandy hair. He was clean shaven and had a sallow complexion, I did not notice and difference in his accent from the others. I did not see the car, but I would swear it was a car. I did not see any rifles with them, but I saw three of them with Webley revolvers. I did not see any rifles or bayonets. None of them had any sign of drink on them, they appeared to be perfectly sober. They made no reference to me as to why they did it, raiding for arms they said they came for.

You Shot Father Griffin  

I asked Tommy when Annie and Joe were away for the Priest and he said they said “You are the fellow who shot Father Griffin”, They gave me no reason why they shot my Father, and that was a lie that they said about Tom, because he was in Patrickswell from the day he joined the force until he was disbanded, except three weeks in Mullingar. He said “ forgive them Val, whether you do or not”. Witness (VG) Further said he knew no one in the Parish of Cootehall who would interfere with Tom or with his Father either. Mr Hogg (one of the Jury): The old man happened to be a tenant of mine since he came out of the force, for the last four years and if there was any objection to him I believe I would have heard of it. Coroner: That is an opinion we are glad to hear, but it is not material to the case. Mr Hogg: I’d like the press to make note of it.

The Doctor’s Evidence

Dr R.J.B. Madden, Boyle, said: I was called out about 4 o’clock on Saturday morning to see Thomas Greer who was stated to have been wounded. On my arrival I found him seriously wounded. There where in all thirteen wounds, some being entrance and some exit. He was alive when I arrived and lived until ten o’clock yesterday. He was suffering considerable pain and I gave him some morphia and dressed his wounds. I made a superficial examination of the bodies now. I found on James Greer a lacerated penetrating wound in the forehead which was probably the vital one, it depends on which one he got first, any of them was sufficient to be vital. There is also a wound in the chest and in the abdomen, both penetrating and one in the left arm. On Thomas Greer there was a superficial wound in the neck, one penetrating his chest, four in his abdomen, and one in the right thigh, and there is one in his back. There is one in the arm also. They were bullet wounds in both deceased.

To Mr Keegan: A bullet such as that produced would cause some of the wounds or they could be produced by a much smaller bullet. To the Coroner: The deceased James Greer died from shock or laceration of the brain, the result of gunshot wounds. To a Juror: I would say there were eight shots fired at Thomas and about four at James. In the case of Thomas there was one bullet fired from behind. A Juror: So they fired at him while on the ground? Yes. The Doctor said that, in the case of Thomas, death was due to shock caused by gunshot wounds.

Mr Patrick McLoughlin, Cootehall, who said that he was a Shop assistant, stated: On Saturday morning at about half one, I was awakened by a loud knocking at the door. I went to the window and I was asked to come down to get a tin of petrol. I went and told the “Boss” (Mr Charles Regan, Cootehall) he told me  not to open the shop, but to go to the yard and get a tin for the man that asked it. I brought the man outside the tin and he paid for it. To Mr Keegan: It was on the street I handed him the petrol. The car was on the street, I could not say what kind of car it was as it was between daylight and dark, The man would be about 5 feet 8 inches of 5 feet 9 inches. To a Juror: There were two persons in the car, It was the driver I gave the petrol. To Mr Keegan: I could not say what side the car went, after giving him the petrol, I went out to close the garage door. He had no conversation with me, only asked for petrol. To a Juror: He did not tell me where he was from, there are so many calling for petrol I don’t heed. Another Juror: That car might have nothing to do with this business at all. In reply to the Coroner, witness said the man who came for the petrol had the ordinary country accent. This closed the evidence and the coroner said all the witnesses gave their evidence fairly.

The Jury returned a verdict that both deceased met their deaths from shock and haemorrhage and due to gun shot wounds and fired by some person unknown. The Coroner observed he was sure that all deplored the occurrence which happened in their midst, and as the young man said and he was glad to hear the expression, “no neighbour did it”. Mr A Oates, said all regretted it. They had a peaceable district throughout all the war in Cootehall. They sympathised with the family in their bereavement. The Coroner said that he could be added as a rider. A rider to that effect was subsequently added. Mr Keegan: The Police Office joins in that expression. Brigadier Michael Dockery: I beg on behalf of the Army to sympathise with the relatives and condemn the murder to. Brigadier P. Brennan, Boyle: I also wish to add to include my name on behalf of the army executive and to condemn the murder. The inquest opened at 1pm and did not conclude until near 4pm.

Twenty Years in the district.

The late Sergeant James Greer was stationed in Cootehall district while serving in the R.I.C. for close on twenty years. He was living in Cootehall R.I.C. Barracks at the time the building was burned and then went to reside in the house at Knockcarrow.   His eldest son Thomas was formerly a shop assistant in Boyle and joined the R.I.C. about five years ago, He was disbanded this year. *

The Funerals

The remains of the two men where taken to Cootehall Catholic Church on Sunday evening and Solemn Requiem Mass was celebrated there on Monday for the repose of their souls. The remains where later conveyed by motor hearse for internment in the family burial ground near Athlone.  (Left: The gravestone of James, Nora & Thomas Greer). Relatives and friends of deceased accompanied the remains in motor cars. R.I.P.

References at Cootehall Masses

Referring to the shootings, Wednesday “Freeman” says, “ The tragedy was referred to in strong terms at the Masses on Sunday, the Parish Preist could not trust himself to refer unmoved to a subject that made strong men weep.

Rev. Father Freely C.C. who spent some years some years on the American Mission said as he understood the moral law, it was a case of callous and deliberate murder. They believed with the belief of faith itself that no one within the confines of the parish was in any way implicated. Out of the fullness of their hearts they offered their condolences to the bereaved family. He asked for the prayers of the people that the persons who did the deed might repent and not live on this life with their hands  dripping with the blood of murder. Commenting on the small value now set on human life, Father Feely said in his youth it was considered an awful thing if a young man got killed in an accident in the football field. Today a man would stand before a fellow man, fill him with lead and walk away unconcerned.

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