This man appears to be a genuine spy. A man with no past, or at least a past so murky that it cannot be found
He apparently said to his captors that he was James Gordon (or O'Gorman) a man who had served in RIC pre-war, joined the British Army during the war, was wounded, then re-joined as a Black and Tan. He was from Kiltyclogher ,Co.Leitrim ( a small village that does exist)
1920 Aug Shot Cork
The proprietress of a public house near the quays reported to a member of 'E' Company that a man in civilian clothes whom she suspected of being a Black and Tan was very drunk on her premises and she believed from his remarks that he was trying to get away on a boat. The 'E Company man went in, armed with a gun, held up the drunken stranger, ascertained that he was unarmed and sent to the car stand at the Statue in Patrick Street for a reliable cabman to come and bring his horse and vehicle. In this cab the drunken prisoner and his escort were conveyed out to the Pike, north of the City, and there another armed guard was provided while the original captor proceeded back into the city and sought out the Brigadier who, after perusing a notebook which had been found on the prisoner's person, ordered his immediate execution. This man was one James Gordon of Kiltyclogher, Co.Leitrim, and he had served in the R.I.C .prior to the 1914-1918 war, joined the British Army, was wounded, and subsequently rejoined the R.I.C.
What was peculiar was that during this particular year he had been shiftedfrom one station to another no less than six times, and each time shortly after his arrival the shooting of some supporter of the national movement had taken place in the area where he was stationed. Only the day before he was picked up in Cork, through the astuteness of a lady and the quick action of an 'E 'Company man, the Dwyer brother had been murdered at their home at The Ragg, Co.Tipperary. It was from a R.I.C. post convenient to there that Gordon had just come to Cork. The 'E' Company man went back to the prisoner who was now sobering up and told him of his immediate fate. Gordon said he assumed he was speaking to a Roman Catholic, that he was one himself and asked for the services of a priest. Back theVolunteer had to travel into Cork to the Brigadier, who agreed to defer the sentence until a priest could beo btained. This was done eventually, but in the meantime, for security reasons, the prisoner had to be transferred under guard to several different hiding places. His captors were kind to him and if he wanted a drink that was secured for him. But the sentence of death was carried out eventually.
IRA Witness Statement Arrest of James O'Gorman: In July 1920, I received information that a Black and Tan, named James O'Gorman, was in Cork city. This man was suspected of complicity in the murder of two I.R.A. men named Dwyer of The Ragg, near Thurles, Co.Tipperary, and it was understood that he was leaving Cork for England by boat. I received instructions to watch for this man and take him prisoner. One evening in July, following receipton of a report from our intelligence service, I went, with five others from E.Company, to Penrose Quay, Cork. We were armed with revolvers. In due course, O'Gorman came along, obviously going to the Cork Steam packet Company's boat which was sailing for England that same evening. I held him up and, with the others, put him into a motorcar which we had ready nearby. He was brought to the Kilcully district, north of the city, where he was kept in a house, under armed guard, for a few days. He was then taken by car to Knockraha in East Cork where he was executed.