ATTENTIONS TO MR CHURCHILL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXII, Issue 8340, 1 April 1912, Page 5

ATTENTIONS TO MR CHURCHILL.

HIS BELFAST VISIT

Mr Winston Churchill, on his visit to Belfast, appears to have had anything but a pleasant trip. A correspondent of the journal " Votes for Women " states that after his speech, which was interrupted systematically every five minutes, Mr Churchill left by a special train. He was late m getting on the boat. There were with hirii. six detectives and four Irish policemen (the latter accompanied him as far as Stranraer). A crowd was booing at him. H© went straight to his cabin, and did not emerge until we reached Stranraer. He waited until the very'end, until everybody had gone off. There was a long pause. Then he came, followed by Mrs Churchill. Just as he got to the end of the gangway I rushed forward and hit him across the face with a tricolour (folded, and without a staff), saying, "No Referendum for us, Mr Churchill." He struck out at us. He had hardly taken two steps after this when Mrs. Carmichael did exactly the same thing. He looked absolutely murderous. Then the detectives began to hustle Mrs 'Carmichael, and Mrs Churchill (who had been extremely nice to us. on the boat, and had seemed to bo very interested), cried, "Don't hurt her! It'is all right." Desiring to interview Mr Churchill m the train between , Stranraer and Glasgow, Miss Frances Parker and. Miss Ellispii Gibb sectired seats m the compartment next that reserved for him, and quietly awaited his arrival. Much interest was shown by the crowd, who loudly discussed whether the ladies were suffragettes ,or not. Still greater interest was displayed by Mr Churchill's friends and detectives when they appeared. They made a point of passing through the compartment so as to have an opportunity of staring, and for a little while there was; a constant procession of. 'these gentlemen' up and down the corridor, talcing a good look at the women each time they passed. Mr Churchill himself■■had "a. peep, but the suffragettes remained quiet. • Then, what they were waiting . for came to pass. Evidently unable- to rest;while suffering from such nervous anxiety, Mr Churchill came boldly along and glared at the two women while speaking to another woman belonging to his party, who had come m beside them. Miss Parker then asked if she might speak to him. " What on?" he barked. "On Votes for Women." " No, I have had enough of that," he replied. # Ask^d what the Government was going to do /for women, he said, " For this behaviour you will not get the vote now," and walked on. Miss Parker continued speaking to him till pushed^ back into the carriage by the detectives. Peace- reigned once more till the men who were guarding the door were enticed into the carriage and sat down to talk things over. In the midst of the conversation Miss Parker suddenly darted out and tapped at Mr Churchill's window, followed by the detectives, she was pushed further up the corridor, and Miss Gibb took'-her position at the door and quietly waited events. Mrs Churchill came out and appealed to her to go away, as her husband had had no rest for fortyeight hours, and he was getting little sleep. The attempt to give the information that there were more women m Holloway who were getting even less sleep was interrurcted by Mr Churchill opening the door and demanding, " What's all this?" He was told a statement was wanted. "The only statement I will give you is gcaway, woman!" He seemed then worked up into a hysterical condition, and poured forth abuse on Miss' Gibb for some time. " Intolerable," " dis- \ gusting," "a nuisance," "you are a 1 low woman," were some of his expressions, even stronger words being used, which would have been more appropriate to a stairhead battle than to a Cabinet Minister. He ended up with "Remove this woman!" and there was only time -to remind him the women would stand no mor© trickery, that a Government Bill was demanded. and that the Referendum could be tried on Home Rule, but fair play must be had for the women.