SUFFRAGETTE OUTRAGES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 215, 7 September 1912, Page 17

SUFFRAGETTE OUTRAGES.

iATTEMPT TO FIRE DUB-UN THEATRE MB REDMOND WOUNDED" BY A HATCHET, On Thursday Bight, July 18, Mr Redmond was cut on the face by a. Iratchet thrown into the carriage in which he was driving ■through the streets of Dublin with Mr Asquith, and a few hoars later a concerted attempt was made to destroy the Dublin Theatre Royal, where Mr Asqnlth. spoke at night, by fire and the use of gunpowder and petrol. The accused were 'brought before Mr Maclnerney, K.C., at the Northern Police Court. Their names are:— Mary Leigh, wlho refused to give her address; Gladys Evans, IJzelle Cottage, Muswell Hill. London; Mary Capper, 21, Oxford-road, Manchester; lizzie Baker, <56, Chatham-roaU,

BtockpOTt. Mr who prosecuted , , said it appeared that quite recently these four women came over from England and took rooms in Lower Mount-street. The polk-e authorities looked upon the case as most serious. But for the action of some men the Theatre Koyal would have been burned down, and no one know hew jzmxny -lives would- have been lost. Joseph P. Keog-h stated that he was in the Theatre Koyal about 8.30 on Thursday evening and saw the woman Gladys Evans standing near the cinematograph box at the back of the dress circle. She put a light iuto the box and then walked away as if she expected an explosion. "I asked her df she wanted to burn tne theatre, and she informed mc she would do anything s.he liked. She then attempted to walk back towards the box, when I took her by the arm to prevent her from doing so. I saw a light in front of the cinematograph box, down about the second row of seats, and Sergeant Cook put it out with ihls coat."

Did you see a curtain of a box near the stage on tire?— Yes. I saw a woman stooping by the curtain and , trying to spread the flames.

John Ferguson, an attendant at the theatre, said at about half-past eight o'clock he saw Miss Evans open the door of the cinematograph box with her loft hand and throw in a little handbag, lie saw tiei throw- matches inside the box. She struck the matcies and then tried to put them on top of the handbag, which ha<l gunpowder inside it. Witness assisted in putting out the blaze and took the handbag from tie woman. GUNPOWDER AND A THIMBLE. Serjeant Durham Cooper, 2nd Battalion Connaught Rangers, said he saw a flare iv front of the cinematograph box. The carpet was alight and there was a lot of fluid on It like petrol. He saw a woman drop a match on the carpet where the flame was. Subsequently there was an explosion like the report of a fleld-gun. There was s-moko like that following the firing of a field artillery gun. He saw Miss Evans throw two lighted matches into the cinematograph

box, and when he seized hold , of her she satd, "That is only the start of it. There will be more explosions at the second house."

Subsequently he saw a bottle or canister which had the smell of gunpowder and appeared to contain petrol.

Robert Johnson, a etage carpenter, deposed to finding opposite the cinematograph l>ox a canister with a tape attached, the end of which was smouldering. Inspector Kannon gave evidence of charging Evans with setting fire to the theatre. She claimed the handbag previously mentioned as hers. It was lying on the desk at the police-station.

The bag contained a quantity of gunpowder, a matchbox, a thimble—(laughter)—anil

a piece of stick. The carpet in the dress circle nt the pla-ce appeared to be saturated with pttrol. He found a. cork, which was slightly burned and which appeared to fit the mouth of a bottle which smelt of petrol and was labelled "Whisky." The curtain of the box at the corner of the dress circle was saturated with oil. THE HATCHET. Mr J. J. O'Brien, chief marshal of Thursday night's procession, said he -was walking beside the open carriage in which .were Mr Asquith, Mr John Redmond, the Lord Mayor, and Mrs and Miss Asquith. Opposite

Princess-street he saw .Mary Leigh nisi forward at the carriage and throw something. She clung to the back of the carriage, and when he seized her she beat 'him in the face "for all she was worth." She pulled the eparrlettes off his coat. lie afterwards discovered it was a hatchet that had been thrown, and it struck Mr Redmond- on the

The prisoner Leigh declared that she quite admitted she was the -woman. The Witness: There is no doubt about It, and if you were not a "woman you would not be alive to-day.

Leigh: I put it to you, you are responsible for the condition of my face?— For some of it I cm. (Laughter.)

The accused -were all committed for trial before the City Commission.

she denied all knowledge of the conspiracy She only arrived from Manchester the previous evening at G.JSO p.m. Mrs Leigh confirmed what Miss Capper said, and added, "I have a big share of the responsibility," Mrs Baker also supported Miss Capper's statement. Miss Capper was admitted to ball in £50 and two sureties of £23 each. The others were refused bail.

[Mrs Leigh and Miss Evans were each sentenced to five years lmprosonment for attempted arson, while Mrs Baker got off with five months. The last-named was released last month owing to ill-health, while the other two have been carrying on a hunger strike in the hope of being released. They have been forcibly fed, and the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland definitely refuses to releaes them. Leigh has not yet been tried for throwing the hatchet] SUFFRAGETTES ASSATHVTiED. Extraordinary scenes occurred in Dublin while Mr Asquith's meeting wns in progress. The streets were thronged and some Suffragettes attempted to parade, but were set upon by the crowds. Ultimately they took refuge in tramway-cars and the General Post Office, the windows of which they smashed a few weeks ago.

Aα attempt was made to throw the women into the River Liffey, but this was prevented by a police-inspector's appeal to the crowd "to be Irishmen."

iAt Dtfblin, on July 24, three women and a boy rwere charged with an assault on a woman whom they mistook for a Suffragette. It was Btated that some two hundred people surrounded Miss liileen Nolan, of Kildare, shouting, "She is a Snfrrajjette." She was struck on the face, and knocked down, ier ankle was cut by the kerbstone, her coat was torn off and filled with mud, and slie had to be taken to the police-station for protection. Accnsed were remanded on bail.