THREE VALIANT SUFFRAGETTES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 659, 9 November 1909, Page 3

THREE VALIANT SUFFRAGETTES.

— • ' ■ • c following lively-account of the pursuit of ■? . by three .determined. suffragettes vr by .oile of tliein, iUiss . Jessie. Kohney. ? Mr. .Asquith had persisted in ; his refusal .10 1 receive, a deputation, -so thoy ■ doterinined' to ? interview him. , v. J . Having asceriiiiuod (.hfit Mr. Asquith'would t ne;goittg, to.lflrmpne;this week-end, writes Miss l ■iUIIiKA. \ era Wontworth, Elsie howey, and-I decitieu thiit we would go down,; too, and re- J jnind him. that he'woulu-not .have peace until , r lie - did' his .duty' to ' the women. : J Wo had thoroughly, mastered the whole plan t of the.castle grounds and ,the surrounding ctvn- f try. The castle, is higli up; on a hill,-and coin- 1 niands a yipw of the English, Chaniiel, and the . walls adjoin file churchyard,',- to': which' ad- a mission.is gained.by door. OhSunday. morning we .'.disguised ourselves for the occasion,. Miss -.Vera LWentwortli's dis- d guise as a nunc being especially successful. ) \\e took a boat up the Military Canal, went up to tho churchyard, whence wo could 'com- i mand a good view. We saw Mr. Asquith mak- I ing his. way into the church/ and we waited x unHl . the service was oyer.-As he .was going c from tho, church'to .the little door which led to the castle we: hastened up towards him, and t ho.began to. run) He-was just slipping through j the door .when -we caught him., • He ;• got wedged, in.the door, and' a struggle ensued, in .which his hat "was knocked off. > He tried 'to rttover ; both his hat and his'dignity,, but looked-ex- ' tredely afraid/fit was. a .real "■ deeds'..■ not' j •words" affair.: .Not- a- word.:was! spoken'on c either, side. . Mr. Asquith managed to,' squeeze e , .thrbugh.:by :th'e aid-of someone.'.who'came: to j his .help, .and. the door was shut. '. , ' . T y That was only .the beginning. ; W,e: had -de- } • cided that we would .try to catch/Mr.'Asquith' 0 and Gladstone together, at .the . golf links. [ -We , stationed ; pursblves- near, ; the' entrance to f the club house, and began to watch the players j -who wereMeaying. Almost the. last to go -were i Mr. Asquith and "Mr. (Gladstone and some other . men.; They looked as though they thought .'suffragettes' were thousands of ' inilcs - away. They went into the club house,' and' we 1 saw that :Mr. Asquith V motor had been brought up quite near| •so we. prepared ourselves. ■' Soon'we- saw him descending the'steps; and his way down the footpath, to the motor. ' Miss Howey, then made a dash' up the path, and ias so or: as' he .saw' ; he'r' coming lie turned round ; and','ran' back Again, and was almost; on the top step/when she caught him. He; said .to Miss Howey, "1 shall have .you locked up," .'but she "promptly returned, -"1 , don't care, what, yoii do; Mr. Asquith!"' Vera Weritworth 'and I then followed, aiid, his.hat' was thrown off again: in the scrimmage.' • ' . When!we.arrived on the scene Mr. Asquith . was calling for help, and'trying to push -Jilsie I /Howoy out of . the. porch. /At the call of Mr. : ! Asquith, Mr. Gladstone came on the sceuo, and a Teal: fight ensued. Mr. Gladstone and Mr. Asquith tried to: push us down the' stops, but .we.pushed-back'as.:hard 'as they pushed, forward. There, were .blows received from both parties and iplenty of'jostling.'-; ! • Mr. Gladstone' fought -liko ; a prize-fighter, ahd'struck."out: left and right. I must say he is a. bettor fighter than'ho is'.a politician.-. The suffragettes have, of ten .been called hooligans,, . but . certainly the two Cabinet Ministers showed ! they could also hooligans :ivhen . there vaa ,' no one, looking.' They got two other men to help ; them, and fwe all came down the steps . simehow; and' by this, .time were quite out of ' breath, " While Mr. Asquith and Mr. Gladstone ' were , preparing to. go' .aWayv in the: motor,'■ we • gavo 'them'some home truths. ,We told, thoin -the"-leaders'..'of i-this movement would not be ' able .to control- the woiriea much longer, . tjiir • parting as-..they, drove .offwere that worse things:,would happon. to: thom.'unless .they. ga:ve ; : the.wbinen:the:r.-rights. : ,. ~'l . .-.The,adventure, ended-with a night 'attack on /'the l ;:dimng-rp6m'of ■' the ..castle, where:-: the two: - statesineh.'. 'were..' dining ' together.'Choosing ,theirs njoraent,;two ofthe' -women .hoisted tho third, up;toj '.a -window/;? .'Thrusting- her. head through tho .window, _sht4 cried, "Mr. Asquith,; : v we shall; go on'peatbring.yoWiintil yoii.give the women the vote'!''/ Then . bang 1 went. .some stones. 'against;;the vfindov.s; with ( the exclama- ' tidn,- "T-liis 'lis- :what -the. wonlen of ' England think, bf : 'you,:; Mr. Asquith!" And-thon we- - all;' 1 niddo '.burn e'sca je; How: we ;got - . down oft. the castle wall; and ■ climbed - oyer: the 'fences and, through the ditches- we do hot know." Weheard - a commotion, on the terrace, and a • man's-- voice-:ciyjiig- out,.'".There ;they go/down 'the"' steps'We ma'db; our way ; ' down-' to. our.' boat,- and pushed off,. Growing as fast ps wo could "down .-the canal. . :- •