BESIEGING THE PREMIER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2902, 27 October 1909, Page 26

BESIEGING THE PREMIER.

DISGRACEFUL SCENES. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, September 10. The suffragettes are determined to allow Mr Asyuith no peace. The Prime Minis- ! j ter has taken Lyinpne Castle, Hythe, for ; the holidays, and he goes there for the I week-end tor a little rest and quiet after , ; the turmoil of the Budget fight during the week. Last Sunday thiee members of the Women's Social and Political Union sue- ' ceeded in gaining access to him, and sub- ' jected him and his family to considerable ; indignity. Among the feats they accomplished were those of climbing the castle , walls while the Premier and his family | ( were at dinner, smashing a window, and then escaping under co\er of the darkness. | j Perched on an eminence which commands ' ! an unrivalled view of t.be English Chan- ' j nel and the surrounding country, the walls , , of the castle adjoin a churchyard, to which admission is g-ivon by a private door. Before morning soi\iee the three women stationed thenid-elves in a position which , commanded a view of the door. They saw J Mr Aaquith enter the church, and they waited until he reappeared and was crossing the churchyard. ' The women arc quite proud of their achievement, and they readily communicated their story to the papers. Miss Kenny said: "He was slipping 1 thiough a side door, when we caught hi'ii. He was wedged in the door, and a little struggle eiifeued, in which Mr Asqiuth lost his liar, jlt rolled off the back of his h-ead. We got I hold of his arm and tried to pull him back into the churchyard, but he escaped through a door, and it was banged in ou. faces. Not a word was said. Mr Asquith was so quick, and it all occurred so hurriedly." In the afternoon Mr Asquith and Mr Herbert Gladstone \isited the golf links at ' .'.Utlestone, and here again the suffragettes i we-ie in waiting. To quote Miss Kenny: "■ We .stationed ourselves near the entrance io the clubhouse on the golf course, and waited until the golfers began to leave. Uuio^t the last to go were Mr Asquith •tisd Mr Gladstone and some other inon. The plane wr,s almost de-sorted, and every;iiiii'4 was quiet. The sun was setting; it was the time when i>eople weie just be- ' ginning to think about dinner. Thf Prime Minister's parry approached the clubhouse, and we saw Mr Asq unit's motor oar drive , round io the entrance. TJnd^t^r ted, we stood close to the clubhouse, and as the Prime Mi n liter was descending the steps on* of us sprang forward and caught hold of his arm. He turned and simply ran up j the stops, and we ran after him. It was quite a chase, and as he reached the top step one of my companions caught him in , the doorway. Ho tried to push her away, but ahe was too quick for him, and caught i hold of his collar. Then a rea! fight ensued. I Mr \squuh called Mr Gladstone, who came , rushing- out. It was a real old jostle, j i There were they trjing io push us out, j and we were endeavouring to (fee in. j Blows were struck, and Mr Gladstone j fought like a pugilist It got more serious, j Mr Gladstone lunged out, and we lunged j out, for we were determined not to be j n-h°d down the steps by them. I don't j thinik the Prime Minister received any j bruises, but Miss Howie's arm was scratched. We all came down the steps i somehow, and by this time we women were , out of breath. A man held us, and Mr j Asquith and Mr Gladstone entered their | car and drove away. Before they went I ' shouted out to Mr A?quith : ' Worse will happen to you unless jou stop heaping those indignities on women.' " , In the eveninir the suffragettes rowed i back on the canal to Lymrmo, and. leaving < their boat concealed under a bank, they i climbed th» castle wall. Mis* Kenny pro-r-eeded: "We helped each other up, and up had a lot of slips and scramble*. fH!s ond tumbles At last we reached to within :i short distance of two open windows, •"<'> nt which lis^ht streamed Wo judged bi the sounds of the table furnituie ihnt the party woiv> at rliiinor, but I cai<t\<>t any whether Mr Gladstone was thrro \Y<? did not listen to tho talkinar. localise wo would do nothinsr dishonomablp— w-o sirnplv went i ibiut our woi k at one" One of us was ' hoist'fT up to n window and tx»eped j 'hrou.crh and «aw tlipm at dinner She re l-oi ted hor observations, and, standing- in J the wall, wo dpcided upon our plan of , notion. T7p again wo hoisted her, and | thru«ting her head through the window she cried : 'Mr Asquith, we shall go on pester-

ing you until you give women the vote.' And then the window was smashed with stones. How we got down off the wall and scrambled over the fei'ces and through the ditches I don't know. <Ye heard a commotion behind us in th< castle, and a man s voice on the tej /ace cried out : ' There they go, down th« steps.' We got quietly into our boat, ard looked behind us. The glare of lanterns «-yellow, red. and green— flashed about th^i castle grounds, and -voices called. But they never thought of casting the light on the canal or looking for us there. And so we got away."