RAID ON THE HOUSE OF COMMONS,

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13664, 31 March 1908, Page 8

RAID ON THE HOUSE OF COMMONS,

SDFFKAGETTES IN FURNITURE VANS.

MANY ARRESTED.

The Suffragettes who, under the auspices or the Women's Social and Poll? tical c nion, held a three-days' Parlia- j inent uf Women at Caxton -Hall, Westwiinster, adopted a novel method of attempting to secure entrance to the House of Commons on February 11. It ' was reminiscent of the famous wooden horse of Troy, but it did not,' as in the case of the Greeks, prove successful. Two pantechnicon vans, painted a sober brown, and with a couple of men upon the box of eadh, passed quietly by the front of the Houses of Parliament ! just before 4 o'clock. The police on duty, although on, the look-out for a Suffragette "raid," eyed them without suspicion. Opposite the St. Stephen's entrance the vehicles drew slowly to ( the side of tho road. The men svho wore driving them tapped upon tho roofs of the vans with their whips. POLICE DUMBFOUNDED. It was a pro-arranged signal. Instantly- the rear doors flow open, and twenty or thirty women, scrambling ■ hastily out, swarmed towards the entrance. "Suffragettes!" The ory passed from one astonished constable to another, -and a rush was made to head theu women off. But twb of the women actually forced 1 their nay past the dumbfounded constables who stood at tho outer doors, and passed inside — only to fall into the arn^s of a relay of policemen who stood quietly within. Tho remainder of> the - surprise party, gripped from behind by strong arms, struggled furiously, witli sluill cries of Votes for, Women !" Meamwhile, the 'pantechnicons drove quietly away. A scone of extraordinary confusion ensued. The polico formed a solid squadron before the doors, and met auctfessire rushes from the Suffragottes with unbroken' ranks. The women, with hats awry and dishevelled garments, threw themselves "nercely on the burly constables, who disentangled themselves from their struggling assailants with good-liujnourecT smiles, pushiug \hem back without violence. The Suffragettes returned to the fray again and again xinj@jl, one by one, they were arrested and^escorted away between policemen -4b % the Cannon Row Police Station. A force of constables, which had been held in readiness in case of a disturbance; marched out of the y?rd of the House, forming up in a Folid line acro33 tho roadway and double-guarding the main entrance. ENCOURAGEMENT BY MEGAPHONE. As the police carried out this _ ntonoouvro another party of Suffragettes, some fifty strong, who had approashed iv "open order" from the ) direction of Caxton Hall, made a detern, iiicd rush for th«t main entrance, v-aving aloft papers which bore the jre-soluuon just passed by their "Parlianioni" condemning* the Government for refusing to accord women the vote. Exhorted by Hiss Christabel P,ankhurst, who drove among them iA a han- * spm fcjtb, the women scrambled across ' ' the roadway, d^iag under the arms of oonie of the constables, i and dodging other?. Another Suffragette, standing up excitedly in a cab, snouted encouragemqnt through a megaphone. But the polico at the gates were in> iiiovahlo. Mis 3 Pankhuyat's bab wa%. -turned away: the lady with- the mega|phone was siJpncp'l. ?nd the other woj men,. struggling, kicking, and'scream- ' ing defiance, were forced back from I tho pavement into the roadway. ' Arrt^ts were being made every moment. Aft->r the second rush there v was a j brief 1 ill. Meanwhile, from points of jva3-t»:i_G within the gates, a number of iineri'ipr.'j of Parliament, some of them isr.ar>i.ij:2 cigarettes, eyed the turbulent jsjonr— apparently with great anniseincnL Then the Suffragettes tried a jnev rise. Linking arias, and raising ,their v.iir cry, "Vote? for Women!" they vargou forward once more. The police sprang among them, and there j v, as another wild scerus. The women rtru^gled and tore themselves from the j j policemen's grip; tho crowd swayed Lo ( jflnd fro; while an / ever-increasirg thrnrig of spectators added L to the confusioh. FORTY-SIX ARRESTED. But the police were being constantly reinforced, and although the ranks of tho S-iifragettes were augmented also until <hey numbered well over a hundred, they were 3wept back in an or-gani'-fl police movement and eventually broken up ittto ineffective de-tachc-cl parties. • More arrests were made ; but the v. onion seemed nndaunted. They withdrew to a safer distance, and consulted their leaders. The police, however; Ifaving succeeded in j splitting up the %/ omen's ranks, did ■ ; not iriioml that they should re-fornt. (Every attempt they made to do so was jprotTi^tlv frustrated. The constables J followed them up closely wherever they v,-e:u. Every nov/ and vthen two or thre^ cf the Suffragettes, raising their, jbcttk cry, endeavoured to form a little party; bflt the police instantly separate! them. At the Cannon Row Police Station, b^for*; th© "rait" terminated, fortys»;v S'lffragfiUea were held in- custody. \ p/cond demonstration occurred f(tcr Ihe evening Jrceting of the PiirYmr^fvt of Women. A resolution was pnrr.c-1 psprossitip; sympathy with the v/ojt' arrested and condemnation of tbo Govrrnmont. "Who will take this* resolution to the Boijk<« of Commons?" asked Miss Christw.bcl Pankhurst, v and promptly camo il)i> answer, "I wilL/' from Miss Mnry WHtwo'th. Fifty women accompanied her. Tho nrocossion, *"scortcd by a large borly of poiicfi. startcl pff at a steady marc) \ but wlien Parliament Square* w.".s reached a sudden dash by the polico turned the flank t>f the procession. There was a sharp melee, and four arreets wore nmfle. Mrs Mary Whitworth was conveyed, resolution and all, to Cftnnon Rfl^y Police Station, alorp; with -fhroe cIW tnUiNni Snffcfl flatten. W];oi chargm? ri tho Wrstninstf' jPo'ic.s! tin'tvi fcfi'.^/'voa. of tlm nr-,yt*-4'<r») <}(*d n 6 t(^ gO to \}')n\ '(>" ono TTioniTi f-tljcr than pnv !• Ifi'ro -f 10s. I*hr<p Ruf.Vnjfc'ttca worr- rTi> Jc'ianer ?. r i bc*rr> v,-« ; in ivcntion of im-i7>:i-jOii'M«'nt in thi second division.

' M"»t v.itnt'tn™ clnf}iir;g n«tnr»ll,v turn jtr> Tfco X» r ;l«. ami w<» \»:»nt to draw < tlt«'ir f«t(.^ntion to <)i<*ir "groat- nnnnal »»|n iinvv going on. TlirY'iw making nlrfmiioMo to onal>J<> llirnt to copo with ,the»r ir'TOMing tra'ln and tlu'y'ro do- . 'tprrrri ••('{! to rr<3nr<* (H'ir stocks co 7- * «i»l<»Tv.ih!v. Tho prices t'lif»y nrn quoting r}'oi«l,-1 do tliifl vory qu'j^ljly. Potter look fluHin up oarlv a,nd scrur^ » fp-.v linrrnftift. — Advfc. The "Denion" lint look* ■«■♦»!!. wnr' I ««<!!. .trt<! Iflwif»i4 it* i-oUtnt w*»U, *ml it* SoM <;;r h^lfr a gurtwa xt "Th« Kutth — Adrt..