The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-03-29

Faithful Dog, Escapes without Serious
Injury-Denial that Any Irish Orgauiza-
tion Had Anything to Do With the As
sault.
LONDON, March Is.
Lady Florence Dixie was attacked Mt Wind
sor yesterday by two men disguised in wom-
ems clothes. Her dress was cut with daggers
in several places, but she received no injury.
Lady Florence was walking in secluded
spot near the woods when the men asked her
what time it was. She replied she had no
watch, and afterwards noticed that, though
they were IN wemen's clothes, their faces had
been shaved.
Much alarmed she started to walk away, and
was followed by the men, one of whom seized
her. She struggled to escape, but, seeing their
daggers, fell in swoon. This occurred at 4:45
o'clock in the afternoon. She did not recover
her senses until 5:15
Lady Florence has been prostrated to-day.
The story of the affair was elected from her
only at intervals The saving of her life is
attributed to her st. Bernard dog, which is
supposed to have protected her while she lay
In a swoon.
Lady Florence gave the New York Herald
correspondent the follow account of the af-
fair:
"I returned from Ireland six weeks ago, and
came here for the purpose of retirement and
quiet, as I have a great deal of work to do,
stay at our seat in Leicestershire On Satur-
day Afternoon at a quarter to Ave sauntered
into the plantation which adjoins The Fish
cries with my st. Bernard dog, and had
reached the gate opening into Windsor road,
when my attention was first attracted to a
soldier and woman passing by. While look
| ing after them and mentally remarking the
| fine physique of the man, I was addressed by
what appeared to be two tall women, dressed
| in long cloaks of dark stuff and wearing veils
who asked me to tell them the time replied
that had no watch upon me, and turned back
| again into the plantation. was about cross
| ing the stile when noticed that the women
had followed me- This reused my sus-
picion, as the ground was private, so 1
| faced round to meet them. had
scarcely done SO when one seized me
by the throat and struck me violently on the
head, and threw me on the ground. called
| loudly for help when they pushed clay into
| my mouth. 1 then saw by their clean-shaved
| chins that they were men in the disguise of
| women's apparel. While PROSTATE saw the
| other man raise knife and aim savage blow
at my right breast. The knife struck the steel
ribs of my corset and glanced off. Without
uttering word, he again made a stab, which
| caught in my left hand. remember seeing
| him raise his hand to strike another blow,
| which received in my right hand. 1 also
| member hearing the noise of a cart in the
road and seeing my dog fly at the men. Then
| swooned. 1 came to my senses half an hour
afterward, and found myself lying in the same
spot where fell. got up and walked back
| to the house, and told my husband and brother
| Of the terrible outrage. They Immediately de-
| parted for Windsor to lay the account before
| the authorities"
To the noble animal of the st. Bernard breed
| Lady Florence Dixie attributes her marvellous
| escape from the assassin's knife. 1t Is pre-
foll
derers for some distance, as it returned to the
| house after the arrival of Lady Florence
| Dixie. "
Your correspondent questioned Lady Flor
| ence as to the motive of the crime. She said:
"The whole affair is most mysterious. can
ascribe a motive to no one, as my sympathies
| for the Irish people have been openly avowed
| and are well known"
1t was assumed that the attack would be
laid at the door of the Irish, an assumption
which she warmly repudiated adding: " In
| these days every crime must be of Irish
origin"
| LONDON March 19.
Lady Florence Dixie, who was attacked Sat-
urday by two men disguised in women s
clothes, says the men spoke no brogue. She
remembers seeing her st. Bernard dog drag
one of them backward. The affair is puzzling
every one. There is no clew to the assailants.
The gardener potting geraniums thirty yards
from the scene neither saw nor heard any
thing of the occurrence. Lady Florence says
she called to her husband for help. She states
she should be sorry to attribute the outrage to
| the Land League.
| NEW YORK, March 10.
| O'Donovan-Rossa said to-day he was very
certain that no Irish organization had any
thing to do with the assault upon Lady Flor
ence Dixie. "Irishmen," he said, "do not
| make war upon women" In Dublin Mr.
Forster's life was spared on many occasions
because he shielded himself behind women
He very much doubted whether the assault
had ever taken place. Lady Dixie was
"crank," and perhaps her love of notoriety
had led her to promulgate the story. But ht
thought it more probable that the 50 base hire
lings" of the British Government mac
"planned the whole affair for the purpose. Of
d exciting the British populace against the
Irish.'
Mr.. Sheridan, who was seen in the Office o.
the Irish World, said: II look upon the affai
as an attempt to disparage the Land League
and to prepare the public mind for the con
templated slaughter of the men who are nov
on trial in Dublin. l believe the assault wa
planned by some of the emissaries of Dublin
Castle. do not believe that Lady Florenc,
| Dixie was consenting party. / have TOT
high an opinion of her to imagine for mo
ment that she would lend herself to purpos
SO vile. Her mother, the Machioncss o
Queensbury, is one of the most popular
women in Ireland. Lady Dixie has prove,
} that she at least sympathizes with the Irisl
people. know of no reason whatever VIII
the Irish people should entertain the smalles
dislike towards her, unless, indeed, tn
, letters which she has recently writer
on Land-League matters might be suppose
D to furnish some grounds for hostile feeling
4 toward her." These letters. in my opinion
were a severe and perhaps unjustihablc crit
q icism of public movement and its officers
. but at the same time the criticism was par
;. donable. If the Government should success
L in establishing anything like desperate fee
e ing against the Irish people in England,
e would only result in increased destruction o
a property and deeds of violence in which tn
upper classes will themselves suffer equall
! with the Irish The rabble of the Englis
% cities furnishes all the ingredients necessar
), for the formation of the most dangerous an
6 uncomfortable mobs.
Mr.. Patrick Egan was seen at a late hour a
, the Grand Central Hotel, having Just returne
. from Waterbury, Conn. With reference /
the assault upon Lady Florence Dixie he sal
that after reading very carefully all the new:
% paper reports of the alleged occurrence h
had arrived at the conclusion that the entir
IS story is either lie out of whole cloth or thf
l. the unfortunate lady is the victim or a
hallucination. He certain that n
Irishman would be guilty of IA cowar'
10 ly attack upon defenseess wnmal
l. and regarded the attempt to give an
le political coloring TO the affair very absur
Lady Dixie's recent unjust criticism of tt
II Land-League leaders had awakened some fee
:, ing, but it partook rather of pity and col
tempt-certainly not hostility. If it was prove
g. that the attack really had occurred, he shou
G IL result
II family complications. But the whole stol
looked highly improbable. If the attack ha
O occurred, as asserted, either herself or II
:, dog would bear some marks of the knives.
was hardly possible that the steel of her cors
a should have turned aside tw % successive stal
y as she had stated.
J. SEVERAL boys, among them the ter-yea
old son of Captain Grace, prominent ci,