Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1909-11-05
SUFFRACET BURNS
POLLING OFFICERS
WITH DEADLY ACID
Leader of Movement Says
Governments Policy Drives
Women to Crimes.

London, Oct. 3o.-Mrs. Chaplin, a
suffraget, furnished an early morn
ing thrill at the Bermondsey bi-elec.
ton today when she smashed a bottle
containing corrosive acid on a ballot
ses. Her intention, evidently, "ss &C
destroy the ballots in the box as a
protest against the exclusion of women
from tho right Of franchise. What she
accomplished was the painful burning
of some Of the election officials and
the assurance of her own arrest.
Slipping into one of the booths. where
perhaps a thousand ballots had been
deposited, Mrs. Chaplin drew from I'M
der her cloak a bottle in which nix had
been mixed with corrosive acid, and
before she could be stopped, hurled the
bottle upon the box.
1t broke into many pieces and the
acid Splashed upon the election officers.
A number of these were so severely in
1ured as TO require medical attention.
Similar Outrage Attempted.
About the same time a similar out
rage was attempted at another booth
by a girl, who wore the suffraget colors.
In the latter instance little damage was
done beyond the burning of the finger
tips of the election officers who removed
the bits of broker glass. So far as
could be ascertained none of the acid
had reached the ballots.
Later, In an interview, Miss Christa-
bel Pankhurst, while depforing the
wounding of the officials, asserted with
nue. emphasis:
1T is the government that Is respon-
sible. 1t is the government that drives
m to these acts"
Violence Prearraneed.
IT appears that today a violence was
planned by the Women's Freedom
league, the members of which glory In
what was done. Members of this same
league picketed the house of
for Is weeks. The leagues secretary
is Mrs. Edith Martyr. In ar interview
following the attack or the ballot boxes,
Mrs. Matryn said:
w thought that as Premier AS
quith had not shown himself amenable
to u requests, the time a come to
take more active OuT plans
We're thought out most carefully and
we found delight in the opportunity to
carry them out on the anniversary of
the Grille protest in the house of COM
mons. which was perpetrated by the
Women's Freedom league.
our object this morning was to in
validate the election. We had various
plans and the others would have been
tried during the day a this one
failed"
On October 2S, 1908, a suffraget dem
onstration was mad in the aides gall
leries during a sitting of the house of
commons.
When attendants sought to employ
the galleries they found that two suf-
tragets had firmly chained themselves
to h grille or lattice from behind
which feminine eyes must view the pro-
ceedings of the house.
F'or a time the two volunteer prison.
ers resisted the efforts to remove them.
Today's bi-election in the Bermond-
zey division of Southwark Gone Of the
parliamentary b~oroughs of London), is
of unusual interest and it is expected
to afford a good test of the feeling in
London n the country generally on
the impending struggle in parliament.
"A strong fight on the budget against
tariff reform has been waged in this
constituency. The candidates are: Lib
eral, S. l.. Hughes; unionist, John
humphreys; labor, Dr.. A. Salter.
At the last general election the lih-
erals had a majority of 1859.