Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1910-11-23
sUFFRAGETTEs ASSAULT As
QUITH.

Premier Asquith was assaulted hy
suffragettes in the precincts OF the
British House OF Commons yesterday
and was saved from rough handling
only by the prompt arrival Of strong
body OF police. =, ,,.
At a meeting at Caxton Hall MISS
Christobe Pankhurst characterized 'ne
minister's statement as wholly unsat-
isfactory and nothing more nor less
than an insult to the cause. " Inc
women. she shouted, considered the
premier's attitude q declaration OF war
and they would answer the challenge
Immediately. .,
No sooner said than done. With
rush the women emptied the hali
and several hundred strong started
for Downing street. They encoun-
tered Mr.. AsQuith en- route, and be-
fore the premier realized the situation
he was surrounded by irate SuffragetteS.
1t was not long before he recognized
that he was in hostile camp Tor with
out any preliminaries Miss Henriet'a
Williams struck the government lead'
er. at the same time calculating;
You tax women as heavily as mon'
yet women are not represented IN Far-
Lament.
Shrill police whistles brought officers
from all nearby quarters and As the
women struggled among themselves
for the privilege OF getting at him. the
premier was hustled into taxlcao.
As the car started off with bound
Miss Williams made another attempt
to reach its occupant and in doing so
put her fist through the glass OF the
car window. She was pulled away still
CRYING traitor" and coward. "
The trouble did not end with the
escape Of Mr.. Asquith. Robbed OF
their special prey a big body OF women
broke through the police barrier and
reached Downing street. For time
pandemonium reigned in the vicinity
of the ministerial residences and gov
eminent offices.
Shrieking women, many OF them
armed with bamboo poles that had
been used 10 support banners, but no"
served as lances, fought like amazons,
desperately attacking the police and
clawing and kicking to such gooc
purpose that the police line was broken
and the officers forced to Temporarily
retire
Police reinforcements we're hurried
to the scene and, throwing themselves
against the rioters, checked the ad
vance. Women and their male sym
pathizers we're hurled to the ground
In many instances the officers literally
dragged the women out OF the hight
ing zone and thus saved them from
being trampled to death by the mol
behind. II was sometime before tn
police succeeded in clearing Downing
street. A litter OF millinery, bits o
clothing, handbags and torn banner
gave evidence of the fierceness wit
which the field had been contested
During the melee about 100 womel
were arrested.
The rioting continued into the even
ing when squads Of women attacked tn
residences OF Sir Edward Grey. the for
eign secretary; Winston Spence
Churchill, the home secretary, an
Lewis Harcourt, secretary OF state 10
/ the colonies. Stones crashed throug
! the windows of the houses, Sir Edwar
Grey's bearing the brunt Of the attack
One band spied August Birrell, che
secretary for Ireland, strolling throug
St. James Park TO the Athenaeur
> Club and swooped down upon the age
statesman knocking his hat over hi
eyes and kicking him about the leg:
When help came and the woman wer
driven off Mr.. Birrell limped to h
motor car on the arms of policemen.
Mrs. Emmeleine PankhurSt, Tn
leader of the suffragettes, was anon
those taken TO jail. Her sister, Mrs
Grant, denied admittance, threw
missile through the Jail window. Sh
also was incarcerated. Miss Grac
johnson was tho only American al
rested.