El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-04-18

the dead walls of London and
other English towns depicts a
woman bound to a chair, held by four
prison wardreSses at wrists and ankles
while bailiff holds her head back by
the ears. In her nose is a rubber tube,
attached at the other end to a funnel
into which the prison physician is pour
ing broth from a huge metal pot. This
is pictorial presentation of the hor-
rors of forcible feeding which have
been endured by many British suffra-
gettes while incarcerated in English
jails.
The mere business of being sent to
Jail and being locked up as a common
criminal did not smack sufficiently of
martyrdom to please the devotees of
the suffragette cause. Therefore the
hunger strike was adopted.
Women sent to jail for disturbing
the peace in the pursuance of the mill
tant tactics of the Pankhurst suffra-
gettes took the position that their i'm
prisonment was unjust and without
warrant of law To emphasize their
protest against the government they
refused to eat Rather than permit
the womeni to starve. the prison Off
Gals adopted the policy of forcing them
TO take food.
A woman prisoner was bound hand
and foot, a steel gag was placed in her
her throat and liquid food was poured
into her stomach This process was
found to be unsuccessful and in later
cases the tube was placed through the
nose and nasal feeding was adopted.
Violet Bryant's Experience.
The experience of Miss Violet Bryant
Is typical She was first imprisoned
last June as a result OF taking part in
London demonstration. After her re-
lease, one day last December. she broke
the windows Of a Liberal club as n
protest against the methods of the gov
eminent and the supposed presence in
the building of a member of the Asquith
CABINET For this she received a SEN
tence of one month in prison
She was sent 10 Preston gaol On
her arrival there she refused TO give
her name and declined TO accept the
prison garments Eight Weaknesses
stripped her clothing from her body
and redresSed her in prison garments.
On being locked in her cell she dis
carded the clothing and remained in one
garment for "a hours, in a cold stone
cell. as bed and blankets had been de- |
MED TO her. She refused TO eat
Complaining of a lack of ventilation, |
she smashed the two windows of her
cell. admitting the raw winter air at |
the imminent risk of pneumonia. For |
seven days solitary confinement in a |
cell cleared OF all furniture On the
next day she was forcibly clad in !
canvas dress, the wardresses threaten |
ing TO call in male assistance before /
they succeeded in clothing her. TIE !
garment was strapped on at the neck, !
wrists and waist.
Placed In Irons.
When the wardresses left her alone |
Miss Bryant smashed the electric light |
and with bit OF broken glass cut the |
straps and Invested herself of the gar |
ment- She used the metal part of the |
light to scratch on the wall of her cell |
this sentence: Who would be free |
themselves must strike the blow"
For this she was removed to the pun
lshment cell and placed in irons. with
her hands handcuffed behind her back.
At meal times her hands were released !
but she had announced the hunger
strike and she refused all food. It /
was resolved to feed her forcibly, and /
as precautionary measure the prison /.
physician visited her and examined her
heart TO ascertain IL she was physically |
strong enough to survice the ordeal OF
forcibly feeding.
He pleaded with her to take food and
begged her not 10 injure her body. but !
she replied that they were not obliged
10 do the governments dirty work, con-
Guiding: You have my body. and can
do with it what you choose: 1 cannot
stop YOU Ny spirit sits serene and
smiling above. still shouting. Votes for
women! l can't help crying at times.
but it is only because l have not got
my body under sufficient control 1t is
only the body that cries. not the spirit.
You can't touch that"
ForcibIe Feeding
On the fourth day. Miss Bryant hav-
ing refused to take food. she was re-
moved TO the matron's office to be fed.
She was too weak to offer resistance.
but eight wardresSes and two male at
were present 10 subdue her. |
should she revolt. She made a formal
protest against the alleged illegalitv
OF what they were about TO do. but it
was diSregarded. A nasal tube was
used. and a liberal quantity of LIQUID |
FOOD was poured into her stomach
through her nose.
The physician was unskilled in the
Iaf -