The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-03-02
SUFFR AGISTS GO
ON A RAMP AGE
IN LONDON
BUSINESS PARALYZED
Smash Plate Glass Windows
Valued at Thousands
Merchants Thrown Into Panic by
8 udden Attack of WeII-organ-
lied Women

London, March because the
British coal miners were able TO galu
government recognition OF their grieV,
snces by threatening the business Oh
the country, the suffragets at Lohuoh
late Yesterday also entered upon
noIicv of menace to trade. And 'hey
carried II out suddenly and WIFE an
ardor. which resulted in heavy huah-
oial losses. caused CONSERVATION
among the merchants in themost pros
nerous shopping district in the city
and paralyzed business at the Dusies'
hour of the day. The police were Ia
ken completely unaware by the ol.
.laught by the women and before thsy
were able TO muster their forces ana
restrain them the streets were cover
ed with shattered plate glass whicn
had once been the show windows ol
stores. ,,.
was a window breaking eXpedit,
ION solely and a thoroughly ORGANIZED
one Hundreds Of windows IN many
AZ the most famous shops OF the
worId and in several of the govern
ment offices and clubs were WrecAeu
nv the suffragets. The damage uohe
will aggregate many thousands oi
mounds The losses, however, VIII
moi All fall upon the shopkeepers De-
cause many OF the show windows es-
necially the costly ones were covered
bv insurance against breakage- Ihere
were 115 women dragged to the ponce
stations by police or excited ana IN
digpant merchants. Many others
boweyer. escaped All those arrest
ad were released during the evening
on bail coupled with the promise tha1
they would refrain from further ac
tiyities i'm window wrecking.
some of the shopkeepers who saw
tho storm coming were able TO close
their shutters and barricade their
shop doors against the Infatuated SUI
fragets. The trouble conferred ABOUT
Trafalgar square, where the Dig
steamship companies have their pas
,enper offices and ranged along the
strand eastward and westward, ana
nm Regent street, Piccadilly and Ok
ford streets where the tashiohaule
iewelry and dry goods houses are ! ne ne
windows of several OF the steamship
offices were smashed.
Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst, the vet
eran of many a suifraget battle struck
the first blow. I'm an automobile ac'
eomnanied by Mrs Marshell and MIS-
Tukes. she drove up to the premier :
residence in Downing street at o.
clock last evening. The three women
nuiekly Jumped out OF the machine
and drew out stones concealed IN
their NUTS. simultaneously tnree
missiles flew through the air, tolloW,
ed instantly by still another one ana
four windows crashed p before the
notice. who are constantly on guard
eonld reach the women. They were
arrested. but even while being led tc
the station house they managed &c
heaye missiles through the windows
OF the colonial office.
Pandemonium broke out in the shop
ring district at the same time. TAXI
cabs were the favorlte vehicles o.
approach with the su1ragets, anC
large numbers Of innocent lookin'
women were helped out OF them b!
porters stationed in front OF stores
There was no hesitation on the par
az the women once they had reache'
the ground and the porters we're 50
bewildered by seeing supposed Gus
toners produce bricks or hammer
and a hearing show windows crashlnl
that a majority of the women wer'
able 10 lose themselves in the crowd
before the guardians Of the shop
t,.t TnNlTnU
them. Those Of the women VINO OH
not use taxicabs merely walked alonl
the street cracking or smashing win
dows with hammers. while crowds To-
lowed them. cheering or hooting.
The police we're wholly unable t
deal with such wholesale and wide
spread outbreak. and at least ninS
tenths of the Misunderstanding arm
carried out the campaign unmolestet
The air was filled with the shrilling q
pollce whistles, yells the slammin
down OF blinds, shrieks by frightene
women shoppers and now and tho
cries OF Votes FOR women. Whel
ever plate glass was shattered Their
the crowd surged and the employees
the shop were rushed to the stree
81 10 protect the show window from b,
ing looted. Not even the establish
ments OF undertakers were spared b
the suffragets.
- So systematically and quickly wa
the work OF destruction acoomplishe
that Il was we'll over before the 20
ice reserves could be called out. HUI
dreds OF extra policemen were on d
" last night protecting the damage
buildings, while thousands of sigh
.eers tramped the streets to view q
havoc wrought by the women. III
.uifraget leaders say that Il Is the
purpose to continue their campaign
window breaking until, like the co