The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-03-10
before dis week deyoted their ener.


before this week devoted their cner-
gies to preventing the women from at.
lacking. Now th.y have alrea5y been
turned 20 protecting them from at
tack, and II the violent demonstrations
continue this proba bly, will be before
long the chief part OF thcil duty on
"suffragcttc days"
This may easily be inferred from
What is heard from one end of Lon
don 10 the other. Spank them" is a
comparatively mild suggestion, made In
nrst- class smoking compartments.
More drastic prescriptions are offered
by the rougher elements. This may be
more conveniently indicated by what
has happened already on several occa-
sions durin gthe past week. Two po-
licemcn with difficulty rescued a wo-
and brought her to tn, Cannon Row
Police Station.
Her shirtwaet was completely torn
off, and her skirt, hat and hair had
also been dragged off, though It should
he said that her hair had evidently
been attached TO the hat, and not TO
her scalp. On the same night a win
dow smaSher was hustled by crowd
into a quiet alley off the strand and
q,
which, however. was placed in her
arms. Hooiigan women and boys arc
the perpetrators OF these brutaIi,tes
but their actions. as usual interpret
in the most violent form tho feelings
OF the more decent majority.
The British sunragcttes, as Their
friends admit. will now have TO do
again much spade work To regain the
position which they occupied a few
months ago.
Start Hunger strike.
With a dozen OF tho militant SUI
fraSettes. including Alice Wright, the
American girl, in solitary confinement
FOR assaultlng warJrcsse- who tried
TO make them work. the woes OF the
officials have been increased by the
women starting a hunger strike. II X
known that the majority OF those con-
vlcted have refused all food and that
the Home Secretary iius been asked
whether the torciblc feeding methods
By means OF rubber tubes are again
to be used. II is believed authority
to do SO already has been received by
the governor OF the prison, but be-
cause OF the ugly mood of the suffra-
Gettes. what is transporting in the
prison Is being withheld.
1t is known that when Mrs EInmc-
line Pankhurst was brought into court
neg charge, she conhded to friends who
managed to speak TO her that she plan
ned the hunger strike. She was thcr
pale and apparently on the verge OF
Mysteries, and II has since been learned
tpst from the time she MAS arrested
she had refused food Her companion,
Mrs. Mabel luke, secretary OF tho So
cial and Political Union, VINO has been
locked in the cell with her. also re-
fused food. How many others joined
the movement cannot be learned. bu;
(. is believed more than half of the
prisoners now In the big institution
have done so TO force the hand OF the
government.
II is realized by the Home Secretary
and other officials that If any Of the
women succeed In starving themselves
10 death while in custody there will
be revulsion OF feeling throughout
the country In favor of tho women
that will compel the government TO
grant suffrage. On the other hand. il
they do as they did in other cases and
discharge the women from custody they
VIII have to meet campaign of vio-
lence that will make the present one
recedc into comparative insignItcance.
If they resort TO the forcible methods
they may permanently injure some Of
the women and have TO defend DANA &C