The Suffragette: The History of the Women's Militant Suffrage Movement, 1905-1910Pankhurst, E. Sylvia (Estelle Sylvia)
History
The Suffragette: The History of the Women's Militant Suffrage Movement, 1905-1910
Pankhurst, E. Sylvia (Estelle Sylvia)
Women -- Suffrage -- Great Britain
It happened that on that same morning, she never could tell why, Mrs.
Drummond's cell had not been unlocked at the time for exercise, and
she had been left behind whilst the others had gone out into the yard.
She was sitting wondering what had happened, when she suddenly heard
the sound of cheers. At once she hastily dragged her plank bed to the
window and, clambering up, saw the Suffragettes in their prison dress,
with numbers of wardresses after them, running across the yard in all
directions. Then they disappeared and all was quiet. When next she was
let out into the corridor and when she was taken to the chapel, she saw
no sign of her comrades, and though she asked the wardress for news of
them, no answer was returned. It was on the same evening that a sense
of growing weakness that had been upon her since her entrance into
prison, overcame her and she must have fainted suddenly, for she was
found by the wardress lying unconscious on the floor. She was carried
to a hospital cell and put to bed, and as she begged for more air, the
outer door was thrown open, and only the gate with which hospital cells
are also provided, was closed. Soon afterwards, Mrs. Pankhurst, who
occupied the next cell, passed along the corridor to fill her water
can and through the bars was able to tell Mrs. Drummond briefly what
had happened--that she herself was to remain under punishment, and to
be deprived of both exercise and chapel until she would promise not to
attempt to speak again. By the doctor's orders, Mrs. Drummond remained
in bed until Tuesday, when the Governor and the Matron came to her and
told her that the Home Secretary had given orders for her release. As
soon as the officers had left her, she sprang up and rushed to the gate
of her cell, calling out loudly to Mrs. Pankhurst, "The Home Secretary
has ordered me out." "I am glad," was the reply, as the wardress came
hurrying back to expostulate.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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