.ltDesperate act of a suffragist

The Times,
5 June 1913

ABOYEUR'S DERBY
FALL OF THE KING'S HORSE
DISQUALIFICATION OF THE FAVOURITE

The race for the Derby yesterday was marked by two incidents for which it will be long remembered, not only by the vast gathering at Epsom, but by all who take an interest in English sport. The King's horse was brought to the ground by a woman suffragist, who rushed from the crowd at Tattenham Corner, apparently with the object of seizing the reins. The horse fell and rolled on the jockey, who, however, was not severely hurt. The woman was knocked down and received such serious injuries that it was reported at first that she had been killed. The second incident - there has been no parallel to it for about 70 years - was the disqualification of the favourite, Craganour, after the horse had passed the post leading by a neck, and the declaration by the Stewards that the race had been won by Aboyeur, a horse which had been deemed so little worthy of consideration that the odds against it were 100 to 1.
  
THE SUFFRAGIST SCENE
HIS MAJESTY'S JOCKEY INJURED

The vast crowds round the corner had been following the race with the usual tense excitement, and the horses had reached Tattenham Corner when the King's horse was seen to fall. A woman had broken away from the crowd at the rails, had dashed across the course, and had placed herself in front of Anmer. She held both her hands above her head, but the opinions of spectators differ as to whether she seized or touched the reins. At all events, Herbert Jones, the jockey, was unable to avoid the woman, and she was knocked down and seriously injured. Anmer in his fall turned head over heels, and rolled with the jockey underneath. The horse quickly sprang up again, and, as one of the rider's feet was still fixed in the stirrup, he was dragged along for some yards. Both the jockey and the woman were picked up unconscious, and the former was conveyed on a stretcher to the weighing-room while the latter was taken to the Epsom Cottage Hospital. Afterwards Jones was removed to the ambulance room at the back of the Grand Stand, and during the afternoon he recovered consciousness. His injuries consisted of slight concussion, cuts and bruises on the head and body, and an injury to the arm.
  
At the Epsom Cottage Hospital it was found that the woman's clothing bore the name of "E. Davison." Although up to a late hour last night no one had called at the hospital to give any information as to her identity, it is believed that she is Miss E. W. Davison, who has been prominently associated with the Suffragist movement. She was attended by Dr. W. B. Peacock, the house surgeon, and a surgeon from one of the London hospitals, who happened to be on the scene. She was suffering from concussion of the brain, but Dr. Peacock could not discover any indications of fracture of the skull. Her forehead was bruised, however, and it is thought that she was struck by the horse "shoulder on" and not kicked or trodden upon. Last night she remained unconscious.
  
Miss Emily Wilding Davison, according to the "Woman's Who's Who," joined the W.S.P.U. in 1906. She was sentenced to two months' imprisonment for a disturbance at Limehouse in 1909, but was released after hunger strike. In the same year she was sentenced to a similar term for stone-throwing in Manchester, but was again released after hunger strike; a little later she was imprisoned with hard labour for stone-throwing at Radcliffe and was forcibly fed: It was on this occasion that the hose-pipe incident took place in Strangeways Prison. She was released at the end of eight days. In November, 1910, she broke a window inside the House of Commons and was sentenced to one month's imprisonment, but, after hunger strike, was released in eight days. In December, 1911, she was sentenced to six months' imprisonment for setting fire to pillar-boxes at Westminster. In November last she was sentenced to 10 days' imprisonment for assaulting a Baptist minister by mistake for Mr. Lloyd George at Aberdeen. She was liberated, however, after four days' fast.
  
NARRATIVES OF SPECTATORS

A card of the Women's Social and Political Union was found on the woman and the colours of the Union were tied round her waist. This evidence of her connexion with the Suffragist movement gave rise at once to the belief that she had deliberately attempted to spoil the race. Some people who were close by her at the rails expressed the view that she rushed on the course under the impression that all the horses had passed. Others expressed the opinion that she was crossing the course to get to a friend on the opposite side and fainted when she saw the horses galloping towards her. Earl, the jockey who was riding Agadir, narrowly missed running into her.
  
A spectator who watched the race at Tattenham Corner states that the leaders had rounded the corner, when he suddenly saw a woman dart from the crowd, which at this point was of huge proportions. The duty of the police is as a rule, something of a sinecure while the race is being run, for the crowd are always willing to give the horses as much room as is necessary. A police officer tried to stop the intruder where she could reach the horses, but he was too late, and before the onlookers could realize what was taking place the woman had clutched hold of Anmer's reins, and both horse and jockey had fallen to the ground. The general impression of those who saw the incident at close quarters seemed to be that the woman had seized hold of the first horse she could reach - which happened to be the King's - not with the intention of disqualifying any particular horse, but of interfering with and, if possible, spoiling the race as a whole. As far as the spectator could see, the woman was knocked down by the King's horse, but no other horse appeared to touch her. The incident, however, had a disconcerting effect on the other jockeys, who turned round in their saddles at the untoward occurrence. It appears that immediately after the woman fell a placard bearing the words "Votes for Women" was raised by somebody in the crowd, suggesting that the whole thing had been pre-arranged. Directly the crowd realized what had happened there was a wild-rush to the scene, and it was then obvious that Jones had been injured. The mounted police formed a cordon round the victims of the accident, and after a few minutes they were removed in an ambulance.
  
Immediately after the accident the King ordered inquiries to be made as to the nature of his jockey's injuries, and when the ambulance bearers arrived at the weighing room his Majesty's messenger was awaiting them. Before the King and Queen left Epsom they received a reassuring report from the doctor and were also informed of the condition of Miss Davison. Their Majesties gave directions that they should be kept informed of any change in Jones's condition, and some time after their arrival in London they learned that he was very much better.
  
It was ascertained officially last night that Mr. Marsh, the trainer of the King's horse, did not appear at all concerned about the condition of the colt, and it might therefore be assumed that Anmer had suffered no great injury as the result of his fall. A member of the King's suite said that he believed that the action of the woman was in no sense intended as a personal affront to his Majesty.
  
The Queen sent a messenger later in the evening to Epsom Hospital to inquire for Miss Davison.  


Suffragist outrage at Epsom

The Times,
9 June 1913

DEATH OF MISS E. W. DAVISON

Miss Emily Wilding Davison, the suffragist who interfered with the King's horse during the race for the Derby, died in hospital at Epsom at 4.50 yesterday afternoon. She underwent an operation on Friday and had remained in a grave condition ever since.
  
A number of lady friends called at the Epsom Cottage Hospital on Saturday afternoon to inquire as to the condition of Miss Davison. Two visitors draped the screen round the bed with the W.S.P.U. colours and tied the W.S.P.U. badge to the head of the bed. A sister of Miss Davison and a lady friend of her mother stayed at the hospital for many hours, and on Saturday night Captain Davison, a brother of the patient, arrived. Only members of the staff of the hospital, however, were present when the end actually came.
  
Miss Davison, who was born at Blackheath, being the daughter of Charles Edward and Margaret Davison, was one of the most prominent of the militant women suffragists and joined the W.S.P.U. in 1906. She was sentenced to imprisonment on several occasions, having been convicted of taking part in a disturbance at Limehouse in 1909; of stone-throwing in Manchester in the same year; of breaking a window in the House of Commons in 1910; of setting fire to pillar-boxes in Westminster in 1911; and of assaulting a Baptist minister in mistake for Mr. Lloyd George in November last. When imprisoned she habitually adopted the tactics of the "hunger strike." She was a graduate of London University and obtained a first class in the Oxford final honours school in English language and literature.
  
An inquest will be opened at Epsom Court House at 3 o'clock to-morrow afternoon.  

Suffragists and Miss Davison's death

The Times,
10 June 1913

A PUBLIC FUNERAL

The Women's Social and Political Union propose to give a public funeral on Saturday to Miss Emily Wilding Davison. The burial will take place at her home in Northumberland, but on the passage of the body across London it will be accompanied by a long procession of militant suffragists. The procession will start from Victoria, and after stopping at the union's headquarters in Kingsway, where a memorial service will be held, will proceed to King's-cross.
  
Yesterday's meeting of the Women's Social and Political Union took the character of a memorial service for Miss Davison, and nearly all the speakers made her death the text for their remarks.
  
Mrs. MANSEL, said she desired to make it perfectly clear that Miss Davison went out with the express purpose of stopping the King's horse. What she did was to challenge the very head of this country, the Government, and the Press with an act that could not be kept out of the papers.

Mrs. DACRE-FOX also read the following telegram which had been sent to the King:- "To his Majesty the King, Buckingham Palace. - Constitutional methods of approaching our King having failed, Emily Davison has given her life to call attention to the women's passionate demands. We call upon our King to give serious attention to this appeal of womanhood." The telegram was signed by "Six Loyal Subjects."  

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.llThe Vote: WSPU
The Vote: Cat and mouse
The Vote: Militancy
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.lsWR07:WR07_01S
WR07:WR07_08S
WR07:WR07_06S
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