As soon as she had recovered from her imprisonment, Emmeline, using the
name ‘Mrs. Richards’, now took the first of many visits to Christabel in Paris
where she would confer about militant policy, take rest and seek cures for her
poor health. In early July 1912, mother and daughter travelled to Boulogne,
staying at the Hotel de Paris from where Emmeline wrote to Alice Morgan
Wright, ‘I don’t yet know how long I shall remain with Amy [Christabel] but
probably for a week or two. As soon as I can face a railway journey in the heat, I
shall no doubt come to Paris for a day or two & will let you know beforehand.’
Five days later, Emmeline wrote to Alice again, assuring her, ‘I am flourishing &
eating just like other people although I still get tired very easily & going up
stairs is trying to my breathing apparatus.’ She also added, ‘Mr. & Mrs. L
[Lawrence] arrived here yesterday & are staying until Sunday. ... They also are
much better although still rather weak & shaky.’^1
On 13 July, while all the WSPU leaders were in Boulogne, Helen Craggs,
Harry Pankhurst’s first love, was arrested in Britain having being found at 1 a.m.
in the garden of Nuneham House, the country home of Lewis Harcourt, one of
the government’s leading ‘Antis’. Inside bags she had been carrying were found
bottles containing nearly three pounds of inflammable oil, four tapers, two
boxes of matches, twelve fire-lighters wrapped in tow, nine picklocks, an elec-
tric torch, a glass-cutter, thirteen keys, and a note. The note, addressed to ‘Sir’,
stated that she had taken part in every peaceful method of propaganda and peti-
tion, and had now been driven to realise ‘that it has all been of no avail, so now
I have accepted the challenge given by Mr. Hobhouse at Bristol, and I have
done something drastic’.^2 This was the first serious arson attempt by a WSPU
member, and neither Emmeline nor Christabel knew about it. Later, when
Helen was subsequently sentenced to nine months’ hard labour (she was
released after hunger striking for eleven days), Emmeline announced that Helen
had acted ‘solely on her own responsibility. I will ... never repudiate or disown
any woman who is fighting in this cause.’^3
Prior to the arrival of the Pethick Lawrences on 10 July, Emmeline and
Christabel had decided that the WSPU should adopt more vigorous forms of
militancy, in order to force the government to concede. Mild militancy and
nancy kaufman
(Nancy Kaufman)
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