Harriot Stanton Blatch had shown her support by inviting Emmeline to a
dinner of welcome from the Women’s Political Union while Dr. Anna Howard
Shaw refused to extend such an honour on behalf of the National Society, even
complaining that thousands would pay to hear the English militant who would
then take the money back home at a time when every penny that could be
raised was necessary for the cause in the States.
William F. Bigelow, editor of the American journal Good Housekeeping, had a
nose for a good story. He wanted to publish a series of articles, even an autobi-
ography, by the notorious militant and asked Rheta Childe Dorr, a journalist
who had met Emmeline and Christabel, for advice on the matter. Rheta, a femi-
nist, replied that he should send her personally to Europe, to persuade Mrs.
Pankhurst, a suggestion with which the editor readily agreed. Rheta arrived in
Paris to find Emmeline preparing for her voyage, in one week’s time. Emmeline
declined the offer, but when Rheta suggested that she would undertake most of
the drudgery, writing at Emmeline’s dictation, she agreed it could be done while
pointing out that most of her notes and documents were in London; the jour-
nalist crossed the Channel to pick them up. Emmeline liked the younger
woman, who was living apart from her husband, and had to earn enough to
support herself and her son. Having just completed a financially disastrous
assignment in Finland, Rheta was keen to please and to make a success of this
venture. Meanwhile, the Home Office decided it should not interfere in the
decision as to whether Emmeline should be granted admission to the USA but
that it should be a matter left to the immigration authorities in that country;
however, if inquiry was made of the British Ambassador in Washington, he
could inform the US government that Emmeline had been sentenced to three
years’ penal servitude and was now illegally at large and liable at any time to be
arrested without warrant and returned to prison.^6
Before Emmeline left for the USA, Ethel Smyth came over to Paris to say
goodbye. Ethel’s two years of active involvement in the WSPU had come to an
end and Emmeline was glad that her friend was trying to pick up the broken
threads of her music life. She ‘winced a little’, however, when Ethel told her
that she had decided to spend one year composing in the relative isolation of
Helouan, in Egypt, where the post was ‘slow and uncertain’, but eventually gave
the plan ‘her blessing’.^7 On Saturday, 11 October 1913, Christabel waved
goodbye to Emmeline and Rheta Childe Dorr as the French liner, La Provence,
left port. Also watching the departure were two Scotland Yard detectives.^8 For
the week-long voyage to New York and back, and also during free days on the
tour, Emmeline dictated an account of her life and was pleased with the way the
journalist put the story together.^9 The oral history was eventually supplemented
by information gleaned from the feminist press and published weekly the
following year in Good Housekeepingand then collectively, in late 1914, as
Emmeline’s autobiography, My own story.
When Emmeline arrived in New York harbour on 18 October she was not
allowed to land but detained at Ellis Island where she was taken before a Board
OUSTING OF SYLVIA AND A FRESH START FOR ADELA