Roxburghe-goelet Wedding Scenes

Extraordinary Acts of Women Sightseers.

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BEAT POLICE WITH THEIR FISTS

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Well Dressed Rioters Had to Be Carried, Kicking and Screaming, From Front of the Church-Some Crawled Down a Coal Hole at Side of Church, Hoping to See the Bride, Bridal Carriage Mobbed.

Amazement and disgust were expressed on every side at the extraordinary spectacle presented by the rioting women at the Roxburghe-Goelet wedding in New York. Never before in the history of the city, it was agreed, had the city's sense of decency been so outraged or the spirit of democracy so humbled, says the New York American.

Gossip over the wedding was over-shadowed by the condemnation heaped upon the hysterical acts of the mob. Even society neglected the aftermath of a New York girl's accession to a duchy to discuss the riotous demonstration of 7,000 women about the carriage of the bride.

Women are the loudest in the expression of shame caused them by the fact that their kind descended to such extremes, and students of sociology find in the incident evidences of a decay of American institutions that foretells evil for the future.

For their failure to curb the mob the police have been subjected to outspoken criticism. Inspector McLaughlin was asked for an explanation of his failure to preserve order about St. Thomas' church. His report, which goes into the matter at great length, sets out the fact that the police were baffled because they had to deal with women, who cannot be handled with the same severity as crowds of men.

His plans were made three days in advance of the event, the inspector says, but they were completely upset by the unparalleled number and ferocity of the women who gathered, evidently determined to enter the church at whatever cost to their dignity and refinement. Twice he sent for re-enforcements, he says, but never at any time had he sufficient men to cope successfully with the infuriated women who boldly faced him and refused to stand aside.

Bystanders support the inspector in is statements. There were innumerable instances where women fiercely beat the policemen with their clinched fists and had to be carried, kicking and screaming, from the front of the church. The task of the police was made immeasurably worse by the fact that many of the most persistent women were refined and intelligent in appearance, well dressed and apparently of the highest respectability.

Cut off from entrance at the church doors, fifteen women, all well dressed, crawled down the coal hole at the side of the edifice in the hope of finding an underground way to get a view of the bride at the altar. Other women were found hiding in rear pews and were forced to leave. Still other women rushed to the side of the bride's carriage and thrust their arms through the door to feel the texture of the bridal gown. 

There is good reason for saying that the duke and duchess were relieved of great anxiety when they finally escaped from New York. For five minutes during the time that the bride was absolutely at the mercy of the mob, with her carriage in the midst of 500 screaming and fighting women, all anxious to see her, there was imminent danger of the carriage being overturned.

The face of the duchess was pale and her eyes showed real terror as she crouched in a corner of the carriage waiting for the police to open a passageway for the carriage. And again after the ceremony, when she and the duke were returning to the residence of Mrs. Goelet, there was a period when the carriage was absolutely swallowed up in the mob.