“SHAM” PIETY, AND “REAL” PILFERING.

Dunstan Times, Issue 514, 23 February 1872, Page 1 (Supplement)

“SHAM” PIETY, AND “REAL” PILFERING.

—o — The following story is related by the Ballarat correspondent of the Melbourne “Argus;”—“ At a certain mine within a hundred miles of Ballarat, it was found as impossible to get qien to tender for the work as it was to got ivho went on wages to earn the anlouts which were paid to them. .The miners in tho locality were mostly all Cornishmen, an! ssemedto be very piously inclined. The mining manager on going doAvn the shaft one hot day lately,'oiit of his regular-time for inspecting the works was told by,the man at the bottom that the other men had retired up the drive for prayers.. This novelty he desired to witness, and went on towards the face where ho found six men sitting down, three of whom were smoking, while a seventh was mouthing a strong exhortation to them to make up to their master’s for the time they had devoted to their M 'ker—a hint no doubt prompted by tire appearance of the ‘boss,’ After a little time the address or prayer was terminated, and the manager was asked if he did riot feel refreshed by what he had heard. Ho was a hard reasoner, and told them plainly he did not like it, begging of them'in future to render unto God and Caesar each bis due, by keeping tlieir prayers for their place of worship and their labor for the mine. This sensible and reasonable suggestion evoked a lamentation from the prayers for tho sinfulness of their manager. That night one of these pious vagabonds was caught in the act of steal ing a fat sheep and only escaped arrest by the police by paying tor,he owner double its valur and two others were locked up for having been engaged in a drunken row at a low house. The pockets of one of those contained washdirt with gold in it in small quantity, but tho pockets showed they had been well filled with the same material, and this loft no doubt minds of the managorj and others as to the real cause of the prayerful assemblage near the lace of the drive.”