MEMORIES CONNECTED WITH THE EARLY Gold Discoveries IN VICTORIA

Southern Cross, Volume 2, Issue 25, 15 September 1894, Page 6

MEMORIES CONNECTED WITH THE EARLY Gold Discoveries IN VICTORIA

(Bt an Old Identity) . —.♦

.(Written for the Southern Cross.)

[all rights reserved.]

CHAPTER Y. Conflicts between Miners and Police. Wholesale Official Corruption.- —A Miscarriage of Justice. —High Jinks at Ballarat. —Hoisting the Cross. The Stockade Tragedy.—Collapse of the Rebellion. —Reforms when Too Late. — Labor’s Prediction Consummated. —Requiescat in Pace.

The first actual collision between the police and the miners in connection with ‘ digger hunts’ occurred at the Ovens, where, in attempting to escape, a man was shot dead by a constable. One of Governor Latrobe’s pets —as they were then called —a most offensive upstart —nearly lost his life in a melee that ensued over that tragic affair. The next disturbance took place at Forest Creek, where a store was burned down by an inspector of police on the supposition that the owner was a sly-grog seller. There appeared to be no foundation for the accusation, and the man whose property had been thus wantonly destroyed was afterwards awarded some £4OO by the Government. The late Mr Yincent Pyke, who was then on Forest Creek, took a prominent part in appeasing the angry feeling that prevailed over that unpleasant affair, and it was in a great measure owing to his tact, conciliatory manner, knowledge of how to deal with rough and impulsive natures, and his advocacy of constitutional agitation for reform instead of by physical force, that more serious consequences did not ensue therefrom. Later on at Bendigo indignation meetings were held to denounce the gross mismanagement of goldfields affairs, and additional military and police forces were ordered there to overawe the miners. The leading spirit of the movement on Bendigo was a Captain Brown, who was made prisoner, and sent to Melbourne to take his trial for inciting to commit breaches of the peace. At Ballarat, however, were assembled the most inflammable part of the population. The pioneers of this field were principally Irishmen, and they were soon supplemented by large numbers of their countrymen. Germany and other European countries were well represented there also. Unfortunately, on this field were stationed the most unpopular of the goldfields officials — men without the slightest qualification for the delicate duties they had to perform. Many of them had scarcely attained the age of manhood, and were in every respect unsuitable to deal with the class of people they were brought into contact with. ‘ Here, you fellows, show your license !’ was a common style in which these upstarts would address men —many of whom, although dressed in rough attire, were superior to them in birth, education, manners, and moral behaviour. It was no wonder, then, that Ballarat, became the focus of the movement for reformation. All in the place were discontented with the administrative and legislative management of the geldfields, and the opportunity soon arrived for action.

The sale of spirituous liquors had been prohibited-on the goldfields almost from their first discovery. It was found after a time that this cure lor the evil was worse than the disease itself. ISTo official supervision could prevent the smuggling of liquors, mostly of the vilest description, and it was decided after a time that the best means to lessen the evil would be to issue licenses for their sale. Amongst those who were thus permitted; to engage in the traffic was a person named Bentley —a notorious

ruffian, who had served many years of convict life in Norfolk Island, and whose wife also bore a Tbw reputation. His place —the Eureka Hotel —was the resort of most of the camp officials, and it was understood that many of them were indebted to him for pecuniary assistance. Police magistrate Dewes himself acknowledged after his dismissal that several of the officials were even more corrupt than himself, and were indebted to Bentley for large sums of money. With such friends ‘ at court ’ Bentley was in the habit of acting highhandedly to visitors. So it dame about that a miner who called at his place one night for refreshment after closing hour, on being refused, and importuning further for it, was thrown out on the highway by Bentley. A scuffle ensued, in which the miner lost his life. As the body was discovered outside the hotel door, there could be little doubt as to who was the murderer. Notwithstanding this, and the fact that angry words, Bentley’s voice, and scuffling were heard at the supposed time of the murder, the case against him was dismissed by police magistrate .Dewes. This almost placed the ‘ copestone ’ on the edifice of official maladministration, and the tide of discontent rose higher and higher. The universal feeling was that a miscarriage of justice had taken place. In the evening a large gathering of miners assembled in front of the hotel, and hooted Bentley and his wife. The police were sent to protect them, but their appearance, commanded by their unpopular chief, increased the indignation of the crowd. The lamp in front of the hotel was first demolished, and the crashing noise of the glass stimulated the miners to further mischief. In a few minutes all the windows were smashed in, and then the work of devastation commenced in reality. The place was rushed, and beer, spirits, bedding, furniture, and everything the place contained were brought outside. A bonfire was made of the furniture. Casks and bottles of liquor were smashed, and the contents allowed to run to waste ; and, lastly, the building itself was burned to the ground. Bentley and his wife barely escaped with their lives through the back entrance to the police camp. A shot was fired at him when retreating, and general regret was felt that the aim of the marksman was inaccurate. Three men were arrested for burn ing the building, and sent to Melbourne for trial. They were found guilty, and sentenced to various terms of imprisonment. At the same sessions Bentley, who had been rearrested, was again arraigned for the murder of the man Scobie, and was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment with hard labor. Delegates were forwarded from Ballarat to Melbourne to represent the unfairness of punishing the three men convicted of burning the building. These Commissioners were unfavourably received by the Governor and his Executive, and on receipt of their reply some 12,000 miners assembled on Bakery Hill, and passed resolutions in favor of reform in the administration of goldfields affairs. Fearing further disturbances, additional troops were sent to Ballarat. On arriving there obstructions were placed in the way of the vans they occupied, and the first was up.set and the arms and ammunition taken from the soldiers. Several shots were exchanged, and some half-dozen of the soldiers were wounded. This was the first collision with the military. Next day a gathering of some 10,000 miners were harrangued by Peter Lalor and others. The former, by his fervid denouncement of official misrule and corruption, carried the meeting with him, and a resolution was unanimously adopted that all licenses should be burned, and that none should again be taken out. Following on this, fires were at once lit, and the licenses consumed in the flames. This act clearly indicated that if another digger-hunt took place blood would be shed. Notwithstanding the. gravity of the position, a further raid was instituted by the police,

and' eight prisoners were taken to the carnp. A large meeting of miners was held in the evening, and the Australian flag was unfurled—blue, with white stars. Peter Lalor’s fiery eloquence took the meeting by storm. He warned them that a collision was inevitable if they intended to redeem the promise made to rescue any of their number who should be arrested. Another meeting was held the same night, and Lalor was appointed com-mander-in-chief. Meanwhile a deputation was sent to demand the release of the eight prisoners. They were unsuccessful in their efforts, and no other course now appeared open but a contest with the military. From: a man of Lalor V temperament, moderation, in the face of such official aggressiveness, was out of the question. Next day drill and the erection of a stockade on Bakery Hill were carried on vigorously, and some 500 men passed under the ‘ Southern Cross ’ and swore allegiance to it in the presence of Lalor and his subordinates. The following was the wording of the oath administered: — “We swear by the Southern 'Cross to stand truly to each other, and fight to defend our rights and liberties.”

Meanwhile the camp officials were not idle. A Captain Thomas was in command of the military, and. as it was considered risky to attack the stockade during the day, when the Government camp would he unprotected, he decided to strike a blow at the rebellion next morning at daybreak. Accordingly, with some 300 men, composed of troops of the line and police, the entrenchment was approached at the time appointed. They advanced within a few hundred paces without being observed, when a shot from the sentry inside the stockade announced that the crisis had arrived. The insurgent camp was immediately aroused, and several irregular volleys (as might be expected from people totally unprepared for such an emergency) were fired at the military. So long as the conflict was confined to shooting, those inside the fence had the best of it. This was plain to the officer in command of the troops, and the order was given for a bayonet charge. The soldiers were soon, inside the pallisade, and ten minutes later the back of the rebellion was broken, and it was a case of sauve qui pent —as might be expected from such an undisciplined and partially armed crowd —many, indeed, had no firearms at all. The number killed on both sides during the conflict was some 30. About 40 others were wounded, some of whom subsequently died from their injuries. Amongst the military killed was Capt. Wise, who commanded a detachment of the Fortieth Regiment. Peter Laior was shot down in the first volley from the troops while looking over the pallisade to observe their movements. He was placed in a hollow where some earth had been excavated, and was covered with loose slabs that were lying near. When the military returned to their camp with the prisoners he was assisted out and joined the peaceful diggers on the flat. That night he* was conveyed to the residence of a Catholic clergyman, where he was secreted for a time, and had his left arm amputated. Some eighty persons escaped from the stockade, and 125 were made prisoners. A large reward was offered for the apprehension, of Laior, but he was then carefully concealed in Warrenheip ranges, and tended by ‘faithful friendsi The collapse of the rising at Ballarat in the way described may be regarded as solely attributable to the password given by Laior on the night before the assault. Asked by one of the subordinate leaders in the stockade for the ‘ night-pass,’ the significant one of ‘Vinegar Hill’ (where the Irish insurgents suffered a decisive defeat in ’9B by English troops) was given. Many at Ballarat who were disposed to resist the military before that quietly withdrew from the movement. They concluded that Lalor’s object in taking the lead was more to strike a blow for Ireland than at official despotism. Soinsteadpf there being, as in the morning, some,. 700

men inside the defences, there were barely 230 at the time of the attack. Bendigo, Forest Creek, and Oreswick contributed contingents to assist in the struggle. From the latter place alone fully 1000 men were on the march to Ballarat; but when the news circulated that Irish affairs had crept into the movement almost all likewise returned to their customary avocations. It may be stated, as somewhat remarkable, that both Bentley and Dewes—main factors in the Eureka tragedy—terminated their career by suicide. - After doing his three years for the manslaughter of Scobie, Bentley to'ok to drink and performed the ‘ happy despatch’ by laudanum. On being dismissed from office Dewes departed for America, From thence he gravitated to Paris, where he also became a self-murderer. Doubtless the stimulative utterances of the editor of the Ballarat Times—a man with a maximum of pugnacity and a minimum of bodily measurement—had a good deal to do in bringing to a crisis the heartburnings over the maladministration of goldfields affairs. A severe horsewhipping administered to this fiery little scribe at Ballarat a short time previously by the notorious Lola Montez —ex mistress of the imbecile King of Bavaria—for truthful but injudicious reference to her antecedents —had not cooled the ardour with which he was wont to give vent to his inspirations. Hear his fulruinations in a number of his paper issued just prior to the stockade tragedy, and read in court when brought to trial for using seditious language :

“ If; is not for us to say how much we have been instrumental in raising up the people to a sense of their wrongs. We leave that to the public and the world. The coming Christmas is pregnant of change, for on next Wednesday will be held such a meeting for a fixed determined purpose as was never before held in Australia. The Australian flag shall triumphantly wave in the sunshine of its own blue and peerless sky over thousands of Australia’s sons, and when the loud paean of Now’s the day and now’s the hour, See the front of battle lour, shall have pierced the blue vaults of Australia’s matchless sky from the brave men of Ballarat, on next Wednesday, at Bakery Hill, there will not be one discordant voice in the sublime and heroic chorus. Gj forth, indomitable people. Gain your rights, and may the God of creation smile down propitiously upon your glorious cause ! Forward, people ! Forward!” In the present prosaic times a journalist who would thus unburden himself, would be regarded as a fitting subject for a lunatic asylum, but in. Ballarat in ’54 these emotional utterances reflected almost universal public opinion, were received with approbation, and added the requisite fuel to the widespread discontent that was ready t© break out into rebellion at a moment’s notice. As a contrast to the strides made during the past half century in journalistic enterprise and the methods adopted for obtaining early news now-a-days from every part of the world, it may be mentioned that neither the Government nor the Melbourne press had any intimation of the' sanguinary struggle that had taken place at Ballarat —only 73 miles distant: —until a week after its occurrence. The sacrifice at Eureka was a heartrending one, but beneficial results ensued from it. Reforms were immediately instituted in Victoria, and to the progressive measures then adopted there may be distinctly traced the liberal legislation that followed in the other colonies of the Australasian group. The way became paved for constitutional government. General indignation was aroused in Melbourne and other important towns at the mismanagement of goldfields affairs. The unpopular Foster Executive resigned office, and wiser counsels prevailed. The Ballarat officials were either dismissed or removed elsewhere. Digger-hunts ceased. Manhood suffrage and local self-government became established ; Parliamentary representation was granted the miners ; a general amnesty was proclaimed ; and within a few months of the time he had predicted when midway between Britain and Australia, Peter Lalor was elected

the first member for Ballarat in the Legislative Assembly. .About tyro years later be became a Cabinet Min ister, and afterwards for a long period held the exalted position of Speaker in the same Senate.

Just prior to her last ill-fated trip to New Zealand, Mr Lalor visited the Bluff in the s.s. Tararua. He was then on his way northward for a holiday tour. Being apprised of his arrivals at our port, I met him there for the last time. Old scenes were rehearsed, and our later varied experiences exchanged. Time seemed to have dealt kindly with him, and to all appearances he had many years of life and usefulness before him. Hence the telegram received shortly after that the eager spirit that once moulded so many to its will in Ballarat had departed to that bourn whence there is no return, must have been received with a shock by his numerous friends throughout the colonies. Like all mortals, he had his failings, but they were far outweighed by his many sterling qualities, and those who knew him best will heartily respond an Amen ! to the invocation Ttequiescat in face.