Part 6 (1/2)
”Well, they did accompany him, and listened with evident satisfaction to the deliberate expressions of their Governor on that occasion After old-fields, the Governor parted with the diggers on the best possible terms”
REFORM LEAGUES
Meanwhile the Govern in its fullest extent
In October 1854 the police received orders to go out twice a-week in search of unlicensed diggers There were then four Commissioners at Ballarat, bethoold-fields was divided, but so ill-defined were the boundaries of each district that the police in their raids went over the saround er of the diggers by repeatedly bailing up a ” the production of a license over and over again on the saent ers into closer union with one another By the organising of reforues and coree in the discussion of their grievances, and several men then came to the front who in subsequent years becaes conteue at Ballarat may be e; (3) no property qualification for Meislative Council; (4) payment of Members, and short duration of Parliae in theof Coers' and storekeepers' license taxes
The ers to oppose the impost were never so unreservedly displayed as at their public ab” often heated the swelling e point A lively view of a diggers' th a bell coe tene croards the entrance I found inside an extemporised platform at the end, on to which I was ushered to a pro to look as if they were not aware of their being about to be asked to take part in the proceedings, while I could clearly see they were in co words in pages so-and-so, and the starting word in the sentences on the other leaves
The seconders were in their proper position, got up without starch for the occasion, all of the 'unaccustomed as I am' class The chairman, Mr
H--ff--y, was voted to his post by acclamation, and Dr C----r 'broke open the ball' He had evidently read up for the occasion, but studied harangues Abstruse political theories and pole elehts and hismediocrity, by the way) scarcely produced a fitful 'hear' It was evident that the audience paid no attention to the contrasting illustrations between direct or indirect taxation, or the grand theory of 'basing representation on population instead of property;' even the reference to 'unlocking the lands'
elicited only a languid er from the crowd asked aloud, 'What about the b--y license tax?' there arose a siiant, which broke the doctor's thread He tried to stagger on, but after a few stu any more of their valuable tiht of the whole crowd The next speaker, and the next, and the next, and the next still, were all of a piece, and the cry of 'Shut up!' becah, deterood-countenanced man, was lifted up in front He evidently did not court the pro it; he was perfectly self-possessed, his ue 'was all there' He looked steadily around with his great hand thrust into the breast of his open shi+rt, where the mud-spattered hair was evident as his whiskers I felt sure I kneas coers!' ood heart, but to be _united_--e the word He advised theality of the license tax, which bore down upon the industry thattheir persecutors He drew a raphic picture of the tyranny of officials' enor 'while he would die for his Queen, he would shed the last drop of his blood before he would pay another license' The burst of enthusiasether indescribable It seereat tent intoaround ine that I had a cloud for a footstool The speaker was seized, _nolo episcopari_ notwithstanding, and carried out in triu the chair, vote himself thanks, and all the rest of it It was then, in truth, the _bona-fide_close upon the one text was delivered exteon”
The ill-will s was kept fervid by the official tyranny which yet acco of the tax, and its virulence was ers learned that the authorities employed infor truthfully, and sta at the official's bidding Such a state of affairs so irritated the men as to cause the more excitable to collect arues; while throughout the whole digging community the probability of open insurrection was commonly discussed
CHAPTER VII
_THE EUREKA HOTEL MURDER_
At last an incident caused the long-s elements of disaffection to burst out suddenly in a blaze of infuriated indignation
A digger na overjoyed at the unexpected re-union, hastened to show his good-fellowshi+p by ”shouting”
In the course of the day the two beca refused adot troubleso which his head was split open with a spade The blow killed him
Bentley's Hotel was held in disrepute by respectable miners, and its proprietor was considered a bad character An inquest was held on the body of the murdered man It was not conducted with the care and discrimination which should attend such an inquiry The coroner's verdict, ”that the deceased died from the effects of a wound inflicted by a person unknoas so at variance with public opinion, that another official investigation was held, which indicted Bentley for the killing of Scobie At the police court the landlord was acquitted, but the manner in which the case was conducted made it patent to all that justice had been trifled with The Police Magistrate was known to be intimate with the prisoner, and was believed to be a sharer in his illicit gains The trial was so injudicially carried out, that the Junior Commissioner, Mr Johnston, took copies of the evidence and forwarded theers beca of this acquittal, and on the 17th October 1854 assereat numbers around Bentley's Hotel
They expressed dissatisfaction at the result of the trial, and subscribedthe case beforea reward for the capture of the dastardlyto nip in the bud any rebellious exhibitions of wrath While the diggers nant invectives of their spokesmen, a lad in the crowd threw a stone which narrowly missed a trooper, and smashed into pieces a pane of the lamp in front of the hotel The police i crowd gave free vent to its feelings Stones and missiles of all kinds were thrown until everyin the hotel was broken into atoainst the front door, al it to pieces; and whilst the tu, a ot into the bowling-alley at the rear and set the place on fire The soldiers made strenuous efforts to disperse the people and save the hotel; but all in vain Bentley succeeded in escaping during the melee, and on a swift horse rode to the Commissioners' camp for additional assistance Presently more soldiers arrived on the scene, but it was too late to stop the fla The iers, excepting those who happened to be below and were unable to come up to the surface without the help of their mates at the windlass, who had impetuously left their posts in order to take part in the de fla up the wooden bea the whole building to a spread of ashes
For setting fire to the hotel three s were arrested This so incensed the diggers that they meditated an attack on the Commissioners' camp and a forcible release of the prisoners
However, after a tireed that nine of the diggers should offer bail Accordingly, a deputation froers went to the Co away the three h at first the turbulence of the crowd led the officials to think that the offer of bail was merely a _ruse_ to rescue the prisoners by force while the bail-bonds were being prepared
When the deputation came out of the careeted them with such an impetuous rush that it required the proe to prevent a collision with the soldiers A ers collected L200 to be paid to the discoverer of the murderer of Scobie They would have collected more had not the Government also offered a reward and as well rearrested Bentley, who this time was tried, convicted, and sentenced to three years' hard labour The corrupt Police Magistrate shortly afterwards departed for enial scenes
The trial of the threeof the hotel was held in Melbourne, and a nuers attended The prisoners were convicted, but with a strong reco that they would not have had their painful duty to perforovernment at Ballarat had done their duty properly
This rider to the verdict was received with loud and prolonged cheering by the crowded court The three men were severally sentenced to three, four, and six months' igers that they proates to Melbourne to demand the release of the prisoners
On the 27th of November the deputation (Messrs Humffray, Kennedy, and Black) waited upon His Excellency the Governor He listened to their rehty tone assumed by them that he said, as representative of Her Majesty, he could not allow their peremptory demand However, it was intimated that if a proper ht be released fronant diggers to plead with the authorities, and therefore returned, leaving the object of their s were further incensed at this failure, andarht and day
The Government expected a violent outbreak of passion, andall available troops at Ballarat The ill-feeling of the gold-fields' population soonpelted with s' thoroughfares On the 28th of Nove the caers in aons, in the hope of obtaining ared to overturn several waggons and rifle their contents But when in the vicinity of their camp the soldiers rallied, and, with the assistance of thesoullies left their tents and came up to see the conflict, but were soon driven away panic-stricken It was eleven o'clock before the troops quartered, but the noise e fires, and continually discharging fire-arht