LAST SURVIVOR.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 253, 26 October 1931, Page 3

LAST SURVIVOR.

EUREKA STOCKADE FIGHT.

DEATH AT AGE OF 97.

GABRIEL'S GULLY PIONEER,

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

TIMARU, this day,

The. death is announced of Mr. John Lishman Potter, in his ninety-seventh year. He was the last survivor of the Eureka Stockade fight of 1854, in which he served under Peter Lalor, the rebel leader. Mr. Potter afterwards took part in the Gabriel's Gully gold rush.

The story of . the Eureka Stockade fight goes back to the early days of the goldfields in Australia. To meet the expense of securing order, and to restrain unauthorised mining on Crown lands in Victoria, a license fee was imposed on diggers of .30/ per month, and half of the fine went to the informer. The next year the fee was reduced to 20/, but the objectionable clause was retained under which a digger could be imprisoned for not-having the actual license with him, even though possession of one could be proved by the official record. Although there was a population of 20,000 on the Ballarat goldfields, they had no representation in Parliament. In 1854 Sir Charles Hotham ordered the police to redouble their, exertions in collecting the license fees. Many of the police had been recruited from Tasmania, and some were ex-convicts. It was claimed that the police were brutal in their methods, and riots occurred at Beechworth, Castlemaine and Bendigo. . A miner was killed at the Eureka Hotel, Ballarat, and his mates accused an hotelkeeper of the crime. He was afterwards discharged by the magistrate, and the miners then held a meeting, at which it was resolved to demand a fresh prosecution. Towards the end of the meeting a cry arose that the police were trying to disperse the gathering, and the result was that the hotel was burned down. Three men were arrested and sentenced to imprisonment. A deputation waited upon Sir Charles Hotham to demand the release of the prisoners, but this was not agreed to, and a mass meeting was held at which it was decided to burn the licenses. The military arrived and a melee resulted. The licenses were afterwards burnt in a bonfire. A squadron of mounted police was received with a volley oi stones, and the assembled diggers swore to stand truly to one anotner, letcr Lalor being elected leader. An area _ol about an acre was enclosed on the , Eureka claim, and /a stockade built. > The occupants were busy drilling inside the stockade when a troop of 27b men marched.to the attack. Only about 50 men in the stockade had rifles, but a German blacksmith had been busy making pike heads. A storming party of 64 rushed the stockade, and in the first volleys several men fell on each side, but the military was too much for the •diners. Of the soldiers Captain Wise ant four privates were killed, and the military took 114 prisoners. Laloi badly wounded, but managed to escape. Sixteen miners were killed and at least eMit others died of their wounds Sii Robert Nickle arrived with reinforcements: and announced that the Government'had appointed inquire into the grievances of the mineis 5 the trial of the prisoners al weie tcquittcd, without the defence being called on. ._