REMINISCENCES IN THE LIFE OF A COLONIAL JOURNALIST.*

New Zealand Herald, Volume XI, Issue 4026, 7 October 1874, Page 5 (Supplement)

REMINISCENCES IN THE LIFE OF A COLONIAL JOURNALIST.*

No. XV. [By " Snyder-"] THE EUREKA MURDERS AND RIOTS. It -was not long after the terrible occurrence of Black Thursday that a great agitation was set on foot, which at one tunc threatened the dismemberment of the Australian colonies from the mother country. At no time before and at no time since had or have I seen a people so embittered against the Home authorities—the feeling indicating s,n expressed dislike for the Queen of iMigland. The cause was this The Secretary of State for the Colonies persisted in liis intention of landing convicts on tlie shores of New South Wales, Port Phillip, and Van Pieman's Land. A great antitransportation league of the four Australian colonies was formed in Tasmania, and was met with the most enthusiastic responses by the other three colonies,—Port Phillip, ■which had a deep and special interest in the matter, from its proximity to Van Dieman's Land, taking the initiative by appointing a delegate to proceed to England to represent the wrong being done to the colonists, and to demand the redress of an intolerable grievance. But now it so happened that 110 sooner had tlie appointed delegate sailed for England than the great—indeed tlie greatest event of the present century—happened. This was the discovery of tho goldfields. People who gave the subject ever so little reflection could not fail to sec, on the goldfields' outbreak, the speedy cessation of transportation to the whole of the eastern colonies of the Australian group, however obstinate and infatuated Earl Grey might continue to be for a -season. The interest in the subject subsided very rapidly throughout the colonial settlements, tlie anti-transporta-tion movement having been superseded by the universal movement towards the goldfields. One of the colonial journals of tho period announced this fact in a humorous parody 011 the "Death and Burial of Cock Robin," entitled "The Death and Burial of ; the League," the commencement of which ! was as follows :— " Who killed the League*'" 4t I," said the dicger, •' With spade am! with cradle I killed the League." But the insane policy of Earl Grey had nearly lost England her valuable Australian possessions. Notwithstanding the repeated remonstrances and protests of a large majority of the reputable portion of the inhabitants of Tasmania, Earl Grey would not forego liis determination. This conduct not only awakened a spirit of stubborn resistance to the continuance of such a monstrous infliction, but engaged the sympathies and aroused the ire of all of the colonies. And it was for this reason :—lt was quite apparent that Van Dieman's Land was regarded by Earl Grey as a thoroughfare through which successive importations of convicts from the United Kingdom might be passed on to the other colonies of Port Phillip, New South Wales, and South Australia. In short the transported villany of Van Dieman's Land was even then rapidly spreading itself over these fair and fertile lands. Port Phillip at that time was overrun with condition-ally-pardoned convicts of the worst type forwarded from Tasmania. And this at the time when the changes wrought by the gold discovery were so extensive and thorough ] that words can scarcely paint what these were. Murderers, burglars, forgers, horsestealers, violators of women and children, bushrangers, highwaymen, men convicted for unnatural offences, London thieves, swell-mobsmen, pickpockets, body-snatchers formed a portion of the community of a land which teemed with the rich yields of our goldtields. These men were in no way separated, nor were they separable from the respectable portion of the people. The tent , of the clerk, the storeinan, ami the mechanic j would be ranged next to a trebly-con vie ted [ ruffian and his prostitute. Little was : thought of character in those days. The j employed were of greater importance than , the employers. Crime was rampant. The ] excuses and extravagance 01 tlie diggers are undescribable. Life then was a riot, and on many ot the diggings, to women of respectability, it was a hell. Many families lied , Port Phlilip, while the offscourings of the ; adjoining colonies were pouring into our ' midst. In three years of the first "great auriferous discoveries at IJallarat there were ■ eleven other rich fields being worked. an old Victorian colonist now living in New l Zealand but will remember one or other as 1 having been engaged upon them. These \ were Anderson's Ureck, Mount Alexander, ; Bendigo, the Ovens, the M'ivor and Goul- j bourne, White Horse Cully, the French- 1 man's Lead, and the Canadian. Over these ; the immigrants spread themselves, and be- ; came an integral part of a community con- | sisting of released convicts and expirees, j " Sticking-up" became a common occurrence. , In 1854 five desperadoes took possession of i the St. Kilda Road within a few miles of [ Melbourne, and inside of a few hours cap- j tured and plundered twenty persons. I recollect well a most horrible discovery I which was made just about this time. A j igger, a German named Stein, had been j stuck-up by tliree ruffians, who, having robbed him of a considerable quantity of gold, afterwards took him into a thick scrub, and having bandaged his eyes, tied him to a gum-tree—'hands, feet, and body. He was found there some weeks after, a skeleton garbed as a digger. He had starved to death, and the maggots had eaten the whole of the flesh away to the bones. The perpetrators of this atrocity were never discovered, although a large rewanl was ofTered for their apprehension and conviction. Again, not long after this, in the western district of Victoria, the body of a man was unearthed by some diggers who were out prospecting. It was ascertained the man had been robbed of all he possessed, maltreated, and then, there was only too much reason to fear, was buried alive. The per- | petrators of this terrible deed were never traced. An old woman—nearly sixty years of age—who kept a grog slionty (unlicensed, of course), was discovered by the police dead with a tomahawk lirmly grasped in her right hand. Alongside of her lr.y another corpse with his skull fearfully battered m. All that could be ascertained or surmised was that the man had attempted to violate the ■woman —that she resisted, and that in selfdefence she had killed the man, but not until he had succeeded in inflicting injuries which caused her death. Buried beneath the ground upon which the slianty stood was found, enclosed in small chamois leather bags, over a hundred ounces of gold and eighty pounds in sovereigns and notes. In consequence of these and other enormities a bill called the "Convicts' Prevention Bill" passed the Legislature, which, while reprobated by the other colonics, and especially Tasmania, was a means, to some slight extent, of repressing the evil. There were numerous diggers from all nations—Germans, French, Italians, Chinese, -Americans, and old Californians— who brought with them their distinctive notions of rights and freedom to bear on their avocations ot digging ; and in tlie wretched condition of our sccial constitution in those days nothing less might have been expected than what came to pass—the nmctite at Ballarat on tlie 3rd December, 1854. The Government regulations were that each digger paid a licence fee of thirty shillings per annum for a claim of twelve feet square. Then came the tyranny of what was then named " digger-hunting." The Commissioners were empowered to make daily visits, accompanied by the police, and compel the diggers to shew their licenses. A wide dissatisfaction spread among the populations of the goldtields, and the oppressive tyranny of Sir Charles Hotham was denounced. Had this, tlie very worst specimen of a Governor Victoria ever possessed, dared to have ventured upon the goldfields, such was the feeling against him, ho would have been torn limb from limb or *Jll rights retervtd.

stoned to death. Sir Charles Hotham hadbeen accustomed to command on the quarter-deck of a man-of-war, where his yea was yea and his nay nay ; and he had thought to govern a wild, rough, brave, but lawless digging population by the same means as he had done with his seamen under Articles of War. He was mistaken, and when too late disdiscovered his mistake. "Wearied at the opposition he met with, he became espondent, because he could not command despotically where he should only governed constitutionally. He was too much attached to his salary to resign, and lie died of what may be termed a broken heart, iie was, it may be said, hounded on to Ins death, and when his decease was announced j the news was received on the diggings with every demonstration of joy. There nave been those who have said Sir Charles Hotham was a good man and a wise Governor, but no one has been bold enough to point out in what way he was so in the first or on what point ho was in the other. To enforce the collection of this monthly 30s. digging-license necessitated an increase in the police force, and to meet the additional expense the greatest tyranny was exercised towards the diggers. The license fee was rigidly enforced. A refusal was met with a pair of handcuffs, brutal treatment, and the body of the defaulter chained to a tree. And be it understood this impost was laid on everyone connected with goldfield operations, whether digging or not. An arbitrary regulation was issued upon the order of Sir Charles Hotham which made it imperative on the diggings to act as special constables under the penalty of being treated as rogues and vagabonds. Meetings were held on the various goldfields, and the miners resolved —determinedly resolved—-resolved unto the death —to resist the fee altogether. Committees were formed to protect the interests of the miners. " Digger - hunting" was no longer to be tolerated. Then followed what was afterwards known as the Eureka riot. An hotel named the Eureka, kept by a \ andemonian of the name of Bentley, was the resort of the very worst characters of Ballarat. Its proprietor was hated, but, due to the sway he held over some of the most consummate scoundrels who had contrived to escape the gallows, he was equally feared. The local authorities did not interfere to suppress the abominations which were allowed in this sink of iniquity, although frequently petitioned by the more orderly population, either because they saw the difficulty or were afraid to interfere with such a desperate gang as had taken up their quarters there. Then became known a terrible murder that was committed in the bar of the hotel—one of tho most atrocious and cold-blooded which, i perhaps, was ever placed on record. Tlie officials, having again refrained from interfering, although thoroughly persuaded of the guilt of Bentley and his scoundrelly accomplices, a night meeting was held by diggers, who attacked and burnt down the hotel. There were scenes enacted on that night which will not admit of description. Casks of spirits were thrown out to the mob, and the rush for them caused more fighting, and, if possible, greater disorder. I was a witness to this spectacle myself from the door of Mr. Robertson's grocery store. It brought to my mind the scene described by Charles Dickens in his description of tlie riots of Lord George Gordon, in "Barnaby Budge." Bentley and his accomplices were tried, but were merely found guilty of manslaughter. The effect of this on tlie public mind was only to inflame the people against the Government, while stump orators urged them on to acts of rebellion, and commenced to enrol bauds to resist the authorities by armed force. Among those who incited the diggers on to rebellion and deeds of violence was James Manning, who was subsequently the proprietor and editor of the C<'li newspaper, which was published at Hokitika, on the West Coast of tho Middle Islaud, towards the end of the year ISIiS, and the inflammatory articles of which led to what was then and since then known as the Fenian riots, although there was no riot or any display of armed hostility. There was, however, much fear and alarm felt among the inhabitants at the time. The relation of this, however, I must defer for a succeeding reminiscence. Being advised that neither life nor property was likely to be respected in Ballarat, Sir Charles Hotham ordered all the available forces procurable to quell the formidable outbreak. Subsequently the ringleaders of the Eureka Hotel riot were captured, tried, condemned, and had but very lenient sentences passed upon them, the juries strongly censuring the Governor and the authorities by him appointed. The diggers organised themselves, practised drill, andmadeextensive preparations for a determined struggle. It was at the closc of November, 1554, that a first attack was made on a detachment of the 12th Regiment, and a second shortly after on ancther detachment of the 40th Regiment. This was followed by an attack by the military on the entrenchment of the insurgents, at which a number of men were killed and wounded on both sides. Among the former were two women. This latter circumstance I recollect perfectly well, as one of these [ women at tlie time had only lately been ; married, and she was in no way concerned in the riot. Her husband swore that for that one life he would have three, and it is believed he kept liis word. Within fortyeight hours after the riot was quelled a sentry was shot dead on his post. Tlie next night a second was shot. Tlie day after a trooper fell from his horse dead, a bullet having passed through his brains. No one knew who did these three murders, but there were many who guessed it was the husband of the woman who was shot by the soldiery.

As might have been expectcd, in the nature of things and of law and order, the rioters were beaten and scattered. Martial law was proclaimed after all was quiet. It was then the military and the officials shot down, killed, and wounded respectable orderobeying and peaceful citizens who never harboured a wrong intention against the Government. At length, in compliance with a demand made by the colonists which even such a tyrant as Sir Charles Hotham could not resist, a Royal Commission was appointed to proceed to the spot and examine into the condition of the goldfield. Tlie gentlemen who formed the commission found the grievances of the miners to be very heavy, and more than they could well hear without making reprisals. A complete change was recommended in tho administration of their affairs, and that, instead of a license fee of thirty shillings per month, a duty be levied upon gold. All disputes among miners was to! be arbitrated by a locally-elected body. These recommendations were adopted, and tlie mining districts were restored to quiet, which, by tlie way, Sir Charles Hotham to the end of his days deeply regretted. He wanted more quarter-deck and more bloodshed.