A CHINESE BATTUE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2360, 18 May 1899, Page 24

A CHINESE BATTUE.

" When I hear the fighting qualities of the Chinese extolled," he says, " I cannot avoid a smile. I was on the Buckland on the occasion of the great Chinese riot. We called the Buckland then ' The Valley of the Shadow of Death,' because of the terrible mortality from ' colonial fever ' in the -first rush to its banks. There was a sprinkling of Chinese on every Ovens rush, but they swarmed on the Buckland. There must have been nearly 3000 there, and they outnumbered the whites by at least three to one. Yet, for reasons hardly more substantial than those by which Truthful James justified a similar, onslaught, a small minority amongst the whites decided that the aliens must go.

" The Chinese, who invariably followed the white man's lead to 'a' new rush, preferred the Buckland, I fancy, because it .was a dry diggings,' and comparatively shallow sinking, while most of the Ovens "rushes .were wet. Perhaps the deepest sinking on the Buckland was on the hill where the Chinese had built their Joss-house — a little structure about 12ft square, with a high dome of the fashion we are familiar with in Chinese photographs, and all gaudily decorated and painted. That hill was particularly rich, and its_ richness was, I feel sure, the main reason for the riot and eviction. It was galling to some of the lawless spirits who assembled on all these goldfields to think that these Mongolian trespassers should have come in and picked the richest spots of the Buckland under their very noses: There was never any act on the part of the Chinese justifying the harsh measures taken. Things that were considered offensive on their part were due largely to their ignorance of the customs of a new country, and would bo lightly regarded nowadays. There were men on the mines — able and educated men, too, fome of whom are yet living prosperously in Victoria — who had great influence over the bulk of the diggers. They used that influence to foment the riot and win further popularity. Meetings were he.ld, and the feeling against the Chinese grew more intense until, on this particular Saturday morning-, it was determined to sweep the valley from end lo end, and drive every Chinaman from the Buckland. Not a yellow man was to be left between Clear Creek and the ' lower crossing-

"I was standing by my claim, across the river from Joss-house Hill, where some 600 Chinese had burrowed thickly as ants in a mound. We were waiting somewhat anxiously the development of events, for it seemed incredible that so many Chinese — every one armed at least with his bamboo carryingstick — would allow a mere handful of Europeans to expel them from their rich workings without a struggle. Suddenly, far up the river, I heard a faint humming noise, sounding finst like the drone of tree locusts in the spring. The Chinese across the creek heard it too, and instantly there was a flurry. It was a? though someone had walked over the ant hill. A hundred windlasses creaked, and from every hole and tunnel the frightened Chinese poured out, and, gathering up what they could of their property, started down the creek without even waiting for a sight of the enemy.

"A more remarkable spectacle followed, one so extraordinary that I can see every incident of it to-day just as clearly as on that Saturday morning on the Buckland so roany. years ago. The excited hum up the creek swelled to a tumult, and, suddenly, round the foot of Joss-house Hill, came a rabble of quite 2000 panic-stricken, jabbering, flying Chinese, driven like sheep by just 35 white men, armed with weapons no more deadly than stout sticks, cut in the gulliep. I wish I could describe that melee just as it looked to me — the Chinese in their broadbrimmed conical hats, large as umbrellas ; their wide earth-stained jackets and trousers ; their flying pigtails, and babel of chattering. It was like a horde of huge monkeys. Now ancj again a wretched Chinaman who had overburdened himself with more than he could carry and keep pace, but was loth to abandon a pound of it, would straggle to the rear of a mob to meet with a savage blow of a stick that sent him reeling and bleeding to the ground. Many of them were thus injured, and the shouting, hooting, and cheering of the white diggers increased the tumult. It was juet a kangaroo battue — though an ' old man ' with his back to a tree would have made a braver fight than these thousands of Chinese. The spectacle excited alike one's pity and contempt. " Next, down the west bank of the Buckfoad, came another rush, of 500 demoralised

Chinese, driven this time by only five Europeans. There was a shallow ford near me, and one of the drovers shouted, ' Head 'em off here, Bill, and put 'em across.' Bill ran to the front, as though he were stopping cattle, and with shouts and a rain of blows turned the Mongolian horde to the river. The passage was narrow, and several of them were forced into the deep water on either side and drowned, their fellows being in such a state of abject terror that they offered neither assistance to their friends nor resistance to their foes.

" At sundown that night there was not a Chinaman left alive on the Buckland. The river held a few of the dead, that was all. Many of the bodies of the drowned wretches floated days afterwards, and I remember several inquests being held. Some of the bodies were, I have no doubt, caught under snags and logs, and thus hidden by the muddy waters, were never seen again. That was the only tragic feature of the riot, for though the miserable wretches were wantonly and brutally beaten with clubs, I heard of none who died from wounds thus received.

" The Chinese, as I have said, held some of the richest ground, and this was immediately jumped by the conquerors. The whole camp was looted, some of the stores long afterwards offering Chinese goods for sale, while one storekeeper had such a stock of clothing that he wore it himself in summer. The_Joss-house alone was left inviolate, and the Chinese used it afterwards when they returned to the river. But they nevef got possession of their claims again. The news of the riot .went abroad, public' indignation was excited at the outrage, and, police and mounted troopers being rushed in scores; to the Buckland to keep order, found the peace that surpassetli understanding settled " on the valley. The ' misadventure ' at the ford frightened some of the ringleaders, who bolted across the Murray into New South Wales, and stayed there for a. few months until the excitement had blown over. A few men were aii'ested, and having served ridiculously light ..sentences returned to" be lionised by their mates as the martyrs .of the Buckland. The Chinese riot ended with the Chinese back on the Buckland again in greater' numbers than before.

WITH SHOES OF GOLD

" Who has not heard that story of the golden horseshoes, yet how few have heard it correctly? It has been cited always as an illustration of the wild spendthrift qualities of the men of the Ovens goldfields. In plain truth it was only the 'bold advertisement of a circus proprietor named ' Tinker ' Brown. It was on the occasion of the first election for the" Legislative Council on the Ovens, and the diggers wished to return Mr Daniel Cameron. It was a local party fight, the Woolshed v. the World, and the men of the Woolshed, on finding at the last moment that their man had not the monetary qualification, subscribed in a remarkably short space of time the' necessary £2000. Johnston, the ' King of the Woolshed,' started the fund with £100, and Pat Barry went one better with as many guineas.

"Johnston, I may mention by the way, was a plucky, determined digger, who deserved the title of King of the Woolshed. When working on Reid's Creek he had always "an idea that there was gold in the Woolshed Valley, and backed his opinion with all his savings. He took over six men, and started to sink", but it was a wet diggings, and week after week the water beat them back. At last, one Saturday -night, his money was exhausted, and he said, ' I'm done, boys — I can go no further.' ' Well, you've always been fair to us,' they replied, ' we'll give you a week's work free.' That week they bottomed oil absolutely the richest part of the field. In a few months Johnston made between £50,000 and £100,000, and he always paid these six men £9 a week each while they were in his service.

" Such were the men who made Cameron the nominee of the Woolshed, and returned him as the district representative. There was wild excitement. Johnston 'shouted,' and paid £145 for the first round of drinks. After the election nearly the whole .Woolshed accompanied Cameron to Beeehworth for the declaration of the poll. It was a remarkable sight, that long train of mounted diggers coming down the narrow alpine tracks., for racing was a craze there, and every lucky digger aspired to own Fomething that could gallop. It is just here, though, that fiction has taken possession of the incident. It* -has been told in every civilised country in the world — a story of barbaric magnificence. Eye-witnesses have described that wonderful spectacle of the cavalcade of red-shirted diggers clattering clown the range, and at their head Daniel Cameron, riding his horse shod with massive shoes of gold. So many readers - have been impressed with it— as with the dazzling story of Cleopatra's barge of beaten gold— that it seems a, pity to topple such an episode from its eminence and degrade it to a mere matter of good business for the circus. But there was enough of wild romance and mad excitement on the Ovens tributaries in the fifties without going outside the realm of hard fact. " ' Tinker ' Brown had just then pitched his circus tents in Beeehworth. He was a cute man, with a quick eye for business — as keen for 'a good ad.' as the majority of circus proprietors are to-day. One of the attractions of the show was a horse trained to lie on his back in the ring and flourish his hoofs in the air, showing the audience that he wore shoes of gold. These plates, which were fairly solid, had been specially made by a little -Jeweller named Tofield. They were taken off the horse at night, and after the performance displayed in the town as an advt. • Tinker ' Brown Raw in this demonstration his opportunity. He came to some members of Cameron's committee, I being one, and offered, in the event of some allowance being made by us for wear and tear, to put the gold shoes on the horse, bring out one of the gaudy circus carriages, and drive the new member through the streets of Beeehworth. It was just such a proposal as suited the extravagant humour of the wild men of the Woolshed. We jumped at the offer, the news of it ran like wildfire through the town, and the people poured into the street? to see the unique spectacle. Cameron's drive, that was to become famouß, took place, but the member himself was not the lion of the occasion. Indeed, I fear that he was rather overlooked. The crush everywhere was tD see the horse shod with gold. ' Shoes of gold !' ran the murmur everywhere. ' Shoes of Wookhed gold !' Bhouted the diggers from that favoured place.

"The legislative career thus gorgeously begun was not, a long one. Cameron went into business in Melbourne, failed shortly afterwards, and lost his seat in the Council. His brother, one of the bosses of the Woolshed, took a fortune out of the washdirt, and wisely carried it home to Scotland."

We congratulate the • Cromwell Argu3 on the announcement of its appearance as a biweekly paper — the first on the goldfields. The paper will be materially enlarged, and reduced in price to 3d. .