Who would have told me then, that soon I should be messmate to those
unknown audacious robbers, in the same gaol!!
Let's go to the public meeting in the next chapter.
Chapter XIX.
Una Scintilla, Sparasi La Bomba,
Spalanca A Multitudini La Tomba.
The following story was going the rounds of the Eureka. There was a
licence-hunt; the servant of the Rev. P. Smyth, the priest of the Catholic
church, Bakery-hill, went to a neighbouring tent to visit a sick man.
While inside, a trooper comes galloping up at the tent-door, and shouts out,
"Come out here, you d - - d wretches! there's a good many like you on the
diggings." The man came outside, and was asked if "he's got a licence?"
The servant, who is a native of Armenia, answers, in imperfect English,
that he is a servant to the priest. The trooper says, "Damn you and
the priest," and forthwith dismounts for the purpose of dragging
Johannes M'Gregorius, the servant, along with him. The servant remonstrates
by saying he is a disabled man, unable to walk over the diggings.
This infuriates the trooper, he strikes and knocks down the poor disabled
foreigner, drags him about, tears his shirt - in short, inflicting such injuries
on the poor fellow, that all the diggers present cried out "shame! shame!"
Commissioner Johnson rides up, and says to the crowd about him, that he should
not be interrupted in the execution of his 'dooty.' The priest hears
of his servant's predicament, comes to the spot, hands a five-pound note to
Johnson as bail for his servant's appearance the next day at the police-office.
The following morning, Johannes M`Gregorius is charged with being on
the gold-fields without a licence. The poor foreigner tries to make a defence,
but was fined five pounds. Commissioner Johnson now comes in and says,
M`Gregorius is not charged with being without a licence, but with assaulting
the trooper Lord - ridiculous! This alters the case. The trooper is called,
and says the old story about the execution of 'dooty,' that is,
licence-hunting.
A respectable witness takes his oath that he saw the trooper strike
the foreigner with his clenched fist, and knock him down.
The end of the story is in the Ballaarat tune, then in vogue: "Fined 5 pounds;
take him away."
Chapter XX.
Public Meeting
Held at the Catholic Chapel, Bakery-hill, Wednesday, October 25th.
After a good deal of pretty intelligible talk about the 'helpless Armenian,'
the trooper Lord, and our respected priest; Thomas Kennedy, pouncing on
the thing of the day proposed: -
"That it is the opinion of this meeting that the conduct of Mr. Commissioner
Johnson towards the Rev.
