Meetings, A Burned Pub, Dodgy Witnesses, & Poor Bentley
In this climate of anger, actually fury, and mutters about armed rebellion, a meeting was held on Camp Hill on 15 October. Attending were heaps of miners, principally, but far from only, Irish Catholics, of whom there were heaps after the 1848 potato blight and the English-exacerbated starvation of the following years. For some reason, probably based around contempt, the English officials neither knew nor cared that the Irish mostly hated them. Goodness, what a surprise.
The meeting had been called in protest at the treatment Gregorius had received, and the patent and total lack of respect shown their priest, Father Smyth. They wanted Gregorius compensated, Smyth to get an apology and his five quid back, Johnston to be kicked out, and the arresting police to be sacked. Interestingly, there's no sign of Peter Lalor here. If he was, he wasn't a speaker or a leader.
Well, eventually, the miners actually got one thing they asked for. Nope, no apologies, no compensation, no five quid, no Johnstone getting the flick. But, Constable Lord was transferred. Well, whoopty doo. Still, perhaps it was better than nothing. Or, perhaps not.
Next up, the call went out for the miners to meet at Bentley's hotel. So, on the night of 17 October some 10,000 (some sources go as low as 1,000) miners turned up at Bentley's and proceeded to let the publican know what they thought of him. Rede was pelted with eggs. We can only hope they were rotten.
Unfortunately, a hothead or two decided that shouting and arm waving weren't enough, and the pub would look better burning. Bentley, and his remarkable wife (for more on her see Clare Wright's mostly very interesting book on the women of Eureka), children, and staff were exceptionally lucky, perhaps, to escape with their lives, but nothing else, fleeing for the government camp.
While the pub was catching alight, the miners looted what they could get hold of. And Bentley was left with nothing to buy his freedom, if the need arose again. Which it did.
Again, there's no indication of Lalor having any involvement in either the calling of the meeting, the meeting itself, or the burning of Bentley's pub.
The authorities' response to the burning of the pub was to pretty immediately arrest three miners for arson, a hanging offence. By all accounts, or, at least, most accounts, the authorities had no idea if they were guilty or not. Oddly, no-one was arrested for Rede's egging!
Hotham also now ordered Bentley's arrest for murder, and that he be taken to Melbourne as soon as possible. Poor Bentley, now literally. Without any moolah he was now in very serious trouble indeed, because the government even offered a reward of £500 for information about the murder.
Two very dubious witnesses came forward, who were to eventually share the reward. Poor, poor Bentley. On top of the world one minute. Crashing through the floor the next.
The meeting had been called in protest at the treatment Gregorius had received, and the patent and total lack of respect shown their priest, Father Smyth. They wanted Gregorius compensated, Smyth to get an apology and his five quid back, Johnston to be kicked out, and the arresting police to be sacked. Interestingly, there's no sign of Peter Lalor here. If he was, he wasn't a speaker or a leader.
Well, eventually, the miners actually got one thing they asked for. Nope, no apologies, no compensation, no five quid, no Johnstone getting the flick. But, Constable Lord was transferred. Well, whoopty doo. Still, perhaps it was better than nothing. Or, perhaps not.
Next up, the call went out for the miners to meet at Bentley's hotel. So, on the night of 17 October some 10,000 (some sources go as low as 1,000) miners turned up at Bentley's and proceeded to let the publican know what they thought of him. Rede was pelted with eggs. We can only hope they were rotten.
Unfortunately, a hothead or two decided that shouting and arm waving weren't enough, and the pub would look better burning. Bentley, and his remarkable wife (for more on her see Clare Wright's mostly very interesting book on the women of Eureka), children, and staff were exceptionally lucky, perhaps, to escape with their lives, but nothing else, fleeing for the government camp.
While the pub was catching alight, the miners looted what they could get hold of. And Bentley was left with nothing to buy his freedom, if the need arose again. Which it did.
Again, there's no indication of Lalor having any involvement in either the calling of the meeting, the meeting itself, or the burning of Bentley's pub.
The authorities' response to the burning of the pub was to pretty immediately arrest three miners for arson, a hanging offence. By all accounts, or, at least, most accounts, the authorities had no idea if they were guilty or not. Oddly, no-one was arrested for Rede's egging!
Hotham also now ordered Bentley's arrest for murder, and that he be taken to Melbourne as soon as possible. Poor Bentley, now literally. Without any moolah he was now in very serious trouble indeed, because the government even offered a reward of £500 for information about the murder.
Two very dubious witnesses came forward, who were to eventually share the reward. Poor, poor Bentley. On top of the world one minute. Crashing through the floor the next.