The war crimes
A diary held by the State Library of Victoria (SLV), and written at the time recounts the scene shortly after the battle. The diary doesn't carry the name of the writer, but it was clearly by someone who by previous entries was appalled by the brutality of the policing of the goldfields, but who was fairly conservative in terms of how the diggers should respond.
The diarist was definitely not a supporter of the rebels in the lead-up to Eureka. He was originally thought to have been a 19-year old called Samuel Lazarus. However, following some great work by the wonderful historian Clare Wright, it has been found to be in all probability written by an older bloke called Charles Evans.
We can't describe what happened anywhere near as well as this eye witness to the after-effects of the battle. Here he recounts his observations on 3 December, and because of their importance we've also included two stories from his Monday, 4 December, because it highlights the shock these events caused a man who thought the British empire was the absolute height of civilisation. Remember, this man was sympathetic to the problems being faced by the diggers, but he was very critical of the apparent turn towards violence. We've left the punctuation and spelling as is in the transcription held by the SLV:
The diarist was definitely not a supporter of the rebels in the lead-up to Eureka. He was originally thought to have been a 19-year old called Samuel Lazarus. However, following some great work by the wonderful historian Clare Wright, it has been found to be in all probability written by an older bloke called Charles Evans.
We can't describe what happened anywhere near as well as this eye witness to the after-effects of the battle. Here he recounts his observations on 3 December, and because of their importance we've also included two stories from his Monday, 4 December, because it highlights the shock these events caused a man who thought the British empire was the absolute height of civilisation. Remember, this man was sympathetic to the problems being faced by the diggers, but he was very critical of the apparent turn towards violence. We've left the punctuation and spelling as is in the transcription held by the SLV:
Sunday Dec 3rd
Awoke this morning with a confused impression that I had been dreaming of volleys of musketry Immediately afterwards I heard the rattle of a horses feet on the metal road. I jumped up at once and saw a horseman galloping at the top of his horses speed towards the Camp He stopped but a moment there and came tearing back again followed by a trooper with a naked sword I dressed at once and went out and the first thing I saw was a melancholy spectacle A large body of soldiers were entering the gully leading to the Camp with three dray loads of dead and wounded. Before I had walked a hundred yards I met another body of soldiers coming down Bakery Hill driving before them a large number prisoners at the point of the bayonet a few hundred yards behind them again came a detachment of troopers with more prisoners and the diggers flag I guessed at once that the military had made an attack on the Eureka Stockade but I did not guess that Englishmen in Authority had made such a savage and cowardly use of their power as unhappily proved to be the case.
I hope the calamity of witnessing such another sight as met my eye this morning may never fall upon me again Anxious to know the worst that had happened I walked on untill I came to the Eureka line Immediately on the other side of this was a Stockade between one & two hundred yards in circumference made of slab logs of wood, drays &c. I entered it and a ghastly scene lay before me which it is vain to attempt to describe my blood crept as I looked upon it Stretched on the ground in all the horrors of a bloody death lay 18 or 20 lifeless and mutilated bodies Some shot in the face, others literally riddled with wounds one with a ghastly wound in the temples and one side of his body absolutely roasted by the flames of his tent another the most horrible of these appalling spectacles with a frightful gaping wound in his head through which the brains protruded, lay with his chest feebly heaving in the last agony of death One body pierced with 16 or 17 wounds I recognized as that of a poor German whom I have often joked with.
By the time I had gone round I felt sick and it was no small relief to me to turn from the revolting scene and retrace my steps I am told the scene a short time before I reached there was harrowing. Newly made widows recognizing the bloody remains of a slaughtered husband children screaming and crying round a dead father Surely the man that polluted the early dawn of a Sabbaths morning with such a deed of blood and suffering must have a stoney heart if he does not think with keen remorse on the desolation of many a widowed heart his merciless work has left.
During the day the horrible particulars of the cruel butchery came out It appears some government spies had been drilling in the ranks of the diggers from the commencement of the disturbances. One of these had decoyed a large body of men from the Stockade last night on some pretence or other, leaving only about 150 in it and they imperfectly armed Another had watched his opportunity until a greater part of the remainder feeling themselves secure from interruption on the coming Sunday had either laid down for a few hours sleep or were enjoying themselves with the bottle when he slipped away to the camp and reported how matters were.
Orders were at once given for the whole force to be under arms, and about an hour before sunrise they marched stealthily to the Eureka Stockade. The first notice the poor fellows had of their approach was the blast of a trumpet. At the moment it sounded a few diggers placed as outposts caught sight of the soldiers and fired their pieces. This was answered by a murderous volley on the Stockade followed by an unsparing charge with the bayonet while at the same time the mounted 40th leaped the barricade & cut and slaughtered right and left without mercy.
But this sanguinary carnage revolting as it is to the mind is not half so sickening as the savage wanton barbarity of the troopers They brave noble hearts! did not turn their swords on armed men, but galloped courageously among the tents shooting at women, and cutting down defenceless men. A few instances of their bloody deeds in this horrid mellee one is enough.
Some distance from the scene of slaughter two or three of these worthies fell on a poor defenceless man and cut and slashed with their swords on his head and body until he fell This was near Dr Lemans tent & Mrs Lemans hearing the cries of the poor wretch went outside her tent The cruel sight drew an expression of horror from her which reaching the ears of one of the butchers he turned round and deliberately fired at her. The base villain happily missed his aim and she escaped inside her tent where another ball was sent after her.
Another trooper galloped up to Mr Naslam (reporter for one of the papers), and ordered him to join the government force. He alleged gave an excuse (which was strictly true) that he was unwell, when the wretch at once leveled his carbine and shot him in the side. Not content with this wanton barbarity he handcuffed him and left him on the ground weltering in his blood where his friends afterwards found him half dead.
Another man, a considerable distance from the Stockade, awoke by the firing went out of his tent in his shirt and drawers and seeing the savage butchery going on cried out in terror to a trooper galloping up "for Gods sake don't kill my wife & children" his prayer may as well have been addressed to a devil. He was shot dead on his own threshold. Cowardly and monstrous cruelties such as these made up the bloody tragedy of this morning It is a dark indelible strain on a British Government a deed which can be fitly placed side by side with the treacheries and cold blooded cruelties of Austria & Russia.
A universal shock has passed through the diggings a feeling of horror seems to possess almost every mind. Instead of the noisy mirth which usually characterizes Sunday here, an uncomfortable stillness prevails & many seem to think it is the lull before the tempest.
Monday Dec 4th
I have witnessed today I think some of the most melancholy spectacles with the exception of yesterdays horrid display, it has ever been my misfortune to see -A number of the poor brave fellows who fell in yesterdays cowardly massacre were burned. One of the cofflns trimmed with white & followed by a respectable and sorrowing group was the body of a woman who was mercilessly butchered by a mounted trooper while she was
pleading for the life of her husband. The mind recoils with horror & disgust from the thought that an Englishman can be found capable of an act so monstrous & inhuman. Poor Ross the Canadian who died this morning after suffering great agony from his wounds was buried among the rest. His funeral was attended by about 300 of his fellow diggers. There were circumstances connected with his death poor fellow enough to stir up feelings of bitter resentment in the breasts of the firmest lovers of peace. He stood at the front of his men bravely fighting for the cause he had advocated until he was left alone -some of his men were killed -others wounded, the rest fled - finding himself alone he approached a trooper & offering his sword said he surrendered. Instead of taking him prisoner the monster drew a pistol and shot him -If ever a man had a cold blooded murder on his soul that wretch has.
We sadly note that we don't know the name of the woman murdered by the police. We understand from some sources that she was not the only woman to be killed. For example, there's mention of a woman killed in the stockade. If she was, we don't know if it was during or after the battle, or what she was doing in the stockade. It's possible she might have been a resident of one of the tents or rough huts the stockade had been built around, causing a number of people to be stuck in the stockade when they had no intention of taking part in any violence.
The killing went on for up to an hour after the diggers had surrendered and they occurred up to a kilometre from the stockade. People were killed who had not been involved in the protest, let alone had taken up arms against the colonial authorities.
Killing wasn't enough for some, mainly troopers. Corpses were mutilated. For example, one digger's body had 16 bayonet wounds in it. It seems extremely unlikely it took 16 shoves of a bayonet to kill him. In another case Henry Powell, a digger from Creswick who had his tent some 300 metres outside the stockade, was surrounded by around 20 mounted police and at least one rampaging government civilian employee, who was probably accompanying the magistrate.
Henry Powell was struck on the head with a sword by Arthur Akehurst, a "clerk of the peace". The troopers took advantage of Akehurst's kindness in providing an easy target to fill Henry full of holes, and then rode back and forth over him. Incredibly, Henry survived long enough to make a statement. Sadly, Henry Powell then died. Of course none of these murdering scumbags were ever so much as investigated, let alone charged and tried.
Another incredible eyewitness report described a digger who had been shot through the legs. One soldier then knelt on his chest, one tried to choke him, and a third went through his pockets looking for gold. An Italian miner who hadn't taken part in the rebellion, and who had his tent over 300 metres from the stockade, was killed by mounted police. Another was shot as he attempted to get back to his tent. Another who had his tent in the stockade, but hadn't taken part in the rebellion was shot through the thigh. As he lay wounded he told the troopers he would give them his gold if they left him alone. After taking his gold they bayoneted him through the chest, killing him.
Perhaps one of the most unlikely and, indeed, ironic targets that morning was a bloke called Frank Hasleham. Frank was a reporter for a Melbourne paper called the Morning Herald, which consistently supported the government's actions against the diggers. Some 300 metres from the stockade he was met by mounted police who shot him in the chest. Fortunately for him, he survived, but forever afterwards suffered ill health. He died in 1861, apparently as a result of his Eureka shooting.
Between the time the diggers defence crumbled, until the sun came up at around 7 am, the killing continued. The police were at the forefront of the atrocities, burning everything within the stockade, and shooting at any movement. Frankly, it's rather surprising any of the miners managed to escape. Even the Irish priest Father Smyth was denied access to the wounded soldiers (some of whom were Catholics) and was forced out of the stockade at pistol point by the mounted police.
Captain Pasley, second in command of the British forces, and appalled at the carnage and the ongoing killings, saved a group of prisoners from being bayoneted, and threatened to shoot any police or soldiers who continued with the slaughter. Why it took their officers so long to even attempt to exercise any control over their rampaging men is unclear.
The killing went on for up to an hour after the diggers had surrendered and they occurred up to a kilometre from the stockade. People were killed who had not been involved in the protest, let alone had taken up arms against the colonial authorities.
Killing wasn't enough for some, mainly troopers. Corpses were mutilated. For example, one digger's body had 16 bayonet wounds in it. It seems extremely unlikely it took 16 shoves of a bayonet to kill him. In another case Henry Powell, a digger from Creswick who had his tent some 300 metres outside the stockade, was surrounded by around 20 mounted police and at least one rampaging government civilian employee, who was probably accompanying the magistrate.
Henry Powell was struck on the head with a sword by Arthur Akehurst, a "clerk of the peace". The troopers took advantage of Akehurst's kindness in providing an easy target to fill Henry full of holes, and then rode back and forth over him. Incredibly, Henry survived long enough to make a statement. Sadly, Henry Powell then died. Of course none of these murdering scumbags were ever so much as investigated, let alone charged and tried.
Another incredible eyewitness report described a digger who had been shot through the legs. One soldier then knelt on his chest, one tried to choke him, and a third went through his pockets looking for gold. An Italian miner who hadn't taken part in the rebellion, and who had his tent over 300 metres from the stockade, was killed by mounted police. Another was shot as he attempted to get back to his tent. Another who had his tent in the stockade, but hadn't taken part in the rebellion was shot through the thigh. As he lay wounded he told the troopers he would give them his gold if they left him alone. After taking his gold they bayoneted him through the chest, killing him.
Perhaps one of the most unlikely and, indeed, ironic targets that morning was a bloke called Frank Hasleham. Frank was a reporter for a Melbourne paper called the Morning Herald, which consistently supported the government's actions against the diggers. Some 300 metres from the stockade he was met by mounted police who shot him in the chest. Fortunately for him, he survived, but forever afterwards suffered ill health. He died in 1861, apparently as a result of his Eureka shooting.
Between the time the diggers defence crumbled, until the sun came up at around 7 am, the killing continued. The police were at the forefront of the atrocities, burning everything within the stockade, and shooting at any movement. Frankly, it's rather surprising any of the miners managed to escape. Even the Irish priest Father Smyth was denied access to the wounded soldiers (some of whom were Catholics) and was forced out of the stockade at pistol point by the mounted police.
Captain Pasley, second in command of the British forces, and appalled at the carnage and the ongoing killings, saved a group of prisoners from being bayoneted, and threatened to shoot any police or soldiers who continued with the slaughter. Why it took their officers so long to even attempt to exercise any control over their rampaging men is unclear.