' 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. Mr. Smyth has been calculated to awaken the highest
feeling of indignation on the part of his devoted flock: and to call upon
the government to institute an inquiry into his (gold-lace) character,
and to desire to have him at once removed from Ballaarat.
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