'My name's Cyrus Cable, native of Bathurst. I'm a shearer1 in the season; have a selection at Chidowla, this side of Tumberumba. I know some of the men in the dock; saw them at Poliah when the row was on and the steamer was burnt.'
'Will you point out any of the prisoners that you can identify?'
'Well, there's Bill Hardwick, an old mate of mine—and fellow-prisoner, if it comes to that. It's dashed hard lines on him to be scruffed and gaoled6 by those union scallowags, first for not joinin' 'em, and then locked up and tried because they ill-treated him and he couldn't get away. I call that a queer sort of law.'
The witness is requested to confine himself to answering such questions as are put to him, and not to give his opinion as to the law of the land.
'Do you identify any other prisoners?'
108'Yes. I saw that beauty with the hobbles on, fire his gun at the crew on the boat twice; I saw him reload. He was one of the men as hustled7 Bill, and the rest of our mob that came from Tandara, into the tent and set a guard on us. I took notice of him then, and can swear to him positive.'
'Was the prisoner Hardwick with the rioters?'
'Yes, like me, because he couldn't help himself. I heard the President, as he calls himself—there he is, the t'other end of the "bot" (I mean the dock, but it's so like a branding pen)—say to that Janus Stoate, him as passed the wire with our names when we left Tandara—"Put a good man on each side of Bill Hardwick, so's he can't stir, and they'll take him for a unionist and keep pottin' at him. What fun it'll be!" and he laughed. "I'll be behind him," says Stoate, "so he won't have no chance of boltin'." That's the way it was worked to bring Bill, as straight a chap as ever sharpened shears8, into this steamer-burnin' racket.'
'How was it that you and your mates left your comrade in the lurch9?'
'Well, we cleared as soon as the police came. The union men bolted in all directions and left the free labourers to mind themselves. We thought Bill was comin' after us, and never missed him till we were miles away.'
'Did you not return to rescue him?'
'No fear! We thought the police might run us in for "aidin' and abettin'." It was every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost.'
The witness was reprimanded for levity10, and directed not to refer to the devil unnecessarily. In cross-examination he stated that he took particular notice of the man in irons, as he had repeatedly struck him and his mates with the butt-end of his rifle. Like the other rebels, he was very brave against unarmed men, but cut it when the police showed they meant business.
'Have you not a revengeful feeling against the prisoner Abershaw, the one who is (very improperly11, in my opinion) brought into the Court in leg-irons?'
'Well, I've the feelings of a man, and I don't cotton to a cowardly dog who kept rammin' the butt-end of his gun into the small of my back, when I couldn't defend myself. But 109I'm here to speak the truth, and to get justice for an innocent man.'
'I suppose you were told that you would be paid your expense for attending this trial?'
'I got a Crown subp?na. So did Martin.'
'Who served it to you?'
'A police constable12 at Toovale.'
'Was anybody with him?'
'Yes, Dick Donahue. He told me and my mate, Martin Hannigan, that Bill Hardwick was to be tried at Wagga for burnin' the Dundonald and shootin' at the crew. "That be hanged for a yarn13!" says I. "Fancy Bill, with a farm and a wife and kids, settin' out to burn steamers and kill people! Holy Moses! Are you sure he didn't rob a church, while he was about it?" But he said it was no laughing matter, and he might get three years in gaol5. So of course we come, and would have turned up if we'd had to do it on foot and pay our own expenses!'
'Of course, your Honour will note this witness's evident bias14?' said the counsel for the prisoners.
'I shall take my notes in the ordinary manner,' said the Judge. 'It is not necessary for counsel to suggest points of practice to a Judge before he addresses the Court at the conclusion of the evidence.'
'Your Honour will perhaps pardon me; I thought it might have escaped your notice.'
'I trust, Mr. Carter, that nothing escapes my notice in an important criminal case. Let the next witness be called.'
'Martin Hannigan is your name?' said Mr. Biddulph. 'You were at Poliah Camp on the 28th of August, were you not? Do you know the prisoners before the Court?'
'Some of them. I know Bill Hardwick, and the man with the leg-irons, but not his name. Yes; I know the one with the black beard—they called him the President.'
'Who called him by that title?'
'The shearers, or rioters, or loafers, whoever they were. They were six of one and half-a-dozen of the other, if you ask me.'
'Never mind answering what you are not asked. What did you see them do?'
'Well—Mr. President and his mob, all armed, made Bill 110and me and eight or nine other chaps that came down from Tandara, prisoners of war, in a manner of speakin'—"robbery under arms" I call it, for they boned our swags, our horses, our grub, and our pack-saddles. I found the horses, when they were boltin' from the police, or we should 'a never seen 'em again; two of us had to ride bareback. I seen that gaol-bird there—he's "done time," I'll take my oath—and another man shovin' Bill Hardwick between them towards the river-bank—one of 'em was puttin' a gun into his hand—swore he'd shoot him if he didn't carry it. I saw one of 'em fire at the boat. I'd not swear he hit anybody. I heard the "President" say, "We'll burn the bally boat; that'll learn 'em to bring 'scabs' down the river." I saw the steamer blaze up after the crew and free labourers was out. Then the police came, and Martin, my mate, and I cleared for our lives. We caught our horses in a bend and rode down the river to Toovale, when we got a non-union shed, and wired in. That's about all I know.'
By the Crown Prosecutor15.
'Your name is Martin Hannigan. Are you an Irishman?'
'No, nor an Englishman either. I'm an Australian, and so was my father. What's that to do with the case?'
'I thought you were rather humorous in your evidence, that's all. The Irish are a witty16 race, you know.'
'So they say. I've never been there. Anythin' else you'd like to ask me?'
'Only a few questions. When were you served with a subp?na to attend this Court, and where?'
'At Toovale, on the Lower Darling. The policeman came to the shed where Cable and I were working and served us. Dick Donahue came with him, and told us that Bill Hardwick was being tried with the other men for burning the Dundonald.'
'Didn't you know before? That seems strange.'
'Well, we were workin' hard to make up for lost time, by this strike foolishness, and we were too dashed tired at night to go in for readin' papers, or anything but supper and a smoke.'
'I suppose Donahue told you all about Hardwick's being arrested, and you had a talk over the case—what evidence you could give, and so on.'
111'He didn't say much about evidence. He knew we was there, and seen all there was to see; might have felt something too, if a bullet had come our way—they were flying pretty thick for a few minutes. I seen that President chap fire once, and load again.'
'And that was all that passed?'
'Yes, pretty well all; we weren't "coached," if that's what you mean.'
'You swear that you saw that man fire, and load again?'
'Yes.'
'Did you see the free labourers?'
'Yes, forty or fifty; some looked damp, as they had been chucked into the river. Some had only their shirts on. They were stood up in a line, and counted like a lot of store cattle. They cleared off like us, when the police came, and the union fellows bolted. We passed little mobs of them makin' down the river.'
'You swear you didn't see Hardwick fire his gun?'
'It wasn't his gun, and he didn't shoot.'
The sensational17 part of the trial was over; other witnesses were examined for the defence. They agreed in 'swearing up' for the prisoners before the Court, always excepting for Bill Hardwick. 'The other four men had exhibited great mildness, and a desire for peace. They had not seen the captain of the Dundonald assaulted; they saw the steamer on fire—they didn't know how it had started burnin'—might have been from kerosene18 in the cargo—it often happened. There was some shooting, but the crew of the steamer fired first. They didn't see any of the prisoners firing at the boat, except William Hardwick. Would swear positive that he had a gun, and loaded, after he fired every time—yes, every time. Saw no men thrown overboard. Some of them swam ashore19, but they did it of their own accord.'
These witnesses broke down under cross-examination.
The Crown Prosecutor made a brief but powerful address to the jury, pointing out discrepancies20 in evidence, and the manifest perjury21 committed by the last witnesses. He trusted the jury would not overlook their conduct, and appraise22 their evidence at its true value.
The counsel for the defence, a well-known barrister, made a long and impassioned appeal to the jury 'to excuse the 112more or less technically23 illegal acts, which, he admitted, could not be defended. It was, however, in the line of "rough justice," the origin of which was a long series of capitalistic tyranny and oppression. They had suffered long from inadequate24 payment for their skilled labour, for shearing25 was no ordinary muscle work which could be performed by the mere26 nomadic27 labourer of the day. It required an apprenticeship28, sometimes lasting29 for years. It was difficult, and exhausting beyond all other bush labour, having to be performed at a high rate of speed and for long hours, unknown to the European workman. The food was of bad quality, the cooking rude. The huts in which they had to dwell, worse than stables, nearly always. They had besides to travel long distances, expensive in time lost and wayside accommodation. For all these reasons, they had come to the conclusion that the question of pay and allowances, with other matters, required reconstruction30, and failing to obtain a conference with the Employers' union—a combination of squatters, merchants, bankers, and plutocrats generally—they had used the only weapon the law allowed to the workers of Australia and had organised a strike.
'The labour leaders had in all cases counselled moderation and constitutional action for the redressing31 of their wrongs. But—and it was by none more regretted than by the labour organisers themselves—rude and undisciplined members of the union had resorted to personal violence, and had injured the property of squatters and others, believed to be desirous of crushing unionism. Some allowance might be made for these men. They saw their means of livelihood32 menaced by cargoes33 of free labourers, bought up like slaves by the capitalistic class. They saw their wages lowered, their industry interfered34 with—the bread taken out of their mouth, so to speak—by a wealthy combination, which had no sympathy for the workers of the land, who had by their labour built up this enormous wool industry, now employing armies of men and fleets of vessels36.
'Were they, the creators of all this wealth, to be put off with a crust of bread and a sweating wage? No! They had been worked up to frenzy37 by a plutocratic38 invasion of their natural rights; and if they crossed the line of lawful39 resistance to oppression, was it to be wondered at? He trusted that his 113Honour, in the highly improbable event of a verdict of "guilty," would see his way to inflict40 a merely nominal41 term of imprisonment42, which, he undertook to say, would act as an effective caution for the future.'
His Honour proceeded to sum up. 'In this case, the prisoners were charged with committing a certain act, distinctly a criminal offence, punishable by a term of imprisonment. He would not dilate43 upon the collateral44 results, but impress upon the jury that all they had to consider was the evidence which they had heard. Did the evidence point conclusively45 to the fact that the prisoners had committed the crime of arson46—the burning of the steamer Dundonald—then and there, on the 28th of August last, on the waters of the Darling River? With the conflicting interests of the pastoral employers, and the rate of wages, or the propriety47 of strikes, or otherwise, they had nothing whatever to do. He would repeat, nothing whatever to do.
'Did they believe the evidence for the prosecution48? He would take that evidence, seriatim, from his notes.
'First there was that of the officer of Volunteers, which was direct and circumstantial. He deposes49 to having seen the steamer Dundonald floating down the river, burning fiercely then, with apparently50 no one on board. He saw a large camp of armed men, who shouted out that they had burnt the steamer, and would roast the captain and crew, for bringing up blacklegs. This last expression, he was informed, meant non-union labourers. He caused the arrest of several men with arms in their hands, pointed51 out to him as having fired at the crew of the vessel35, or having set fire to her. Among them was the prisoner Hardwick, who had a gun in his hand.
'The next witness was the sergeant52 of Volunteers. He saw the burning vessel, the crowd of armed men, and also men firing in the direction of a barge53 containing the crew presumably. He arrested by the colonel's order the six prisoners now before the Court, as well as others. They had arms in their hands.
'Captain Dannaker of the Dundonald deposed54 to a very serious state of matters. He had as passengers forty-five free labourers. Before daylight, a band of armed, disguised men boarded the vessel—of which they took full possession. Their action was not far removed from that of pirates. They 114threatened with death the captain, the crew, the agent of the Employers' union, several of whom were assaulted, and ill-used. They "looted" the steamer, to use an Indian term—smashing cabins and appropriating private property. These unlawful acts they completed by forcing the free labourers to land, compelling the crew to go into the barge, setting the steamer on fire and casting her away, after which she was observed to sink. He also saw men on the river-bank firing at the crew and passengers. He identifies Abershaw, the prisoner in irons, as the man who assaulted and threatened him. He did not notice prisoner Hardwick.
'Mr. Davidson, the agent of the Employers' union, corroborates55 the foregoing evidence in all particulars. He himself was assaulted, as were the free labourers. He saw the rioters throw some of the free labourers overboard. He saw them unloosing the steamer and preparing it for burning. His clothes and money were taken out of his cabin. He identifies Abershaw, but not prisoner Hardwick. He identifies Dawker, the man with the large beard, as the "President," so called.
'The witness for the Crown, Janus Stoate, gave, in his (the Judge's) opinion, unsatisfactory evidence after the adjournment57. He described himself as a shearer; also a delegate appointed by the Shearers' union. Though present at the scene of outrage58, he apparently saw no one conduct himself indiscreetly, with the exception of his friend and fellow-shearer, William Hardwick. He swears that he saw him load and fire a gun in the direction of the steamer. He did not see the two prisoners Abershaw and Dawker, identified by the other witnesses, say or do anything illegal. He heard the report of firearms, but could not say who used them, except in the case of Hardwick. In several respects his evidence differed from that given before the Bench of Magistrates59 at Dilga Court of Petty Sessions, when the prisoners were committed for trial. He admitted in cross-examination having had a quarrel with Hardwick at Tandara woolshed, and to having arrived here in custody60.
'Sergeant Kennedy, of the New South Wales Police, deposes to the arrest of this witness at Tandara station, on a charge of maliciously61 setting fire to the grass on the run, and to finding in his pocket, when searched, a cheque drawn62 115in favour of William Hardwick for ￡55: 17s., said prisoner having previously63 testified as to its being lost or stolen.
'He would tell the jury here that he had no confidence whatever in the evidence of the witness Stoate. He appeared to have prevaricated64, and also to have been actuated by a revengeful feeling in the case of William Hardwick, though, strange to say, he was apparently without eyes or ears in the case of the other prisoners, all of whom had been positively65 identified as having been seen in the commission of unlawful acts. In conclusion, he would entreat66 the jury to examine carefully, to weigh well, the evidence in this very serious and important case, and with close adherence68 to the obligation of their oaths, to bring in their verdict accordingly. The Court now stands adjourned69 till two o'clock.'
The jury were absent more than an hour, and during that time Mr. Biddulph persuaded Jenny to have a cup of tea, and otherwise refresh herself and the children, who had outstayed their usual meal-time.
She, with difficulty, was induced to touch anything: dead to all ordinary feelings, as she described herself, until Bill's fate was decided70. 'How can I think of anything else?' she exclaimed passionately71 to Dick Donahue, who, with unfailing optimism, tried to convince her that Bill must be let off, and next day would be with her and the children on the way to Chidowla.
'How can we tell?' said she. 'Wasn't there Jack72 Woodman, and the lawyers told him he must be let off on a point of law, instead of which he got three years, and he's in gaol now.'
'Ah! but that was for cattle-stealing,' replied Mr. Donahue; 'and Jack had been run in before, for duffing fats off Mount Banda—tried too, and got off by the skin of his teeth. This time he shook a selector's poddies, and the jury couldn't stand that. But Bill's innocent, as everybody knows. See what the Judge said about Stoate's evidence! I'll bet you a hat to a new bonnet73 that Bill's out a free man this afternoon, and that Stoate's in the dock for settin' fire to Tandara, with a six to one on chance of seem' the inside of Berrima Gaol, and those four other chaps to keep him company.'
Jenny couldn't help relaxing into a wintry smile at this reassuring74 prophecy. But her face assumed its wonted 116seriousness as she said, 'Well, Dick Donahue, you've been a staunch friend all through this trouble, and I'll never forget you and Biddy for it as long as I live, and Bill won't neither.'
'Don't be troubling yourself about that, Mrs. Hardwick,' said Donahue. 'You were a good friend to her and her children before all this racket—they would have wanted many a meal only for you. But I'm a changed man. I've some hope before me, thanks to Mr. Calthorpe; and if Bill will go partners with me, we'll be Hardwick and Donahue, with a tidy cattle-station one day yet.'
'The Court's sitting,' called out some one, 'and the jury's agreed.' A rush was made by all interested persons and the spectators generally. Not a seat was vacant as the Court official demanded silence, and the Judge's Associate proceeded to read out the names of the jurors, who, headed by their foreman, stood in line on the floor of the Court.
'Are you agreed, Mr. Foreman, on your verdict?'
'We are.'
'How do you find?'
'We find William Stokes, Daniel Lynch, Hector O'Halloran, Samson Dawker, and Jeremiah Abershaw guilty of arson, and we find William Hardwick not guilty.'
The verdict of guilty was received in silence. A number of the spectators were unionists, and though the more sensible members of the association had always been opposed to lawless proceedings75, yet from a mistaken sense of comradeship they felt bound not to repudiate76 the acts of any of their confraternity. No doubt at the next ballot77 the voting would have been almost unanimous against injury to property, and such outrages78 as the law's slow but sure retribution has never yet failed to overtake.
But when the verdict of 'Not Guilty' was announced, there was a cheer which it tasked the stern mandate79 of the Deputy-Sheriff and the vigorous efforts of the police to suppress. Jenny did not hear much of it, as the fateful words had barely been pronounced when she fell as if dead. She was promptly80 carried out into the witnesses' room, and measures taken for her recovery. When she came to herself, Bill was bending over her, and the children, smiling amidst their tears, were holding fast to one of his hands.
117Anxious as both husband and wife were to shake the Wagga dust from their feet and get away up the river to their half-deserted home, Bill's Court work was not yet concluded. He was constrained81 to appear again in the memorable82 cases of Regina versus83 Stoate, charged with arson, and the same Gracious Lady (who impersonates Nemesis84 on so many occasions over such a wide area of the earth's surface) versus Stoate, charged with 'larceny85 from the person.'
No sooner had the jury been dismissed, and, with the witnesses, were wending their way to the office of the Clerk of the Bench, expectant of expenses, than the Crown Prosecutor addressed his Honour, representing that only at luncheon86 had he received the depositions87 in a fresh case—he referred to that of Regina versus Stoate. He was aware that the cases just disposed of had been supposed to conclude the sitting, and that his Honour was expected at Narrabri the day after to-morrow; but under the peculiar88 circumstances, as several of the witnesses and two members of the legal profession who were concerned in the last case were to be briefed in this, he trusted that his Honour would overlook his personal discomfort89, and consent to deal with this case at the present sitting of the Court.
His Honour feared that the jurors and witnesses in the heavy cases at Narrabri might suffer inconvenience by the postponement90 of his departure; but, as the adjourning91 of this case to the next Assize Court—nearly five months—would more seriously affect all concerned, and as he was opposed on principle to prisoners on committal being detained in gaol, or defendants92 delayed one week longer than was actually necessary, he would accede93 to counsel's very reasonable request.
'Let another jury be impanelled, Mr. Associate, and then adjourn56 the Court until ten o'clock to-morrow morning. I shall consider the evidence taken in the previous cases, and deliver the sentences at the opening of the Court. The prisoners may be removed.'
On the following morning the five prisoners were again placed in the dock, looking anxious, and more or less despondent94, with the exception of Abershaw, the man in irons. He was a hardened offender95, and reckless as to what might befall him in the shape of punishment. He had served 118terms of imprisonment in another colony. Like many criminals, he had unfortunately not taken warning by previous penalties, as it was less than a year since he had been released. He looked around with an affected96 contempt for his surroundings, and smiled at an occasional sympathiser in Court with unabashed defiance97.
But, as the Judge commenced to address the prisoners before announcing the sentences, the look of tension on the other men's faces was painful to witness, and even he appeared to feel the seriousness of the situation.
'William Stokes, Daniel Lynch, Hector O'Halloran, Samson Dawker, Jeremiah Abershaw, you have been found guilty, on the clearest evidence, of a dangerous and concerted attack on society. If organisations of this kind were permitted—if lawless bodies of men, organising themselves with the discipline of a military force, were permitted to go about the country interfering98 with honest men—there could be no safety for any one in the community. I am gratified to find that the jury have arrived at the only conclusion rational men could arrive at in such a case, and with no more time spent in deliberation than was necessary to consider the case of each man separately. I do not suppose that, excepting the residents of the neighbourhood of Poliah and the Lower Darling region generally, people are fully67 aware of what has been going on there.
'I have had a tolerable knowledge of the country, but I had no idea, until I came to try this case, what a state of things existed in the locality mentioned in depositions—a state of things probably unparalleled in the history of New South Wales.
'I should not have thought it possible that six or seven hundred men could camp on a main stock route, by a navigable river, for the purpose of preventing honest men going to work, much less could capture, bind99 them as prisoners, and hold them as such.
'Let any one contemplate100 what may follow if this kind of thing is permitted. There would be an end of liberty and safety; but the law exists for the protection of all, whether high or low, in the community, and those who take part in proceedings of this kind must expect to have every man's heart hardened against them. If a man's liberty were interfered with, if his life were threatened by overwhelming 119numbers, he and every other honest man is entitled to protect himself by taking the lives of those who come upon him. This, in law, is termed justifiable101 homicide; on the other hand, if lawless persons take life, they are guilty of murder.
'Having explained the law on intimidation102, I will pass on to the circumstances more immediately surrounding the case. It is proved beyond doubt that the Dundonald steamer was deliberately103 and wilfully104 set on fire by the prisoners and others. If any person had perished in the flames by their act, or if, when shooting at the vessel, any of the crew or passengers had been killed, they would now be on their trial for murder.
'As it is, they have, most properly, been found guilty of arson by the jury, a crime punishable, under Victoria No. 89, section 6, with imprisonment with hard labour, and solitary105 confinement106.
'I accordingly sentence Samson Dawker, who has been referred to as the "President," and Jeremiah Abershaw, to three years' imprisonment with hard labour, and periods of solitary confinement, both to be served in Berrima Gaol. The other prisoners do not appear to have been so actively107 employed in these unlawful, demoralising acts. They are therefore sentenced to two years' imprisonment only, with hard labour. I cannot conclude my remarks without stating that I fully agree with the verdict of acquittal by the jury in the case of William Hardwick, who might have been deprived of his liberty by a conspiracy108 of unprincipled persons, had not the jury rightly discriminated109 as to the manifest unreliability of the evidence against him. He therefore is enabled to leave the Court, I have pleasure in stating, without a stain upon his character.'
Regina v. Stoate.
Charged with Arson.
'May it please your Honour,' said the Crown Prosecutor, 'the prisoner before the Court is charged with wilfully and maliciously setting fire to the grass of the Tandara Run. I purpose calling the arresting constable and the manager, Mr. Macdonald; also the aboriginal110 Daroolman, who is exceptionally 120intelligent. The case will not be a lengthy111 one. Call Senior Sergeant Kennedy.'
'My name is John Kennedy, Senior Sergeant of the New South Wales Police Force, stationed at Dilga, on the Darling. I called at Tandara station on duty. I there saw Mr. Macdonald, the manager. He remarked that there had been no rain for a month, and the grass was very dry. He requested me to accompany him a few miles on the up-river road. He mentioned that a man named Stoate had left shortly before, having been refused rations112, threatening "to get square with him." He considered him a likely person to set fire to the Run, and was just going to track him up.
'I agreed, and put my black boy on the trail. After riding two or three miles, the boy pointed to the tracks leaving the road and making towards a sandhill. We rode fast, as we saw smoke rising. The aboriginal said "that one swaggie makum fire longa grass, me seeum lightem match." We saw a man kneeling down, and galloped113 towards him. Apparently he did not hear us coming; as he looked up he seemed surprised. The grass around him had just ignited and was burning fiercely. There was no wood near. Mr. Macdonald seized him by the arm, saying, "You scoundrel! You're a pretty sort of delegate! I thought you were up to some mischief114." Prisoner seemed confused and unable to say anything. The black boy picked up a brass115 match-box, half full of wax matches; also a half-burned wax match. The match-box (which I produce) had J. S. scratched on one side. Prisoner declined to say anything, except that he was going to boil his billy. There was no wood, nor any trace of roadway in the vicinity. I arrested him on the charge of setting fire to the Tandara Run. He made no reply. On searching him I found the cheque referred to in my former depositions, it was drawn in favour of William Hardwick for ￡55: 17s., also a knife, two sovereigns, and some small articles. I conveyed him to the lock-up at Curbin, where he appeared before the Bench of Magistrates, and was committed to take his trial at the next ensuing Assize Court. We put out the fire with difficulty; if it had beat us it might have destroyed half the grass on the Run.'
John Macdonald, being sworn, states:
'I am the manager of Tandara station. I have known the 121prisoner, off and on, for some years, as a shearer and bush labourer. He came to me on December 20th and asked for rations. He was on foot. I said, "You had better ask the Shearers' union to feed you, I have nothing for agitators116; you tried to spoil our shearing, and now you come whining117 for rations." I threatened to kick him off the place.
'He went away muttering, "I'll get square with you yet." Being uneasy, I mounted my horse, and shortly afterwards the last witness and a black boy came up, and at my request accompanied me. The boy followed his track till it turned off the main road in the direction of a sandhill. As we rode nearer, a small column of smoke rose up. We found prisoner standing118 by the fire, which had just started. I saw the black boy pick up the box of matches (produced in Court) from under prisoner's feet. It was marked J. S., and was nearly full of wax matches. The black boy pointed to a half-burnt match, close to the tuft of grass from which the fire had started. I said, "You scoundrel! You're a pretty sort of delegate!" I saw the sergeant take the cheque (produced) for ￡55: 17s., payable119 to William Hardwick, out of his pocket. If we had been five minutes later, all the men in the country couldn't have put the fire out; it would have swept the Run.'
'What would have been the effect of that?' asked the Judge.
'We might have had to travel 100,000 sheep, which alone would have needed fifty shepherds, besides the expense of cooks and ration-carriers, with tents, provisions, and loss of sheep. Altogether it would have meant an expenditure120 of several thousand pounds at the very least—besides injury to the sheep.'
'Have you any questions to ask, prisoner?' said the Judge.
'None,' said Mr. Stoate. 'These witnesses are at the beck of the capitalistic class, and will swear anything.'
Richard Donahue and the black boy corroborated121 the previous evidence, the latter saying, 'Me seeum light when piccaninny match-box tumble down alonga that one fella tarouser.'
Being asked if he had anything to say in his defence, Mr. Stoate elected to be sworn, taking the oath with great solemnity, and making a long-winded, rambling122 defence, in which he abused the capitalists, the police, the bankers, and 122the selectors, who, he said, were all in a league with the 'plutercrats' to crush the union workers, and grind down the faces of the poor. With regard to the cheque, he had picked it up, and intended to restore it to Hardwick. If that man swore that he never gave him or any other man authority to take care of his money, he swore what was false. It was a common custom among mates. If the jury convicted him on this trumped-up charge, which any one could see was manufactured, he would willingly suffer in the cause of his fellow-workers. But let the oppressor beware—a day of reckoning would come!
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shearer
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| n.剪羊毛的人；剪切机 | |
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imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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indignity
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| n.侮辱，伤害尊严，轻蔑 | |
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insurgents
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| n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 ) | |
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gaol
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| n.(jail)监狱；(不加冠词)监禁；vt.使…坐牢 | |
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gaoled
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| 监禁( gaol的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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hustled
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| 催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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shears
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| n.大剪刀 | |
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lurch
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| n.突然向前或旁边倒；v.蹒跚而行 | |
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levity
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| n.轻率，轻浮，不稳定，多变 | |
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improperly
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| 不正确地，不适当地 | |
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constable
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| n.(英国)警察，警官 | |
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yarn
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| n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事 | |
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bias
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| n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见 | |
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15
prosecutor
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| n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人 | |
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witty
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| adj.机智的，风趣的 | |
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sensational
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| adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的 | |
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18
kerosene
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| n.(kerosine)煤油，火油 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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discrepancies
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| n.差异，不符合（之处），不一致（之处）( discrepancy的名词复数 ) | |
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21
perjury
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| n.伪证；伪证罪 | |
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22
appraise
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| v.估价，评价，鉴定 | |
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23
technically
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| adv.专门地，技术上地 | |
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24
inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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25
shearing
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| n.剪羊毛，剪取的羊毛v.剪羊毛( shear的现在分词 )；切断；剪切 | |
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26
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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27
nomadic
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| adj.流浪的；游牧的 | |
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28
apprenticeship
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| n.学徒身份；学徒期 | |
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29
lasting
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| adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持 | |
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30
reconstruction
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| n.重建，再现，复原 | |
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31
redressing
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| v.改正( redress的现在分词 )；重加权衡；恢复平衡 | |
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32
livelihood
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| n.生计，谋生之道 | |
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33
cargoes
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| n.（船或飞机装载的）货物( cargo的名词复数 )；大量，重负 | |
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34
interfered
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| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
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35
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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37
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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38
plutocratic
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| adj.富豪的，有钱的 | |
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39
lawful
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| adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的 | |
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40
inflict
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| vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担 | |
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41
nominal
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| adj.名义上的；(金额、租金)微不足道的 | |
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42
imprisonment
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| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
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43
dilate
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| vt.使膨胀，使扩大 | |
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44
collateral
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| adj.平行的；旁系的；n.担保品 | |
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45
conclusively
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| adv.令人信服地，确凿地 | |
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46
arson
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| n.纵火，放火 | |
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47
propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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48
prosecution
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| n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营 | |
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49
deposes
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| v.罢免( depose的第三人称单数 )；（在法庭上）宣誓作证 | |
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50
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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51
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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52
sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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53
barge
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| n.平底载货船，驳船 | |
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54
deposed
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| v.罢免( depose的过去式和过去分词 )；（在法庭上）宣誓作证 | |
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55
corroborates
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| v.证实，支持（某种说法、信仰、理论等）( corroborate的第三人称单数 ) | |
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56
adjourn
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| v.（使）休会，（使）休庭 | |
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57
adjournment
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| 休会； 延期； 休会期； 休庭期 | |
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58
outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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59
magistrates
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| 地方法官，治安官( magistrate的名词复数 ) | |
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60
custody
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| n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留 | |
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61
maliciously
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| adv.有敌意地 | |
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62
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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63
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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64
prevaricated
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| v.支吾( prevaricate的过去式和过去分词 )；搪塞；说谎 | |
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65
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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66
entreat
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| v.恳求，恳请 | |
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67
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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68
adherence
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| n.信奉，依附，坚持，固着 | |
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69
adjourned
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| （使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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70
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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71
passionately
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| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
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72
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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73
bonnet
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| n.无边女帽；童帽 | |
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74
reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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75
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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76
repudiate
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| v.拒绝，拒付，拒绝履行 | |
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77
ballot
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| n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票 | |
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78
outrages
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| 引起…的义愤，激怒( outrage的第三人称单数 ) | |
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79
mandate
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| n.托管地；命令，指示 | |
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80
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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81
constrained
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| adj.束缚的,节制的 | |
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82
memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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83
versus
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| prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下 | |
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84
nemesis
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| n.给以报应者，复仇者，难以对付的敌手 | |
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85
larceny
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| n.盗窃（罪） | |
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86
luncheon
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| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
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87
depositions
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| 沉积（物）( deposition的名词复数 )； （在法庭上的）宣誓作证； 处置； 罢免 | |
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88
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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89
discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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90
postponement
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| n.推迟 | |
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91
adjourning
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| （使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的现在分词 ) | |
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92
defendants
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| 被告( defendant的名词复数 ) | |
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93
accede
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| v.应允，同意 | |
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94
despondent
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| adj.失望的，沮丧的，泄气的 | |
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95
offender
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| n.冒犯者，违反者，犯罪者 | |
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96
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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97
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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98
interfering
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| adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词 | |
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99
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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100
contemplate
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| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
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101
justifiable
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| adj.有理由的，无可非议的 | |
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102
intimidation
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| n.恐吓，威胁 | |
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103
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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104
wilfully
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| adv.任性固执地；蓄意地 | |
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105
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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106
confinement
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| n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限 | |
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107
actively
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| adv.积极地，勤奋地 | |
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108
conspiracy
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| n.阴谋，密谋，共谋 | |
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109
discriminated
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| 分别，辨别，区分( discriminate的过去式和过去分词 )； 歧视，有差别地对待 | |
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110
aboriginal
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| adj.（指动植物）土生的，原产地的，土著的 | |
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111
lengthy
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| adj.漫长的，冗长的 | |
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112
rations
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| 定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量 | |
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113
galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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114
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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115
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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116
agitators
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| n.（尤指政治变革的）鼓动者( agitator的名词复数 )；煽动者；搅拌器；搅拌机 | |
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117
whining
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| n. 抱怨，牢骚 v. 哭诉，发牢骚 | |
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118
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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119
payable
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| adj.可付的，应付的，有利益的 | |
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120
expenditure
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| n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗 | |
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121
corroborated
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| v.证实，支持（某种说法、信仰、理论等）( corroborate的过去式 ) | |
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122
rambling
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| adj.[建]凌乱的，杂乱的 | |
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