The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1886-11-20
BALLARAT HARRY: THE cOlO-DIeGER.


I
by dint of perseverance had sue
ceeded in saving, in addition to his
passage, the sum of $50.
Among the passengers was one
Joseph Dyson, who soon became a
friend of our hero, William Henry
Clare, afterwards so notorious, and
whose colonial name of Ballarat
Harry" became so well known.
Joe Dyson came from the same
county as Harry, and the two had
known of each other for years.
The men became great pals on the
voyage ont.
AS soon as the vessel was snugly
moored alongside the wharf Joe
started off to see the city. When
he was distance of some two hun
dred yards he was arrested by hear
ing some one call, Joe joe"
Looking back, he saw that the
voice was of his pal. Harry was
considerably surprised when he
found himself arrested by a consta-
BILE.
What's the matter?" he asked
in surprise.
"Come on" said the constable.
II will Joe you"
"But what have l done?" asked
the newly arrived.
"Why, you have been Joe-ing,
and that means three months"
a was calling my man." said
Harry. al have only just arrived
in that ship, pointing to the vessel.
A crowd quickly gathered, and
after hearing Harry's explanation,
demanded in vigorous language
that the man should be released.
"Let the man CO."
"Let him go, was passed through
the crowd.
Their flashing eyes spoke of the
deep feeling which stirred them,
and it was with difficulty that the
constable, aided by the timely arrival
of a police sergeant, succeeded In
getting Harry to the station.
The next day a charge was pre-
ferred against Harry for resisting
the constable and "Joe-ing" along
the quay.
The magistrate, who by the way,
had himself tasted some of the
sweets of prison life, having stood
in dock and been sentenced to
transportation to Van Dieman's
Land, had no mercy for offenders,
and with a harshness entirely un-
called for looked at the innocent
prisoner, and told him that the
government had been put to con-
siderable expense and trouble over
this Joe, Joe-ing" business. An
act of parliament had been passed
to enable magistrates to put it
down.
Harry looked at the magistrate
with eyes and mouth wide open.
What sort of a country was it which
sent a man to prison for merely
calling his mate by the name of
Joe?
His curiosity was quickly graft
fled, for the magistrate continued
"The word Joe had become a
password all over the country in
the mouths Of thieves and rouges
to apprise their comrades of the
near approach of the police.
SO successful has the practice
become that the commissioners on
the gold field could not collect the
license fee.
As soon as a commissioner APP
preached a digger cried out, "Joe |!
Joe?'"
"The cry would be so taken up by
another and repeated ,and so passed
all over the diggings. The diggers
who had not paid their license fees
disappeared down their holes and
their license fees could not be col
lected.
81 feel compelled to make
stern example of this case, and the
sentence of this court is that you,
VIM. Henry Clare, be imprisoned
for three months with hard labor -
The decision fell like thunder
bolt on Harry. To be imprisoned
for three months-he, an English
citizen, proud of his country. To
suffer such indignity under the
English flag, when he was innocent
of all crime, vas CALLING to his
nature.
The magistrate was inexorable,
and poor Harry was hurried away to
prison cell; but warm-hearted
friends were working outside and
endeavoring to effect his release.
The captain of the vessel on which
Harry arrived gave evidence in his
favor, and when he heard the SEN
tence expressed himself vigorously.
The following day he waited on the