"
Soon after the death of Philip, Major Chisholm and his family left
Nyalong, and I was appointed Clerk to the Justices at Colac. I sat
under them for twelve years, and during that time I wrote a great
quantity of criminal literature. When a convict of good conduct in
Pentridge was entitled to a ticket-of-leave, he usually chose the
Western district as the scene of his future labours, so that the
country was peopled with old Jack Bartons and young ones. Some of
the young ones had been Philip's scholars--viz., the Boyles and the
Blakes. They were friends of the Bartons, and Old John, the
ex-flogger, trained them in the art of cattle-lifting. His teaching
was far more successful than that of Philip's, and when in course of
time Hugh Boyle appeared in the dock on a charge of horse-stealing, I
was pained but not surprised. Barton, to whose farm the stolen horse
had been brought by Hugh, was summoned as witness for the Crown, but
he organised the evidence for the defence so well that the prisoner
was discharged.
On the next occasion both Hugh and his brother James were charged
with stealing a team of bullocks, but this time the assistance of
Barton was not available. The evidence against the young men was
overwhelming, and we committed them for trial. I could not help
pitying them for having gone astray so early in life.
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