A
cry of despair arose there, for almost immediately the towns,
goldfields, highways, and everywhere else where havoc was to be made,
were the almost daily scenes of the most atrocious outrage. One forenoon
word reached town that five ruffians, taking position on the St.
Kilda-road, had stuck up and robbed some twenty of the merchants and
traders on their way to Melbourne, including my friend John G. Foxton.
The Anti-Transportation League, then some years in existence, held a
great meeting, at which a large committee was appointed, and was
enjoined to find an effective mode of dealing with this novel form of
evil. I think that it was at my suggestion that each of the committee
was to write out his thoughts and bring the paper with him, so as to
have a basis for arriving at a prompt conclusion. Kerr was made
convener, and he was not long in convening us.
Only Kerr and myself responded! We may take a mitigated view of the
others, for everyone was busy over something in those days, many
embarrassingly so for want of servants, who had "bolted" to the
diggings, while most of the committee had had legislation and incessant
deputations and public meetings to look after besides. As to myself, I
had vainly tried to find fifteen consecutive minutes for the subject.
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