Wieneke Archive Book 4a : Articles by James Wieneke Presscuttings

ri ,:t.P IIDON'T be a pack of fools. Of coarse I was 4 not drunk and I remember them both C, very well," snapped Julius the Roman, as he drained his cup and hurled it to the ground. PI -Well. you let them pass in, and Herod will see v that someone's hide suffers if he hear,, this shin.- : ! gross led a guard with a gloomy countenance. .1 he implication mode an unearay silence and no one stirred. 'F. The small detachment of Roman guards was drinking in 0 the late afternoon at the Guard t7' Camp, near the Gate to the little rustic village of Bethlehem in Judea. The men were from Jeru- A salem for the census, Julius stand ' up and kicked hie stool flying. -Just what are you all trying to make of this putting the blame on r mer There hiss been enough trouble es with the moisd as it Is" -Every rat n is o i th village is talking about the Baby born to the woman lust nigh h I d t at te nn, an You know they are saying He a a king or Messiah or Something Now in the Capta in Jerusalem is alteatly asking q uestions." said Clodius. the uneasy note 'till in his voice -t "I wish I were out of this Judea and back in Rome. A man could have a bath there" he added mus- ingly. - 1 know, I know what they are sayinv, and apparently some crazy shepherds began II till. If I get toy hands on them I'll crack their mis- erable necks." Julius replied vehem- ently. 'Look" ne continued, 'it was almost dark when the two arrived at the Gate, this Galilee fellow and his wife, but I saw them clearly in the flares. He said he had conic for the census, he was of the house of David, his name was Joseph and he had come over from Nazareth. Damn all your ears, Caesar Augus- tus himself said every man must enter at the city of his father. Nat- urally I let them In." "Remember I was at the Gate also" carelessly remarked Quintus. the friend of Julius, "and the couple were just behind a stupid mule driver who allowed ids ani- mals to try to get through the gate all together There could have been a nasty accident as the man and his wife were so close. He had a great bundle over his shoulder and led a donkey carrying the woman. who admittedly was heavy with child.' The temper of the mercurial Julius suddenly changed He threw' beck his great bead and, laughed., With loud disdain he poured ridl- irule on the heads of his compote ions. "If you others had only seen this man and his, wile - Mary, I think he called her. Why they were lust very poor people, obeying the law. And that woman in her condition coming seventy -odd miles from 4 Nazareth - I tell you I felt sorry ee for them. So much so indeed that I i sent a ung rscal ith the to -. show theyo fellowa wherew the Eastm Inn "..- was, as there was no room at the '. Gate Inn." 3 In the next second Julius whirled ". His foot flashed out and an urchin tumbled to the ground. .3 "Ah - speak of the devil. Come ..,1 here. you filthy little viper. ...,1 The boy stood up whimpering, -t, and shaking the dust from his rags. --'4 "You're the one I told last night at this Gate to show that man with -I his wife on the donkey to the Inn at the Enst end of the city. Did you I do as I told you, viper, or did you rob them? Answer me!" The surprised boy. so rudely U; iaJilAakla,VQ1alalWARklala Mi2 411.4k141V4IWVA4144"kia-14=11,11aWs.V.WhIlaltItlIalh sii l_ ihtguauakmajav d The CH WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY JAMES WIENEKE Put clown his bundle. 'This is the place. I will find the Inn -keeper" lie said. his deep brown eyes look- ing with tender concern at his young sone The seventy -odd miles nom Naxos slit had been a tiling Journey for her. as well as tor him- self and the little donkey. Stars were beginning to shine as Mary got down to hold the animal and ease her aching body, while her husband sought the innkeeper. She had spoken very little Mir- . mg the afternoon. She was uncom- fortubly tired and hungry, and nue hoped she would soon be able to rest for the night But she patted the little donkey with affection and leaned against its warm side, watch- ing the scene in front at her. The Inn was a humble structure of several connected rooms, made of stone. earth and wood, with a few trees leaning over the roof. A blazing fire burned In tile court- yard between Mary and the rough bending, lighting up the Inn and dal kiy silhouetting some of the people as they talked noisily and cooked around the fire. A peasant with a rude wooden crutch, played a flute. while others consumed wine as they sat on the ground, half -lost to sight in the flickering shadow playing over the white-washed wall. The girl uttered ti sigh of relief as chic saw the Innkeeper and his wile with her husband coming to- wards her, the wind blowing their loose garments round them. Joseph touched the forelock of the donkey and quietly said, "There Is no room at this Inn either, but I have explained to these people and they say we may sleep in the manger. In that cave you can see over there. "We shall be warm and dry," he added reassuringly as he pointed. The girl shivered, and nodded her grateful agreement. "Well as I told you. Man, our an- imals are there, too, but there will be room enough, and they will help Joeeph tint his attention came., you keep wenn," roughly jeked.the sharply back to the bubiness ut Innkeeper. ' Your good woman can't guiding the donkey safely through be out. throu h this night anyway. the packed roadway, with its almost , It's going to be cold Take the don - festive air. key with you, man." "Just follow the street," answer- ed a heavily -bearded man of whom he asked the way to the Inn. when they were jostled near a shop where a sword -maker's anvil rang above the noise. They were forced to move along slowly. and looked with interest at all they saw. Joseph thought, "the place is certainly old. and none too clean either.' And he marvelled that Mono was born and crowned in this pov- erty-stricken villnee eleven hundred years before. Much of the building had been rut from the very hill It- self. A journey of a little less than halt a mile brought them to the end of the village, the short street having followed the ridge top, and there at last was the Inn. It looked out over a dark valley to a line of distant mountains, barely visible in the late light of the winter's day Joseph halted the animal and parted train the goat he had been leading rubbed his legs and alter- natively nodding and shaking his black head rapidly gasped. "I did not rob them master. I did take ti.em into the street - but a bow - shot inside the Gate - er. the man said he would tied his way." and the cunning eyes of the youth wav- ered. Julius turned his head to spetik to Quintus. The boy spat as he Weiler(' between the Guard's legs and was gone. In astonishment the Roman ut- tered a rreat oath. His hand shot out. but too late He started tiller the running boy. Then clamping belt and adjusting helmet he louked at his companions with a wide grill. revealing his fine teeth. "A Kill2 you Ka, or a Messiah, and you Minuets world bother with saw, eunian's gusbne," Hls voice was heavy with sarcasm. "You are all much sillier than I thought pos- sible. No more of this nonsense. and no more wine. Now get back to your duties," and he strode with resolute steps towards the Gate. "Oh," he called, half turning back and smiling again, "send word to the mighty Captain that those crazy shepherds were probably drunk, I just remember seeing three of them pass through the Gate after midnight." Julius stopped in his tracks for a second. The smile left his bronzed face, and then he continued on his way. ON the evening of the previous duty when the nimble urchin suddenly decided to rid himself of his unwanted charges, Joseph mo- mentarily hesitated in the crowded square inside the Gate, He shook a stone from his san- dal and quickly turned the donkey to the right and proceeded along the one very narrow' winding street. Doors were still open and people called to each other while lamps were lighted. The houses looked earn) and Inviting to the weary travellers, as the wholesome smell of freshly baked bread tante to them. Why, the very name Bethlehem meant place of bread recalled, ,s\ cl ,ssts -47144.7ele"' Julius' foot flash- ed out and the urchin tumbled to the ground. IDE. SUNDAY As the travellers moved towards the stable, past the rowdy gather- ing, the firelight sharply contrasted the gentle contour of Mary's face against the night. and both the The people came in, afraid and wondering . . . Innkeeper and his wife noticed the exquisite beauty of her counten- ance. The Child will be born before morning, Ili wager a measure of corn," said the woman in a how voice to her husband. "And I don't fancy any midwIfing tonight." she added with 11 grnince. "But I must get some things for them." She was plump and good natur- ed looking, and appeared to be drawn to the poor strangers. Hur- riedly catching up to Joseph and Mary she led them to the cave, then quickly went off to return in a tow minutes with water, food and kd-ri2 0, .1 I F you wished to see.a--Vietiiiian squatter go deathly-" pale Of maybe^even faint in the 1830'1, off-Vbirhad .4o -do was creep up behind him And" I hear, ahem, 'that they are goirlg_to-stop-sending convicts out_from- England2"------ __The -biggest fear in tile life of a squatter in those days wits that the supply of cheap labor might dry up and reduce the profits -that he hoped would add up to set up a special organisation todm- Ind graduate group of port ex.conviet's labor trorg,-Tas- 1 sufficient to enahle him to re- turn to England a wealthy ma entonvillians was ready for export manta at the rate of abpate4011bedie, a year. which was still open to transportece. Bw-ateetrn7ior suppuerlon. In 1844. Some were sent to Tasmania but the Home Office wasn't gameles....Bentahville risen tnatnavashery anti Tasmania remained far below the dump any on the Australian-rallin land - A Vietorianeonetter visiting Eng- tsnd decided to present Victoria with a fait at:cowl] by taking "a sample" of 21 Fentonytilians back to Mel- bourne with him in the middle of 1844 ryi HE anti -convict group in Ntelbourne roared in rage and shouted things about "cargoes of felons being palmed -off-as genuine migrants," -- Goodness knows what the author - En land to Australia be continued-. -Hies in England heard about opinions H e screams penetrated to the Home in Melbourne. but they began cheer - Office in London and were well re- fully sending out shiploads of Pent- ceived because English prisons were onvillituts to Victoria beginning to bulge with prisoners. At the same time ex -convicts from Cunningly Home Office officials Tasmania began pouring in to Vic - nutted out a plan which would enable torte as they finished their sentences them, they hoped, to recommence The Pentonvillians proved to be transportation to Australia without very wild characters and were Judged stirring up any sharp opposition. by some Victorians to be "scum" In 1842. they opened what they No wives, came out to keep them called a model prison at Pentonville, steady. . England, where the most advanced Free migrant laborers got an theories of reformers were to be average annual waee of E20 in the tried. western districts. Ex - Tasmanian They claimed that prisoners in convicts received £15 to MU a year. Pentonville would be brain -washed Pentonvillians were cheaper then for two years and would be trans- that, formed into holiest members of Three squatters - Bill Clarke, eactety; so honest indeed that they George Russell and Hugh Murray - sheepskins. The skins would serve as fine bedding in the straw. By the light of an oil lamp In a clay basin, they saw that the cave was not large, but it had a simple roof built out over the opening against a great olive tree, forming a crude but effective shelter. Rib 41st buy aboht, pottery and lakrnis, hung on poles and pigeons sheav- ed where they could. Joseph quickly cleared a little space inside and spread the skits He led the donkey to the other an- imals resting contentedly on the straw, and put some coals front the outside fire into a large earthen te4 Victorian landholders this labor business par y to heart. Imagine, th r horror when, in 1840, it Ave announced that no more convicts would be arriving on the Australian mainland from dear old England. Some convicts would still be sent to Tasmania but not another. one-fo New South Wales or.Vietotia. Curses! - - The Victorians had a representative on the Legislative Council in Sydney - Edward Cure a character of "captious, quarrelsome, and ungov- ernable temper." Corr kicked up a tremendous fuss in the Legislative Council demanding that the deportation of convicts front "almost free men". would be nble.J0 go to Australia as UR STRANGE PA.q some good souls in Victoria didn't like this idea too well, particularly when they heard that the Pnton .by ,George Blaikie- ville prisoners were some toughest criminals in E Only the S(111 eettillg ere keen on as cheap labor. needs of the squatters. In December 1846, Edward Pun (captious, quarrelsome etc.) todt petition front the Victorian "selint- tocracy" to the Legisrative Co tei in Sydney demanding a su an extra 2000 male co from England properties ----- When good people in Melbotri.. heard about this they shouted: "A' audacious attempt by sharnelesi. mercenary men to sacrifice a what, community I" They said many other things. sin extremely crude. One way another the abti - transporiti forces managed to reduce the lidoe, ration of convict labor down -7) slow trickle Desperate -for cheap labor squatters looked around for maces and someone came up a honey of an idea - Tralian c The squatters most inte decided Indian coolies co imported from elialayr v itch pretty odd einnitlini indeed. They' formed the Malay Irani lion Society and agreed to p regular subscriptions to stoma organisation which would hylfhDil the importing of Indian coolie rl ers from Malaya. In theory the Idea was thi, tl he 'it ae jiggmmmuimum.....mmmimmimsr:1 MAIL MAGAZINE, December 26, 1965 ---Page G