Call of Empire, page 15
Nineteen
Lee was shackled and taken to the relatively new prison in the north ward of the rapidly growing town. The discovery of gold west of Townsville had increased the population, along with the crimes of drunkenness, vagrancy and violence. The gaol was of the latest design, set out in the shape of a semicircle with cells for both men and women, but had quickly proved to be too small for the rapidly growing population.
Lee was flung into a small cell with three other prisoners. He could smell the stench of urine, faeces and sweat.
‘A bloody Chinaman,’ one of his cellmates said. ‘He should be anywhere else but with us white men.’
‘Shut up, Pete,’ another prisoner said as Lee’s shackles were removed by one of the guards. ‘Poor bastard is gettin’ the same treatment as us.’
Lee nodded his thanks to the speaker, the largest man in the cell, who had a full beard and scarred forehead. Lee guessed that he was in his mid-thirties, but his weather-ravaged face hid his true age.
‘What you in for?’ the big man asked.
‘They have informed me that I tried to kill a white man,’ Lee answered, rubbing his wrists against where the shackles had chafed him. ‘I broke his jaw, and would have done the same to his two mates if I’d had the chance.’
Immediately, the smaller man known as Pete shuffled away from Lee. ‘How could you do that?’ he asked with a note of disbelief.
Lee turned to him with a defiant expression. ‘Do you want me to demonstrate how I broke his jaw?’ he asked.
Pete quickly shook his head.
‘I seen some of you Chinamen demonstrate your way of fightin’ when I was a sailor on leave in Hong Kong,’ the big man said. ‘It was bloody impressive. My name is Griffin. My cobbers call me Shorty.’
‘Ling Lee,’ Lee responded. Neither man shook hands, but a tacit understanding had been reached.
‘You speak English like us,’ Shorty said. ‘How come?’
‘Because I was born in New South Wales, outside of Sydney, and went to a school run by a former Methodist missionary. He was a good man,’ Lee answered.
A pack of soiled and tattered playing cards was produced and the prisoners squatted to play in the stifling confines of the prison. Lee stood by the door, hoping to catch the attention of a passing guard through the slit in the door and ask to see someone in a supervisory role. The guard simply ignored him and continued on his sentry duty along the rows of other overcrowded cells.
As far as Lee knew, no one would know of his incarceration on the most serious charge of attempted murder. He wished that he had remained with Sam and Ebenezer aboard the Ella, but she was at sea and could be anywhere in the Pacific.
Lee eventually slumped to the floor to reflect on his dire situation. From the little he had been able to glean from the police who had arrested him, Rice and his two thugs claimed that on a friendly visit to Mary’s cottage, Lee had attacked them with a wooden club, causing serious facial injury to one of their number. Had they not been armed, they claimed he might have done the same to them all.
Lee knew the European bias against the Chinese population in the colony would mean that he would be considered guilty before a European jury even heard any evidence.
For the first time in his life, he experienced despair. Hope was just a four-letter word, like love.
*
The storm had hit southwest of Cape York with little warning. For a time, none expected to live. Two of the crew were swept overboard and one of the masts snapped halfway, bringing down the sheeting on the deck and entangling ropes and sails. Tossed like a cork and pounded by massive waves, the schooner was swept dangerously close to the jagged coral reefs when, just as suddenly, the pressure in the barometer had fallen as the storm dissipated. The decision was made for the Ella to return to Townsville for essential repairs and Ebenezer was able to steer a course south to the sanctuary of the harbour, where arrangements were made to restore the schooner with a new mast and general clean-up with local shipwrights. While this was under way, there was little for either Ebenezer or Sam to do except take turns supervising the work being carried out.
Sam went ashore to arrange by telegram the transfer of money for repairs, and notify that he would send a written report to the main offices in Sydney. When this was done, Sam set out to find Lee.
His first stop was the Steele depot where Lee kept the Steele Enterprises apprised of his dealings. It was there that Sam received the shocking news of Lee’s arrest for attempted murder from an employee who knew of Lee’s association with the Ella. In disbelief, Sam strode to the police station, where he was met by a sergeant at the front counter.
‘Your Chinaman friend was arrested a few days ago on the statements made by Mr Rice and his two cobbers,’ the sergeant said, eyeing the well-built and heavily tanned young man. What would someone like Mr Samuel Steele have to do with the likes of a dangerous Chinese man?
‘Where is he now?’ Sam asked in a firm voice.
‘He is being incarcerated until his trial, but he is not to have any visitors except a legal representative. I am sorry, Mr Steele, but those are the rules.’
Fuming, Sam stamped out of the police station to take the news to Ebenezer. There was no way they would allow Lee to remain in the gaol. He would now have a telegram sent to Sydney to inform his father, who Sam trusted would be able to resolve a situation Sam had no real influence on. What the hell had happened? Whatever the answer, Sam knew that Lee could not be guilty of what he had been accused of.
*
The telegram describing Lee’s plight arrived at Ian’s office.
Ian took a deep breath as he left his desk to stand by the great window in his office, gazing out at the harbour below. He had a habit of considering problems while contemplating the vista below, where he could see ships and the water. Ian understood Lee’s position as he had seen the prejudice against the Chinese on the Palmer River Goldfields years earlier. Lee had been made a part of the Steele Enterprises when an old friend of Ian’s, Major Hamish MacDonald, had willed his share in their mining operations to the young Chinese man he had also befriended before his own violent death.
Lee had proved his astute judgement many times in the industry of ore crushing, and provided generous profits for the Steele Enterprises. Ian knew that Josiah and Lee were close friends, and Ian had also taken a strong personal liking to the enigmatic Chinese man.
It was obvious that he could do little while in Sydney and as he gazed at the shipping below, he was already formulating a plan to take a fare north to Townsville on the very first coastal steamer he could find.
‘Tom,’ he called, and a man answered immediately from the office next door.
‘Yes, Colonel?’ Tom replied, stepping inside Ian’s office.
‘I need you to transmit a telegram to Townsville addressed to the schooner Ella. And also enquire for me to take a passage to the same place as soon as possible. Time is of the essence.’
Ian passed the hastily scribbled message to his secretary, who read it out aloud to ensure that he had understood the text. Ian nodded and Tom hurried away to carry out his employer’s orders.
Now all Ian had to do was convince his wife that this was simply a hasty business trip to their Townsville depot. Somehow, he already knew she would raise her eyebrows and frown but remain silent on what her husband was really doing steaming north.
By well-timed happenstance, Ian’s next visitor was his eldest son, who tapped on the open door.
‘I saw Tom in a hurry; did you just sack him?’ Josiah asked with a wry smile.
Ian turned to his son. ‘He is carrying out a rather urgent mission for me. I will be travelling north to catch up with your brother and the Ella as soon as possible to sort out some trouble with Lee.’
‘What trouble?’ Josiah asked with a frown, and his father explained as much as he knew from the brief words of the telegram sent by Sam. Josiah was shocked to hear that his close friend of many years was accused of attempted murder.
‘I will arrange to accompany you, Father,’ Josiah said. ‘If Lee is in trouble, he will need all the big guns in support. Besides, I was going to talk to you about seconding our schooner for a mission to German New Guinea. I will explain everything once we get the immediate matters sorted.’
At least now Josiah had a better cover story for his mission. He would explain to Marian that he was required to go north to help a family friend in trouble in Townsville. He knew that if she learned the truth, there was a strong possibility that the woman he loved above all might walk away, seeing his mission as a betrayal of his promise to settle down to a normal life in Sydney. It was not the risk of putting his life on the line again but the thought that he might lose Marian which was the greater fear.
*
At the post office, Sam was handed the telegram and breathed a sigh of relief. His father was taking a coastal steamer to Townsville. Sam had great faith in his father’s considerable power and influence to free Lee. After all, had he not rescued Uncle Conan from the hangman’s noose? That was for a murder charge – and this was a mere attempted murder!
Sam stepped onto the streets of the booming town and was making his way back to the schooner when he heard a female voice call. ‘Mr Steele?’
Sam stopped and turned to see Mary hurrying towards him. ‘Miss O’Lachlan. It is a pleasure to see you again,’ Sam said when she stopped a pace away.
‘Have you heard of Mr Lee’s terrible fate?’ Mary asked breathlessly.
‘I have been informed that Lee is in the local gaol, charged with attempted murder. Why, has something else happened I do not know about?’
‘No, Mr Lee is still incarcerated, but he may be transferred down to Brisbane to face court on the ridiculous false charge. I was witness to all that happened the night Mr Rice and his hooligans came out to my place armed with weapons. They confronted Mr Lee with threats of physical violence towards him. It should be they who are charged with attempted murder.’ Mary went on to explain all that had happened that evening.
As Sam listened, his anger rose. ‘The bastards!’ Sam swore and quickly apologised for the use of his ill-chosen words in front of a lady. ‘Have you given the police a statement to all that happened?’
‘I tried to, but the police explained that Mr Rice is a well-respected married man with a prosperous business in Townsville and said that my statement must be a lie to protect Mr Lee. I am afraid that because of our friendship, I have been branded a fallen woman.’
Sam shook his head in disgust, as there was no finer man on earth than Lee.
‘If you have any fears, we still have your cabin on the Ella,’ he offered.
She shook her head. ‘I am able to defend myself,’ Mary said defiantly. ‘Mr Rice is nothing but a bloody adulterer and liar, and one day I hope he burns in hell for what he has done to me and Mr Lee.’
Sam grinned at her use of the swear word describing this Mr Rice – whoever he was. He sensed that, despite her small stature, Mary’s Irish blood was aflame with a desire to find justice for a man even Sam sensed was more than just a ‘good friend’.
Twenty
The hellish days passed slowly for Lee. Strangely, his cellmates became his friends as they shared the same conditions of bad food, stifling heat and the stench. It was always noisy, day and night, as men yelled and screamed, ranting at their confinement.
When Lee and his cellmates were allowed in the exercise yard, a large prisoner sharing the space walked up to Lee with the obvious intent of picking a fight. Lee sized up the man and knew that he would be able to cause him a lot of damage with his martial skills, but it was Pete and Shorty who stepped in to warn off the aggressor. Lee appreciated the gesture as he knew that had he done any physical damage to the prisoner, it would be held against him in his upcoming appearance before the court.
The worst part of the incarceration was that he was denied any opportunity to meet with visitors, and as each day and night passed, Lee despaired more and more.
*
The coastal steamer conveying Ian and Josiah Steele arrived in Townsville on a bright sunny day. They were met by Sam, who hugged his smaller older brother in a bear hug. They had not seen each other in almost a year, but the bond between the two brothers had not been diminished by time or space.
‘I heard you were back, big brother,’ Sam said, disengaging from the embrace. ‘It is wonderful that here you are with Father.’
Ian realised that this was the first occasion in a long time that he had his sons together in the same place at once.
‘Father, I am very pleased to see you,’ Sam said, accepting Ian’s handshake. ‘If anyone can have Lee freed, it is you.’
‘Thank you for your faith in my abilities,’ Ian replied. ‘But my influence may not extend to Queensland. How is Ebenezer faring?’
‘He is at the schooner, and we will go there now,’ Sam answered. ‘I am sure he will be pleased to see you.’
The three men walked along the wharf to where the Ella was secured and were met by the American sea captain. They went below and the four men sat around the chart table to discuss their plan to free Lee. Ian listened as various options were suggested, and he was not surprised when Sam even proposed that they conduct a military-style operation to free Lee, but his brother immediately scoffed at the idea.
‘That would only make the situation worse for Lee, because he would become a fugitive for life. It would jeopardise us as well,’ Josiah said.
‘The first matter I will attend to,’ Ian said, leaning towards his two sons as Ebenezer just sat back smoking his pipe and listening, ‘is to seek permission to speak with Lee and get his side of the story.’
‘We already know what happened,’ Sam said. ‘I was told by a witness, a Miss Mary O’Lachlan, who was at the scene.’
Ian turned to Sam. ‘Who is this Miss O’Lachlan?’ he asked.
‘An Irish schoolteacher who recently arrived on our shores in terrible circumstances. It was the man who accused Lee, a Mr Rice, who promised to marry her when she arrived but failed to mention that he already had a wife and children. He took a dislike to the fact that she and Lee had a friendship. That may have prompted him to visit her and do mischief to Lee,’ Sam added. ‘I know where she lives. Lee purchased her a cottage with attached room for teaching, but from what I have heard around the pubs, she is viewed as a fallen woman for her connection to Lee and no one will send their children to her school. From what she has told me, the police are not interested in her version of events as they consider this Mr Rice a righteous pillar of the town.’
‘I will speak with Miss O’Lachlan,’ Ian said. ‘For now, I need to send some telegrams south to my friends in politics, starting with the new premier, and the former premier too. We just need to be patient, and I am asking that you forget any rash ideas of a breakout.’
The Steele boys and Ebenezer fell silent, nodding their heads in agreement, tacitly accepting the leadership of Colonel Ian Steele.
When Ian glanced at his two boys, he could not help comparing his sons; Sam was young and headstrong, and had inherited the size and strength of distant Russian ancestors on his mother’s side. Josiah was smaller, and more rational and wise. He felt a surge of warmth for the two boys, who were a formidable team. His pride was more than he could express and he knew Ella, their mother who had died from cancer, would have been proud.
*
Two days passed before Ian was able to ride out to speak with Mary. Already there was a murmur in Townsville about the crew of the New South Wales schooner. They were somewhat of a mystery, but information leaked from the telegram operator at the post office that they had powerful connections down south. Those rumours even reached the Townsville gaol and when Ian arrived at the gates, demanding to speak with the gaol governor, he was admitted immediately.
‘I will not waste your time, Colonel Steele,’ the prison commander said. ‘I have been informed that you have a personal interest in one of my incarcerated criminals, Ling Lee.’
‘His criminality has yet to be decided, sir,’ Ian replied. ‘And he is a trusted and very competent employee of my companies. Naturally, I stand by the people I employ.’
‘He is here because of his assault on a friend of Mr Rice, who you may not be aware is a fine and upstanding Christian gentleman,’ the prison warder offered. ‘His reputation is beyond repute, and he is a loyal member of my church congregation.’
Ian smiled grimly, reaching into his trouser pocket and producing a sheaf of folded letters. He handed them to the warden. ‘If he is such an upstanding Christian citizen, I wonder why he would lure a poor, honest Irish girl to your colony on the promise of marriage. Before you are his letters to her.’
The warden glanced down at the papers, picked one up and began to read. Ian watched as the man’s face reddened with embarrassment. He did not consider reading the rest, pushing them back to Ian. ‘I was not aware of this situation.’ The warden coughed. ‘I must say, I am at a loss for words. But this changes nothing in the situation of the Chinaman.’
Ian had come prepared. ‘I have a telegram from the premier of New South Wales requesting that I be given all assistance into Mr Lee’s case,’ he said, offering the paper before adding a second telegram. ‘And another from your premier, corroborating my premier’s request. I am sure that even if you may dislike us from down south, you will respect your own premier’s orders.’
The warden glared at Ian. Given half the chance, the warden would no doubt have him join Lee. ‘What is your wish, Colonel Steele?’ the warden asked.
‘It is grand to see that our two colonies can work together in harmony,’ Ian replied pleasantly. ‘I wish to speak with Mr Lee in private.’
‘I will arrange that,’ the warden replied. ‘But remember, he is here on the charge of attempted murder and that is a police matter.’
