Originally published November 23, 1921
CONTINUOUS personal and professional attacks by Mildura and Merbein Sun newspaper operator Grant Hervey against the prominent C. J. De Garis of Sunraysia Daily finally caught up with the man that De Garis exposed as a criminal and fraud.
Hervey arrived in Mildura in 1920 preaching a scheme of a “greater Mildura” and outlined his vision to the town council.
He sought financial backing and set about convincing townspeople of his worth.
Sporting a fake American accent, Hervey succeeded in convincing council to organise a public meeting during which he could explain his ideas to the people of Mildura.
At the meeting, Hervey told the crowd of his scheme which aimed at making Mildura the capital of the Murray Valley which he envisaged as a separate state.
Two thousand people had gathered to listen to Hervey and each listened intently to the great plans of the persuasive speaker.
Unfortunately for Hervey, but fortunately for the people of Mildura, De Garis had been making inquiries about the newcomer and discovered he was a trickster and a criminal.
De Garis exposed Hervey on the night of the meeting in front of the huge crowd, revealing his real name as George Cochrane and a previous jail sentence for forgery.
Hervey left the meeting in disgrace, but remained in town, intent on seeking revenge on De Garis.
Through his own weekly paper he threatened to “get De Garis and destroy Sunraysia Daily.
During the height of the feud, Sunraysia Daily was produced behind locked doors and windows and several staff armed themselves with revolvers.
Hervey’s threatening presence in Mildura antagonised many people and reached crisis point on October 25, 1921, when a citizens’ vigilance committee, over 100 strong, decided to end the man’s career in Mildura.
Carloads of men surrounded Hervey’s house in Sarnia Avenue and invited him out to the tried by the self-elected court.
Hervey locked himself inside, threatening to shoot dead the first man to enter.
Constable Holten soon arrived by bicycle and subsequently the whole Mildura Police Force arrived to disperse the crowd.
Later in the afternoon, about 40 men went to the intersection of Deakin Avenue and Fifteenth Street and about 4pm intercepted a motor vehicle containing two policemen and Hervey.
Hervey was placed in another car and driven to the airfield (now the Old Aerodrome Ovals) where he was stripped, tarred and covered in kapok, looking like a “huge gorilla”.
The participants then returned to town, the bell ropes of Mildura Fire Station were tugged violently and more than 1000 people who assembled there were advised that Hervey had been tarred and feathered.
A brief speech was greeted with continuous cheers.
The police rescued Hervey, conveyed him to the police station and removed the obnoxious mixture off this person.
Seventeen Mildura residents were charged and 14 others were committed to stand trial after two days of proceedings.
The trial began at the Ballarat Supreme Court and one defendant was discharged at the conclusion of police evidence before a further defendant was also discharged.
A verdict against the remaining 12 men of not guilty was received with evident pleasure by the defendants.
However, a sudden change underwent when a moment later, the Crown Prosecutor intimated that a second charge of unlawfully assaulting Hervey would be preferred and a remand to another day was desirable.
After considerable argument, it was decided all would plead guilty to the lesser charge to avoid further inconvenience and expense of a second trial and be dealt with that day.
The trial judge said he agreed with everything that had been said in condemnation of Hervey and he had never seen anything so foul and filthy as the things published by Hervey.
Hervey had convicted himself of blackmail and in the witness box had displayed most repulsive hypocrisy in every way.
Yet, despicable as he was, there was no justification for taking the law into their own hands.
Each defendant was fined 25 pounds and a suspended sentence of three months under bond to keep the peace for 12 months.
