Kyneton Guardian, Wed 13 Dec 1871 ¹

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.
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…
    A CASE has occurred at Mount Macedon ² which brings to mind the reports which used to be current twenty years ago of the proceedings of the Vigilance Committees in California; with this difference, that the culprit in the case under notice has been suffered to escape much more easily than he would have been allowed to do from one of Judge Lynch’s Courts.

    It appears that several charges of behaving indecently to children hare latterly been made against a young man named Dupin [sic] a turner by trade and who appears to have conducted a Sunday School for no more worthy purpose than to obtain opportunities for indulging in the disgraceful conduct with which he is charged.

    This conduct, it is alleged, has extended over two years, and some of the cases which have been brought to light are of the most flagrant character. Instead of giving information to the police, a meeting of the inhabitants was summoned and was presided over by Mr Campi, saw mill proprietor of Upper Macedon.

    Several of the charges were investigated, and the meeting pronounced them proven. Dupin was then ordered to leave the Mount within three hours, and was told that if he were found in the neighbourhood after the expiration after that time he would be visited with condign punishment. He accepted the first of the alternatives; though even then he only very narrowly scape a severe threshing from several of the mothers of the children whom he had outraged, by sneaking away under cover of the darkness. The occurrence reached the ears of the Woodend police, and Constable Hanlon having satisfied himself that there were good grounds for believing the charges made against Dupin to be true, obtained a warrant for his arrest. So far, however, he has succeeded in eluding the police.

    He came by rail from Woodend to Kyneton, and it is believed he has made his way towards Sandhurst.

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The Argus, Thu 14 Dec 1871 ³

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1871.
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…
    “A case has occurred at Mount Macedon,” reports the Kyneton Guardian “which brings to mind the reports which used to be currant twenty years ago of the proceedings of the vigilance committees in California; with this difference, that the culprit in the case under notice has been suffered to escape much more easily than he would have been allowed to do from one of Judge Lynch’s courts.

    It appears that several charges of behaving indecently to children have latterly been made against a young man named Dupeu, a turner by trade, and who appears to have conducted a Sunday-school for no more worthy purpose than to obtain opportunities for indulging in the disgraceful conduct with which he is charged. This conduct, it is alleged, has extended over two years, and some of the cases which have been brought to light are of the most flagrant character.

    Instead of giving information to the police, a meeting of the inhabitants was summoned, and was presided over by Mr Campi, saw-mill proprietor of Upper Macedon. Several of the charges were investigated, and the meeting pronounced them proven. Dupin [sic] was then ordered to leave the Mount within three hours, and was told that if he were found in the neighbour-hood after the expiration of that time, he would be visited with condign punishment. He accepted the first of the alternatives, though even then he only very narrowly escaped a severe thrashing from several of the mothers of the children whom he had outraged, by sneaking away under cover of the darkness.

    The occurrence reached the ears of the Woodend police, and Constable Hanlon, having satisfied himself that there were good grounds for believing the charges made against Dupeu to bo true, obtained a warrant for his arrest. So far, however, he has succeeded in eluding the police, he came by rail from Woodend to Kyneton, and it is believed he has made his way towards Sandhurst.”

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Mount Alexander Mail, Fri 15 Dec 1871 ⁴

ITEMS OF NEWS.
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    A case has occurred at Mount Macedon, reports the Kyneton Guardian, which brings to mind the reports which used to be current twenty years ago of the proceeding’s of the vigilance committees in California; with this difference, that the culprit in the case under notice has been suffered to escape, much more easily than he would have been allowed to do from one of Judge Lynch’s courts. It appears that several charges of behaving indecently to children have latterly been made against a young man named [Peter] Dupeu, a turner by trade, and who appears to have conducted a Sunday-school for no more worthy purpose than to obtain opportunities for indulging in the disgraceful conduct with which he is charged. This conduct, it is alleged, has extended over two years, and some of the cases which have been brought to light are of the most flagrant character. Instead of giving information to the police, a meeting of the inhabitants was summoned, and was presided over by Mr Campi, saw-mill proprietor of Upper Macedon. Several of the charges were investigated, and the meeting pronounced them proven.

    Dupeu was then ordered to leave the mount within three hours, and was told that if he were found in the neighbourhood after the expiration of that time, he would be visited with condign punishment.

    He accepted the first of the alternatives, though even then he only narrowly escaped a severe thrashing from several of the mothers of the children whom he had outraged, by sneaking away under cover of the darkness.

    The occurrence reached the ears of the Woodend police, and Constable Hanlon, having satisfied himself that there were good grounds for believing the charges made against Dupeu to be true, obtained a warrant for his arrest.

    So far, however, he has succeeded in eluding the police. He came by rail from Woodend to Kyneton, and it is believed he has made his way towards Sandhurst.

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The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, Sat 23 Dec 1871 ⁵

GENERAL NEWS.
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…
    The Kyneton Guardian reports the case of a youngman named Dupin, who appears to have established a Sunday school at Mount Macedon, for the sole purpose of behaving indecently to the children.

    Having detected him, the indignant inhabitants gave him notice to quit in less than three hours, which he did, and even then narrowly escaped being thrashed by some of the mothers of the children whom he had outraged.

    The police afterwards heard of the matter, and got out a warrant for his arrest.

 

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¹     Kyneton Guardian, (Vic), Wed 13 Dec 1871, p. 2. Emphasis added.

²     Illustrated Australian News for Home Readers, (Melbourne, Vic), Wed 25 Feb 1874, p. 26.

“HOLIDAY RAMBLES—MOUNT MACEDON.

    The name of Mount Macedon is, perhaps, as well known as that of any notable spot in Victoria. The locality itself, however, appears to have been visited by a very limited number even of the population of Melbourne, who are within but a two hours’ journey by rail. And yet no where can two or three days be more pleasantly spent, if lofty hills, free fresh air, deep valleys, sparkling rivulets murmuring on every side, flowers, trees and bushes of all kinds and varieties in the utmost luxuriance may create pleasure.

    Then the botanist may find no end of interesting specimens, the artist find a picture at every step, the tourist roam for miles day after day and still find something new, and the pleasure-seeker may pick out delicious little nooks and corners to picnic in, with the certainty of discovering close at hand a clear stream of pure water gurgling from under masses of foliage and among rocks and stones and huge trunks of trees. Mount Macedon is distant from Melbourne some forty miles, and is best reached by railway. The nearest station is Macedon, or Middle Gully, situated at the south end of the Black Forest, formerly notorious as the haunt of bushrangers.

    Looking from the station towards Mount Macedon, the traveller perceives a narrow, elevated, and somewhat steeply- inclined plain; closely wedged in on two sides by steep hills, with a road running up the centre, and cottages dotted here and there. That is the township of Upper Macedon. The distance by the road is about three miles, by the track about two.

    About a mile and a half from the station you reach falls on the Turitable Creek, a pretty spot, and a great place for picnics. A few hundred yards above this is the schoolhouse, and a little farther on is the Presbyterian Chapel, and above this again is the Falls Hotel, where man and horse may obtain refreshment. Our artist has sketched several points of interest, the Falls on the Turitable Creek; a crossing on the same, opposite the abovementioned hotel; fern trees on the road to Mountain Megs; Mount Diogenes; and the Devil’s Hole. Mountain Megs, so called from a hut, now in ruins, formerly occupied by a woman who went under that name, and who, if report speaks true, must have been a character.

    Mount Diogenes is the very highest peak of the Macedon ranges, higher, it is said, by a. few feet than Mount Macedon itself, which is 3324 feet above the level of the sea. The Devil’s Hole is a singular spot, being a hollow near the top of the mountain, surrounded on all sides by steep hills, and is evidently the crater of an extinct volcano. At the Devil’s Hole is the only saw-mill still at work on this side of the range, mill after mill having ceased work as the timber became exhausted. There are few spots within an easy distance of Melbourne so pretty as Mount Macedon. Its high elevation, bracing air, and pure spring water render it a pleasant place of summer resort, and few people who have once visited it but wish to repeat their visit.

    Recently several gentlemen have built summer residences there, and many more have taken up land for the same purpose. There can be little doubt but that in a few years Upper Macedon will become as great a place for summer visitors as Queenscliff or Snapper point is at present, as it only needs to be known to be appreciated.”

³     The Argus, (Melbourne, Vic), Thu 14 Dec 1871, pp. 4, 5.

⁴     Mount Alexander Mail, (Vic), Fri 15 Dec 1871, p. 2. Emphasis added.

⁵     The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, (NSW), Sat 23 Dec 1871, p. 6.

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