text: [5] These facts were known to the whole county and the terror which in consequence pervaded the agricultural inhabitants of the mining districts was so great that in a petition to government praying for protection they stated--that they would be better if law were altogether abolished and every man were allowed to defend himself by fire-arms than they were now; for that if they used lethal weapons in defence of their property they ran the risk of being transported for culpable homicide--if they did not they were certain of being plundered by the combined workmen