Evening News (Sydney, NSW : 1869 - 1931), Saturday 14 December 1878, page 5


PARTICULARS OF THE STICKING-UP FAITH-FUL CREEK STATION.

From what can be learned, it appears that shortly after noon on Monday, one of the em-ployees on the station, named Fitzgerald, was just sitting down to dinner in his hut, when a bushman

quietly sauntered up to the door, and, taking his pipe out of his mouih, inquired if Mr. Macaulay, the overseer, was about. Fitzgerald replied, ' No ; he will be back towards evening. Is it anything particular? Perhaps I will do as well.' The bush-man said, 'No, never mind; it is of no conse-quence,' and then walked away from the hut door. Fitzgerald continued to eat his dinner without taking any notice of the man, but happened to glance after him. A minute or two subsequently he saw him beckoning to some person in the distance. About five minutes later, two more

rough-looking characters joined the bushman. They were leading four very line horses, in splendid condition. There were three bays and a gray. The bushman then proceeded to the house, and walking in, met Mrs. Fitzgerald, the wife of the employee mentioned, who was engaged in some household duties. The old dame, considerably surprised at the stranger walking in without an invitation, asked him who he was, and what he wanted. He said, ' I am Ned Kelly, but don't be afraid ; we shall do you no harm, but you will have to give us some refreshments, and also food for our horses. That's all we want.' She was naturally surprised, and at once called out for her husband. Fitzgerald left his dinner in the hut, and walked over to the house where his spouse introduced him to the stranger, saying ' There's

Mr. Kelly ; he wants some refreshment and food for his horse.' By this time Kelly had drawn his revolver, evidently to show them that there was no joking on his part, and Fitzgerald, no doubt thinking discretion the better part of valour, accepted the inevitable, and resignedly said, ' Well, of course, if the gentlemen want any refreshment they must have it.' Ned Kelly then entered into conversation with the people, making several inquiries about the station and the number of men employed on it. To all his questions satisfactory answers were given. While this was going on the other two men — one of whom was Dan Kelly — found out the horse-feed, and were busily engaged feeding the horses, while it was noticed by Fitzgerald and his

wife that a fourth man was standing at the gate, evidently keeping watch. After getting all the information he could out of Fitzgerald, Kelly made the man go into a building used as a store and fastened the door on him, leaving the woman at liberty, and at the same time repeating the assur-ance that no harm was intended to anybody. As the station hands came up to the hut to get their dinner they were very quietly ordered to bail up, and were unresistingly marched into the storehouse and locked up with Fitzgerald, no vio-lence being offered them, as they went quietly. Later in the afternoon Mr. Macaulay, who had been to one of the out-stations, came quietly home-wards, and when crossing the bridge over the

creek, which led up to the station, he noticed with some surprise the quietness that reigned about the place, and the absence of the station hands about the huts. However, he did not give it a second thought, and proceeded on his way until nearting the storehouse, when he suddenly reined up. This was in consequence of Fitzgerald call-ing out to him from the building, 'The Kellys are here ; you will have to bail up.' He could not believe this at first, but almost immediately Ned Kelly came out of the house, and covering him with his revolver, ordered him to bail up. Macaulay, without dismounting, said, 'What is the good of your sticking up the sta-tion ? we have got no better horses than those you have.' 'Ned Kelly replied. ''We are not going to take anything; we only want some food and rest for our horses and sleep for ourselves.' Macaulay, seeing it was no good to offer any resistance, at

once dismounted and surrendered, but they did not treat him the same as the others, allowing him to remain at liberty, but at the same time keeping a watchful eye upon him. Even then Macaulay did not believe it was the Kelly gang, but when Dan Kelly came out of the house he recognised, as he said, "his ugly face" at once from the portraits he had seen of him. He said to them, "Well, as we are to remain here, we may as well make ourselves as comfort-able as possible, and have our tea." The Kelly's were, however, too cautious, and would not all sit down at once. Two of them had their meals, while the other two kept watch until they were relieved. They also took great care that some of the prisoners should taste the food first, being ap-parently afraid of poison being administered to them. About this time a hawker named Gloster who has a shop at Seymour, but is in the habit of travelling about the country with a general assort-ment of clothing and fancy goods, drove his waggon up to the entrance of the station, and—

according to his usual custom — unharnessed his horses, and made preparations for camping out for the night. Having made all in readiness, he walked up to the station to get some water to make his tea with. When he reached the hut he was told the Kellyse were here, and that he would have to bail up. Macauley, knowing this man Gloster to be a plncky fellow, was afraid that he might draw his revolver, and that there would be bloodshed. However, Gloster got his water from the kitchen, and was going back to his cart, when Ned Kelly called out to him to stop. He turned round and looked at the man, but sup- posing it was only a lark, he went on his way. Dan Kelly immediatelv raised his gun, and was about to fire, when Ned Kelly prevented him from doing so, and at the same time Macauley called out to him to "bail up" in order to prevent bloodshed. Gloster, who appears to have been a pretty obstinate fellow, took no notice of the threats of the Kellys or the entreaties of Macauley, and steadily continued on his way, and got up into his cart. Ned Kelly appeared to be losing his temper, and went down to the cart, followed by his brother Dan. Ned then put his revolver to Gloster's cheek, and ordered him to come out of the cart or he would blow his brains out. Several angry words passed between them, and it was only by the endeavours of Macauley that Kelly was prevented from shooting Gloster. Ned Kelly at last said be would let him off this time, and at the same time praised his own moderation by saying that not one man in a hundred would have dealt so leniently with him after the manner in

which he had behaved. Dan Kelly was evidently eager for blood, as he expressed a strong wish ''to put a bullet through the —— wretch." Gloster was at last marched up to the storeroom, and locked up with the other prisoners. The four ruffians then proceeded to thoroughly ransack the hawker's cart, and provided themselves with a new fitout. They made regular bush dandies of them-selves, and helped themselves pretty freely to the contents of the scent-bottles, which they found among his stock. They also took what firearms he had. Before going to bed for the night, the Kelly's opened the door of the storeroom, and let the party out for a little while to get some fresh air, but at the same time keeping their revolvers in their hands, and watching their prisoners very closely. While they were all smoking their pipes together, a friendly conversation took place between the gang and their prisoners.