Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), Saturday 2 November 1878, page 20


FINDING OF SERGEANT KENNEDY'S

BODY.

A general feeling of regret was expressed throughout the city on Thursday afternoon when it became known that any hopes which had been entertained with regard to the

safety of the missing Sergeant Kennedy had been dispelled by the discovery of the dead body of the unfortunate officer. The melan-choly intelligence was brought into Mans-field between 1 and 2 o'clock on Thursday, by a search party under the direction of Inspector Pewtress and Mr. Tomkins, the president of the shire. Many conjectures had been made as to the probable fate of the missing Sergeant, but while a general impression appeared to gain ground amongst the people in the locality that Edward Kelly and his band of marauders had taken Kennedy with them to the King River, scarcely anybody ventured to do more than hope that the gallant officer, who appears to have been ruthlessly shot, had not been murdered. The worst fears, however, have at length been realised, and the desperadoes have added another diabolical deed to their atrocious crimes. From the particulars telegraphed by our correspondent it appears that the search party, consisting of 16 volunteers and five constables, arrived at Stringy-bark Creek at half-past 7 o'clock on Thursday morning, and

renewed the search. Shortly afterwards their

labours were rewarded by one of the volunteers named Henry Sparrow, an overseer at the Mount Battery Station, finding Sergeant

Kennedy's body within half a mile of the camp where Constables Scanlan and Lonergan received their death wounds. The body presented a frightful spectacle, and from the manner in which it had been mutilated was scarcely recognisable. The unfortunate sergeant had evidently attempted to escape from his murderers by the same track as that taken by Constable McIntyre when he jumped upon Kennedy's horse and rode off, as bullet marks were

visible on some of the trees in the line of the track. He had been shot through the side of the head, the bullet coming out in front, and carrying away part of the face, while

several other bullet wounds were found on his body, one of which had penetrated the lungs. His jacket was singed as if a bullet had been fired into his body from very close quarters, probably after the unfortunate man had fallen. The remains were placed upon horseback, and conveyed into the township, where the excitement over the deeds of the outlaws appears to be increasing. Sergeant Kennedy was a vigilant officer and generally well liked, and much sympathy is expressed for his widow and five children, who, however, are believed to be in tolerably good circumstances.

If a telegram, which was received on Thurs-day evening from Chiltern, is to be credited, it would appear that Kelly and his gang are endeavouring to make for New South Wales, and by this time have probably crossed the border. The following is the telegram re-ferred to:—

" Chiltern, Oct. 31, 3.30 p.m.

" Kelly and three others stuck up a man named Neil Christian near Baumgarten's place, at Bungowanah, before daylight yes-terday morning, and obtained provisions from him. Kelly threatened to shoot Christian should he give information. Intelligence was not obtained till this afternoon. Assistance required to scour the country in the neigh-

bourhood of Bungowanah.

"James Lynch, Sergeant."

Bungowanah is a small township situated on the banks of the Murray, on the Vic-

torian side, nearly opposite to Howlong, on the New South Wales side, and is believed to be a well-known haunt fre-

quented by the Kellys. One night in August 1877, eleven horses were stolen from four farmers residing at Moyhu, near Greta, at which latter place the Kellys then lived. Some time elapsed before information of the offence was given to the police, as it was thought at the time that the horses had only strayed away. Ultmately the police traced the missing horses to the pos-session of the Baumgartens, who are two farmers living at Bungowanah. The Baum-gartens, who were brothers, were tried for receiving the horses, knowing them to have been stolen, the result being that one brother was convicted and sentenced to a term of imprisonment in Pentridge, while the other was discharged. From inquiries made at the time, it was elicited that the Kellys had sold the horses to the Baumgartens, and it was whilst endeavouring to arrest Daniel

Kelly for horsestealing in April last that Con-stable Fitzpatrick was shot in the wrist by Edward Kelly, and so narrowly escaped with his life. The distance between Greta and Bungowanah is between 70 and 80 miles, and as the Kellys had travelled between the two places on several occasions, and were evidently well acquainted with the track, it would certainly be within the bounds of possibility that, after having murdered the three con-stables on Saturday last, they at once made for the residence of Baumgarten, with the intention, no doubt, of crossing over into New South Wales. The wisdom of such a step on their part may be questioned, as from the wild and almost inaccessible nature of the country near Mansfield, they might have held possession of their secret

fastnesses for some time to come; while by passing into New South Wales they will get into comparatively open country. Whether this be the case or not, it now re-mains for the police to hunt down the

maurauders with merciless severity, and to leave no stone unturned to effect their cap-ture, dead or alive.

No official information was received by the police authorities in Melbourne yesterday

about the Kelly gang of bushrangers. The report that the miscreants stuck up a man named Neil Christian, at Bungowanah, on Wednesday morning is considered credible for two reasons—first, because the Kellys were heard to say some time ago that if ever they took to the bush they would either make their stronghold in the ranges of Towong or north-eastern dis-

trict of Victoria, or else make tracks for New South Wales, and cross the

Murray near Howlong. If they have adopted the latter course Bungowanah would

probably be in their route. The second

reason is that the man Christian is believed to be a trustworthy person, and one not likely to originate a false report. Detective Brown has been frequently on duty in the Chiltern dis-trict, and took an active part in the recent prosecutions against the Baumgartens, one of whom and a pal named Kennedy were convicted last month of receiving stolen horses. The horses in this case were supposed to be stolen by the Kellys, a sus-picion that was confirmed to some extent by the circumstance that the convicted Baumgar-ten and Edward Kelly were seen together in a hotel at Benalla soon after the theft. The Baumgartens are a family of farmers whose holdings are situated near the Bungowanah Punt, on the River Murray. Adjoining

their lands is a farm belonging to Neil Christian but although there I was some intimacy between them, it did

not amount to friendship. Detective Brown, indeed, states that Christian is a

most respectable person, and so far from

being in league with the offenders, he gave evidence against them in the recent prosecut-tions. It Is asked why the gang who stuck

up Christian, if they were the Kellys and their mates, did not call for their provisions at some of their supposed friends' farms in-stead of showing themselves to a man who

would report their visit. The answer given to this query is that they had probably at first mistaken Christian's

place for the house of a friend. Another report uncirculated yesterday to the effect that the gang had bailed up a puntman and crossed the river. If this statement is correct

and the other report authentic, the punt re-ferred to might be one just below Christian's house, kept by a man named O'Keefe. On the other hand, however, some re-gard these statements with suspicion, and consider that the Kellys are more likely to conceal themselves in the most in accessible ranges of this colony. Those who think so set down the report that they have made for New South Wales either as a ruse to mislead the police, or as an exaggeration of some in-

cident altogether disconnected with the Kelly gang. This view is substantiated to some extent by some intelligence which reached Benalla yesterday. Out special reporter tele-

graphed the following

" Benalla, Friday.

" Particulars received as to Chiltern case render it highly improbable that the Kellys were the parties. The men were not mounted, it does not appear that they had arms, nor are the descriptions like. The necessary steps have been taken, however, in case the report should be well founded."

The report is evidently believed in Chiltern where it came from originally. Our corres-pondent there has sent the following tele-

gram:—

" Chiltern, Friday evening.

" Considerable excitement continues. Four armed troopers reached here by last night's

late train, and other four by the 1.30 p.m. train to-day. The first four have gone in the direction of Baumgarten's, on the Murray, I hear, while two of the second four have suddenly left again—fresh information, supposed. If the gang have crossed the Murray, it is to be hoped that they will find the New South Wales police on the alert for them.

The Outlawry Bill passed by the two Houses of Parliament this week was assented to yesterday by the Governor, and the pre-liminary steps were taken to have the four murderers outlawed. The Governor's pro-clamation of his assent appears in another column. An information against the offenders has been sworn by Mr. Mainwaring, of the de-tective department, before Mr. Call, P.M., and warrants issued. The further steps necessary under the act will be taken to-day by the Attorney-General.

With regard to the complaints contained in our yesterday's telegrams as to the want of a sufficient number of police and of proper weapons in the Mansfield district, we are assured by Captain Standish that everything possible is being done to meet the require-ments of the case. There are several parties of police in the field, whose proceedings are very properly kept secret. The Government have purchased about 30 double-barrelled breach-loading fowling pieces, which are stated to be very effective weapons, and the most suitable kind for the use of those who are not trained marksmen. The Spencer rifles are certainly superior both with regard to the number of shots they can discharge and the distance they can carry, but although their mechanism is very simple, it is con-sidered that they would not be so useful in the hands of those who are not trained rifle-men as the fowling-pieces just obtained. The latter are of course being despatched to the

field of action.

(FROM OUR SPECIAL REPORTER.)

BENALLA, FRIDAY

This place is removed by too many hours' travel from Mansfield, and the coaches run too frequently (every other day), for one to supply late information as to the matters in progress there. To-day the telegraph wire to Mansfield broke down, and communica-on was cut off. The stationmaster has taken steps to find out where the accident has occurred, and effect repairs. To the

police at present, it is of the utmost impor-

tance to keep all lines open. This morning

a man came down the road, from Mansfield, with some particulars as to the action of Thursday's search party, of which he was one. Unfortunately he was not present in the camp when the deceased sergeant was found, and so could add little to the stock of infor-mation already published ; but he had some conversation with the police who arrived at the saw-mills on Thursday from Greta. They

were the men who started from Wangaratta at the same time that Kennedy and his men left Mansfield. They followed up the Fifteen-mile Creek from Greta, and passed over some very rough ground, but saw no

traces of Kelly and his comrades. The only token that they met with of the presence of men on the ranges was a freshly-shot native bear, which they picked up on Tuesday morning, at the head of the Fifteen-mile Creek. Unless Kelly had been trying the Spencer rifle upon it, one can hardly see why he should have fired at the animal. The

troopers knew of themurder of the Mansfield

Police, for they had been followed up by men specially sent out by Superintendent Nicol-son. Both "Wild" Wright and the Dummy were set at liberty on Wednesday, but probably the fact that the elder brother is at large has not yet been telegraphed. It is difficult to believe that the police would allow Isaiah to be bailed out after they had once resisted the application, and got him re-manded for seven days ; but a man who knows Wild Wright well and came from Mansfield yesterday, states positively that he met the two brothers in the forenoon on the road to Greta. It appears that one or two warm friends of the unfortunate sergeant privately offered to reward Isaiah Wright handsomely if he would fetch Kennedy

in alive, or obtain information which would lead to his recovery. Though Wright de-clined to accept any offers of payment, he agree to perform the duty proposed to him, and hence, no doubt, procured his liberty.

The incarceration had done him a lot of good, for all his bravado had disappeared.

One of the most effective instruments for

the capture of the bushrangers will be the

new act, and it is fortunate that public opinion has been so actively stimulated as to get it passed promptly. Not only will the measure put some wholesome fears into the hearts of Kelly's friends, but encourage re-putable people resident in the ranges to give information without fear, for they have now

a guarantee from the Government that the pests will be thoroughly rooted out. There still exists on the part of many a disinclina-tion to avow the little assistance they have rendered to the police, and one person who was of Thursday's party has specially requested that his name may not be mentioned. An excellent spirit pervades the police force, and men from all parts of the colony have volunteered for special service. One man on leave of absence has thrown up

his leave in order to go out. It will not serve the public interest to mention the details of

the plans already carried out, but a consider-

able number of separate parties are now out. It is the opinion of some people that the reward placed on Kelly's head is still too small, but there are reasons why we should

not owe the capture of this marauder en-tirely or chiefly to the treachery of his acquaintances. The interests of the district require that the police shall absolutely clear the horde out, so that for the future bad characters may not be encouraged to look upon the ranges as a safe retreat.

The reported appearance of Kelly and his party at Baumgarten, eight miles beyond Chiltern, has not yet been confirmed. It has been already ascertained that Christian is a trustworthy farmer, but the account was brought to Chiltern secondhand, and loafers are rather numerous everywhere. Nothing would afford the police greater relief than to hear positively that Kelly has taken to the open country. Should it be the real men who have appeared at Chiltern we shall soon hear of it. There is one reported fact which gives some colour to the statement

namely, that four armed men, taken for police, were seen on the top of the range about 20 miles from Mansfield, on Sunday. They were on the track which Kelly would be likely to follow if he wanted to make the Murray; but all reports of this sort, even when circumstantially related, have to be received with the greatest caution, for the next few days every party of strange horsemen will be taken for the Kellys.

At the time that Edward Kelly accom-panied Power on the trip that that desperado took via Malmsbury to Little River and back, Superintendent Nicolson, who was then at Kyneton, saw Kelly, and was so taken with his appearance that he had a serious talk with the lad, and got him to listen favourably to a proposal to quit the bad company he was in and go to a station in New South Wales. Kelly had not then committed any offence and seemed somewhat eager to go, but one of his relatives got hold of him and took him back to Greta. The opportunity to save him from the career of crime upon which he sub sequently entered was thus unhappily lost

BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.]

(from our special reporter.)

BENALLA, Friday, 11 p.m.

The report given by Neil Christian Peter, of Bungawannah, has been ascertained to be incorrect; but four men somewhat like the Kellys were seen in another part of the same district on Wednesday by two farmers named Munger and Margarey, one of whom brought intelligence yesterday to Barnawartha Police Station, whence it has been forwarded hither by post to-day. It is stated by George Munger that he was stopped by four men on the banks of a lagoon near the Murray. They were armed, and they demanded provisions. They threatened to throw him into the river if he did not get what they wanted. He was detained for three hours, and warned not to make any report before Sunday. Two of Margarey's sons, who happened to be on their way to the lagoon, were stopped, and turned back. One of the four men appeared to be wounded, and lay on the grass all the time the party stayed. This is consistent with the mode of Kennedy's death at the fatal camp. If he ran away immediately after Mclntyre, he would have time before he was overtaken to draw his revolver and fire at least one shot. The bullet marks on the trees would show that several shots were fired at him besides those that hit him.

Munger was confident that the four men were Kelly's party. The report reached here just before Superintendent Nicolson started by the 8 o'clock train for Wodonga to-night. The facts on which this despatch is founded did not reach me in very clear order, but the story has probability. The weather is very wet, and much against the men in the ranges. Mclntyre has been moved from Mansfield on account of the state of his health and nerves, which are still considerably shaken. The Mansfield telegraph line is repaired. Short letter by last train.

[BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.]

(from our own correspondent.)

MANSFIELD, Friday.

An inquiry on the body of Sergeant Ken-nedy has just been held at Mansfield. Con-stable McIntyre corroborated his previous statements. He believed Kennedy had sur-rendered, but he heard shots fired while he was escaping. Henry Sparrow deposed to finding the body about half a mile from ramp, near a tree that had bullet marks in it. The spot was an open space of about 10 yards, and the tree was between Kennedy and the camp. Constable Orr said there were no signs of a scuffle. Other witnesses corroborated this. Doctor Reynolds deposed that he had no doubt death took place on the same day as the deaths of the other constables. There was a large wound in the centre of the sternum, caused, it was supposed, by a charge of shot fired at a very short range. It passed completely through the body, coming out of the back, it was believed to be a shot wound from its size, and the appearance of the rent through the clothes. There was also another wound, directly under the right arm, which was probably given when Kennedy held up his arms. Upon escaping, and on seeing that

murderers would show no mercy, he had fallen. The gang, then coming up, had put the muzzle of a gun close to his breast and shot him through the body, which was in an awful state. Father Scanlan has arrived to be present at the burial. About 200 attended Kennedy's funeral, which was headed by Father Scanlan,

the Bishop of Melbourne, and the Rev. Mr.

Sandiford,Church of England clergyman. Mrs. Moorhouse performed the .gracious act

of placing a wreath of flowers on the coffin. The service was conducted by Father Scan-lan. All business places were closed. The

wire has been interrupted since 11 o'clock,

and is supposed to have been cut by some of Kelly's confederates.. Four troopers left here at daylight this morning. No news has

from any search party. It has been raining heavily all day.