Launceston Examiner (Tas. : 1842 - 1899), Friday 14 February 1879, page 3


THE KELLY GANG. JERILDERIE, Feb. 11. Exactly at midnight on Saturday Ned Kelly, Dan Kelly, Hart, and Byrne sur-rounded the police barracks here. Hart, in a loud voice, shouted out to Devine, "Devine, there's a drunken man at Davidson's Hotel, who has committed murder. Get up at at once, all of you." Constable Richards, who was sleeping in a room at the rear of the premises, re- plied, got up, and came round to the front door. During the short interval Devine has got out of bed, and opened the front door, when Kelly told him there was a great row at Davidson's. By this time Richards had appeared. Devine approached Kelly, who presented two re-volvers at the policemen, telling them to hold up their hands. Immediately the police were pounced upon by the other men, and secured. Devine and Richards were then placed in the lock-up cell, and Mrs Devine and children were put into the sitting-room. Afterwards Mrs Devine, in her nightdress, with a candle, was made to go through the premises and de- liver up all the firearms. After this the gang went into the sitting room, where they kept watch till morning. The next day, Sunday, there was chapel in the

courthouse, distant 100 yards from the barracks. It was the duty of Mrs Devine to get the courthouse ready for mass. She   was allowed to do so, but was accompanied to the courthouse by one of the Kellys, at about 10 a.m. Kelly remained in the courthouse while Mrs Devine prepared the altar and dusted the forms. When this was done Kelly escorted her back to the barracks, where the door was closed and the blinds all down. Hart and Dan Kelly, dressed out in police uniform, walked to and from the stables during the   day without attracting any notice. On Monday morning Byrne brought their two horses to be shod, and the black- smith at the time thought there was some- thing strange in the manner of the man, so he took the brands of the horses. Hart also came down and bought provi- sions. About 10 a.m. Edward Kelly and Dan Kelly, in company with Constable Richards, went from the barracks, closely followed on horseback by Hart and Byrne. They all went to the Royal Hotel, Richards going first. Cox, the landlord, told him his companions were the Kellys, when Ned Kelly said they   wanted rooms at the Royal, as he in-tended to rob the bank. Hart and Byrne rode round to the back and told the groom to put their horses in the stable, but not to give them any feed. Hart went into the kitchen of the hotel, which is only a few yards from the back entrance to the bank. Byrne then walked in the back way, when he was met by the accountant, Mr Living, who told him to go back, as that was not the proper door to enter by. Byrne immediately presented his re- volver at his head, at the same time tell- ing him to surrender. The accountant seeing resistance useless surrendered, and threw up his arms. Mackie, the junior accountant who was standing by, was   also ordered to surrender. Byrne then walked them off' into the bar parlor, where Dan Kelly was on guard. Ned Kelly secured the manager, who was then ordered into the bank under threat to open the safes. When this was   done, he was put in with the others. All were liberated at a quarter to three. Two thousand pounds have been taken from the bank. When the bushrangers had finished at the bank they went to some of the hotels, treating everyone civilly, and had drinks. Hart took a new saddle from the saddler's. Several watches were taken, but afterwards returned. Two splendid police horses were taken, and other horses were wanted, but the resi- dents begged that they might not be taken, as they belonged to women, and the Kelly did not take them. When the   telegraph operators were incarcerated, Byrne took possession of the office, and overhauled all the telegrams sent that day. The affair caused a most profound sensation, and many able-bodied men turned pale and almost fainted when they were informed the Kellys were here. The Kellys managed the whole affair with judgment, and had there been twice the number of police here they would have carried out their design. The Kellys left about 7 p.m. but I cannot say what direc- tion they took. The Kellys openly stated that they came purposely to shoot Constable Devine, only his wife begged his life. Ned Kelly stated that he intended to stick up the Urana coach and bank. Two of the police and two civilians armed with guns, offered to go in the coach, but the driver declined to take the police. The police had no means of following the gang, being unarmed and without horses. Great excitement prevails here just now. Yesterday afternoon the town was filled with swagmen of suspicious cha-racter. To-day unknown men are seen about. In the swags of the strangers re-volvers were seen. Mr S. Gill, journalist, when called upon to stand, being frightened ran away, and planted himself in the creek. Ned Kelly in company with Mr Living and Con-stable Richards came over to the printing office, when Richards said, " Mrs Gill, don't be afraid, this is Kelly." Kelly said, " All I want him for is for your husband to print this letter, the history of my life, and I wanted to see him to explain it to him." Mr Living said, " For God's sake, Kelly, give me the papers, and I will give them to Gill." Mr Living under promise then received the papers. This is given as I received it from Mrs Gill, who though alarmed never evinced any fear. Later in the day Kelly mixed up with a number of persons at M'Dougall's, and said any one could shoot him, but they would have to abide the consequences, as every inhabitant would be shot. Messrs Living, the teller, and Mr Tarleton, the manager of the bank, arrived in Melbourne on Tuesday, and supplied the press with information. After the manager had been secured, Ned Kelly took Mr Living into the bank and asked him what money they had in the bank. Living replied there was between £600 and £700, when Kelly said, " You must have £10,000 in the bank." Living then handed him the teller 's cash, amounting to about £691. They then tried to put the money in a bag, but not having one sufficiently large. Ned Kelly went and brouuht a bag, and they put the money into it. Kelly asked if they had more money, and was answered   "No." Kelly then obtained the teller's revolver, and again requested more money. He then went to the safe and caught hold of the treasure drawer, and requested to know what was in it, and was told by Living that it contained nothing of any value. Kelly insisted on it being opened, and one of the keys was given to him ; but he could not open it, owing to the manager having the second key, which was required to open it. Byrne then wanted to break it open with a sledgehammer, but Kelly brought the manager from the Royal Hotel, and demanded the key, which was given to him, and the drawer was opened, when the sum of £1450 was taken out by Kelly and placed in the bag. Kelly then took down a large deed-box and asked what it con-tained, and was told that the contents consisted of a few documents which were of no use. He replied that he would burn the contents, but Mr Tarleton argued with him, and Kelly took one document and put it into the bag, and then expressed his intention of burning all the books in the office. He, however, left the rest of the papers, and said that the party then went into the Royal Hotel. Daniel Kelly was in the bar, and Ned Kelly took two of the party to the back of the hotel, where he made a fire and burned three or four of the bank books. Mr Tarleton states that at the time of the occurrence he had not long returned from a long ide of 40 miles, and was having a bath when the teller came rushing into the bath room, and exclaimed that they were stuck up. Mr. Tarleton at first thought it was rubbish, but on seeing two men with revolvers, believed such to be the case. As soon as he came out of the bath Hart pointed a pistol at him, and then searched his clothes. Mr. Tarleton made some inquiries as to the movements of the gang, but Hart after answering one or two questions replied in an angry voice that Mr Tarleton had bet-ter cease asking such questions. Hart then took him into the hotel, and he was then placed with some others in a bar

parlor, where he was kept until taken back to the bank. Hart stood the whole time at the door of the room with re-volvers, and evinced a strong desire to shoot somebody occasionally if there was a little too much talking in the room. During his confinement in the room Mr Tarleton was placed in such a position that he thinks he could have knocked Hart down, but on asking the policeman if he would back him up he replied that Dan Kelly had them covered with his re-volver, and if he happened to miss them he would be sure to kill some of the others. The gang then prepared to go, but before doing so Ned Kelly made a speech, with the evident intention of exciting pity. He said that on the occasion when Fitz-patrick, the Benalla constable, was shot, he was not within 400 miles of Greta, and during his career he had stolen 280 horses from Whitty's station, and sold them ; and beyond this he had never been guilty of any other crime. The horses, he stated, were sold to Baumgar-ten. Kelly showed those present his re-vollvers, and pointed out one which he said was the property of Constable Loni-gan, and further stated that the musket which he shot Lonigan with was an old worn-out crooked thing. He asked those present if they would like to be treated as he had been treated, and detectives to go their houses and present revolvers at their mothers and sisters, and threaten to shoot them if they did not say where Ned Kelly was. He considered such treatment to be more than any man could stand, and was enough to make him turn an outlaw. He said that he came to that place not with the intention of robbing the bank, but to shoot the two policemen, Devine and Richards, who were worse than any black trackers, especially Rich-ards, whom he intended to shoot imme-diately. Mr Tarleton remarked to Kelly that it was Richards's duty, and he should not blame him for doing it. Kelly then replied, "Sup-pose you had your revolver ready when I came in, would you not have shot me ?" Mr Tarleton replied "Yes." " Well," said Kelly, " that's just what I am going to do with Richards—shoot him before he shoots me." The party then inter-ceded for Richards, but Kelly said, " He must die." Kelly then started to walk in the direction of the police camp, in com-pany with Richards. Hart and Dan Kelly rode up the street shouting and flourish-ing their revolvers. The captives were then free. Both the Kellys were dressed as troopers. Before leaving Ned Kelly remarked that he had made a great blunder in connection with the affair which would likely be the means of cap-turing the gang. Mr Tarleton then got his horse and mounted it, for the pur-pose of going to Deniliquin, when a number of persons warned him of the scouts posted about by the Kellys to watch. But knowing that he was better mounted than any of them, and having a strong desire to report the matter, he started at a quarter to 4 p.m., and reached Deniliquin at a quarter to 6 the next morning, only one minute before the train left the station, giving Mr Tarleton just time to take his seat. At the time Mr Tarleton left Jerilderie, he did not see anything of the postmaster or Richards. They say that wouman caused man to commit his first sin. But if she hadn't induced him to sin in eating, no doubt he would very soon have sinned of his own accord in drinking.