The Last of the Bushrangers: An Account of the Capture of the Kelly GangHare, Francis Augustus
History
The Last of the Bushrangers: An Account of the Capture of the Kelly Gang
Hare, Francis Augustus
Brigands and robbers -- Australia; Kelly, Ned, 1855-1880
Joe Byrne and Dan Kelly went to Woolshed to shoot Aaron Sherritt on
Saturday night, whilst Ned and Steve Hart were to go to Glenrowan
and pull up the rails. They knew it was our habit, whenever they
showed themselves in any part of the district, immediately to get a
special train and go to the spot and start on their tracks. They knew,
therefore, directly the news reached Benalla that Sherritt was shot, I
should start off with a party of police and black trackers to pick up
their trail. No trains ran on that line on Sundays; therefore, the only
one likely to come along would be a "special," with a party of police.
There was no telegraph station at Glenrowan, and the special would not
stop there. They thought that the train would get up great speed going
down the incline after passing Glenrowan, and it would be smashed up
and most of the party killed. They were then to jump on to their horses
and go to the spot, and finish off those who had escaped.
The line was taken up about half a mile from Glenrowan. They would then
have started off to Benalla, robbed all the banks, and probably secured
£4000 or £5000. If they had worn their armour with overcoats they might
have been shot at fifty times without being injured. They had arranged
to have placed one of their number on the bridge in Benalla, so as to
prevent any person giving information concerning them. The police were
all on the opposite side of the river, and it was their intention to
blow up the railway bridge at Benalla, so as to stop the traffic on
the line. I believe they had a keg of gunpowder and fuse ready for the
purpose at Glenrowan.
This was what Mrs. Byrne alluded to when she said they were about
"to do something that would astonish not only all the colonies, but
the whole world." Had they succeeded in wrecking our train that
morning, there would have been fearful carnage afterwards. There is
no question of doubt that at Glenrowan they had parties of scouts,
both in the hotel and outside of it; most of them, no doubt, were
their own relations, and their name was legion. The Kellys were very
short of cash when they stuck up Glenrowan. Their sisters were in debt
everywhere, and they were compelled to make a raid in order to get
money.
About a fortnight before they were captured, I was speaking to the
owner of a hotel not far from Glenrowan. He told me the outlaws were
in debt to him to the amount of £26. I asked him how he ever expected
to be paid. He replied--"Oh, they will get another bank some of these
days." I said to him, "I suppose you will be very sorry when they are
captured?" "No," he said, "I won't. I am getting tired of them. They
give us a lot of trouble--destroy our fences and injure our property,
and we dare not say a word about it. If we did we would only get the
worst of it."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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