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
Notwithstanding all Kelly's boasted pluck and bounce, how game he would
die, &c., he was the only one who in any way showed the white feather.
When the constables ran up to him after Steele had hold of him, he
begged for mercy, and asked them to spare his life. There is no doubt
that, had he been able to walk, he would have gone off, leaving his
comrades behind him in the hotel. It was always said that Dan Kelly was
the most blood-thirsty wretch of the whole gang, and that Ned had the
greatest difficulty in restraining him from shooting every person he
came across.
After the building was burnt, the charred remains of Dan Kelly and
Steve Hart were pulled out of the fire and were given over to their
relatives; Joe Byrne's remains were taken to Benalla, and an inquest
held on them. Ned Kelly was taken to Benalla, and next day he was
forwarded to the Melbourne gaol, where he was for some weeks under the
care of Dr. Shields. Subsequently he was sent up to Beechworth, where
he was committed for trial, and then sent back to Melbourne, where he
was tried and sentenced to be hanged. He had quite recovered from his
wounds before he was executed. He was allowed to see his mother, who
was an inmate in the Melbourne gaol, the day before his execution, and
say good-bye to her. Her last words to him were, "Mind you die like a
Kelly." The coroner who held the inquest on Ned Kelly told me he seldom
saw a man show so little pluck, and if it had not been for his priest,
who kept him up, he would not have been able to walk to the gallows.
As for myself, I was sent to Melbourne the day after the fight, under
the care of Dr. Ryan, who bestowed the greatest attention on me for
some months. My wound was more serious than I thought. To use the words
of the Police Commission--"In the very first volley Superintendent
Hare received a bullet wound in the left wrist which rendered his arm
useless. The ball passed through the limb, shattering the bone and
severing the artery."
I should like to add a few remarks as to the origin of this outbreak
and the disordered state of the district. For years this part of the
colony had been infested with horse and cattle-stealers. The number
of relations which the Kelly family possessed all over the colony
was surprising. There was hardly a district in Victoria, and also
in some parts of New South Wales, that they could not have found a
blood-relation to have assisted in harbouring them. Joe Byrne was
better educated than any of his companions. He was very fond of
writing, and was a bit of a poet. A great deal of his writings fell
into our hands. They were chiefly directed against the police. Aaron
Sherritt told me that when they contemplated committing a robbery,
such as sticking up a bank, Byrne wrote down the contemplated plan,
and then the party decided what part each of them was to take in the
affair. They were most particular about where they camped not to leave
any marks behind them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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