Illustrated Australian News at KellyGang 21/2/1879

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A SEARCH PARTY IN THE WOMBAT RANGES

The outlawed Kelly gang are still at large, notwithstanding the strenuous efforts that have been made to capture them. Many times during the past few months the police have received information that appeared to be so accurate in all its details that no doubt of encountering the gang was entertained, but in each case a thorough investigation proved that some harmless individuals had been mistaken for the outlaws. One of the most exciting of these incidents, the sortie from Euroa, has been selected as the subject of our illustration. On the evening of the 28th of January, intelligence was received that a man who for many years had been in the water police, and was well-known to be of a reliable character, had seen the Kellys on a spur in the Wombat Ranges, about seventeen miles from Euroa (the scene of the sticking-up of the National Bank by the gang).

A special train was instantly despatched from Benalla with a force of troopers and their horses, and a few hours afterwards the detachment arrived at Euroa. Superintendents Hare and Sadleir arranged the preliminaries, and at two o'clock in the morning the party, which consisted of Senior-constable Johnson, Constable Dwyer and a number of picked men, under the command of Superintendent Sadleir, started for the spot. The moon shone out clearly, and the ride through the wild and dangerous country which characterises the ranges in the district, became intensely exciting as the party drew near to the locality, at which a desperate struggle was expected, Very much to the regret of the men, nothing was seen of the gang, and inquiries at the place, an old bush shanty, revealed the fact that the supposed Kellys were four peaceful farmers who had simply called there for refreshments. Our artist has been successful in faithfully depicting the scene from which a slight idea may be gathered of the wild and dangerous nature of the country in which the police are searching for the gang.


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