The Argus at KellyGang 11/2/1879

THE KELLY GANG STICKING-UP A BANK AT JERILDERIE

From telegrams published below it will be seen that the Kelly gang has broken out again, and has made another daring raid, this time into New South Wales. On Saturday night the gang made its appearance at Jerilderie, a town on the Billabong Creek about 80 miles across the border. Jerilderie is a township with a telegraph station, a court-house, a lock-up, several hotels, and also a branch of the Bank of New South Wales, and has about 200 inhabitants. The plunder of the bank was the object of the visit, and the gang went systematically to work. They stuck up the two policemen who were in charge of the place, and confined them in their own lock-up until Monday, when they visited the telegraph office, covered the clerks with their revolvers, made them cut the wires, and then marched them off to the lock up also.

The bank was easily surprised, the manager, Mr Tarleton, being caught in his bath. He and his two clerks were ordered to proceed to the Royal Hotel where a number of the townspeople were incarcerated. The bank was ransacked. Upwards of £2,000 is said to have been stolen, and many valuable deeds were destroyed. For the remainder of the afternoon the gang was in undisputed possession of the township. They made some of the inhabitants cut down seven or eight of the telegraph poles, and so they effectually interrupted communication, and they left with dire threats against the stationmaster if he ventured to work the line before this (Tuesday) morning. The Kellys were last seen in the township at 4 o'clock. Mr J D Jefferson, the operator in charge, was liberated by the policeman's wife at 7 o'clock, and he commenced at once to repair the injured line, and by 11 o'clock the news was known in Melbourne. Mr Jefferson is greatly to be commended for his promptness and courage. The gang would have to cross the Murray at Howlong or its neighbourhood to reach Jerilderie, and they would then have a dangerous ride through a comparatively level country. If they were well mounted they could, however, reach their old haunts in Victoria by this morning. While at Jerilderie they are described as drinking heavily.

[BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH]

(FROM A CORRESPONDENT)

JERILDERIE, NSW, MONDAY

The Kelly gang stuck-up the telegraph office to-day at 2 o clock, and cut the office connexions, and also cut down seven poles. The stationmaster and assistant were covered by revolvers, and, marched up to the lock-up, which they had stuck up, and were there locked up, together with two constables. They were released at 7 pm, and told not to touch the wire till morning, but the stationmaster did so, and fixed a wire along the fence. They stuck up the Bank of New South Wales. The gang took nothing from the telegraph office, but cut the wires about in a fearful mess. Nothing more was seen of the gang after they left at 4 pm, but it is supposed they may return.

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