The Melbourne Daily Telegragh

A summary of the articles below

Capture of Ned Kelly , An appeal to Ned Kelly , Searching the Outlaw , The Armour , The Scene , Kelly's wounds , Sup Hare, The Stationmaster's Statement , Robert Gibbon;s Statement , Constable Bracken's Statement , Mr Rawlins Statement , Mrs Reardon , Police Statements , Burning the Condemed Hotel , The Closing Scenes , The Inquest on Aaron Sherritt ,

full text of the article

DESTRUCTION

'

OF THE

KELLY GANG

_______________

______________

DAN KELLY AND HART BURNT TO DEATH

_________

BYRNE SHOT DEAD

_______

We never, on any previous occasion, remember to have witnessed such scenes of excitement as were prevalent yesterday in this city on the receipt of the news in connection with the Kelly raid at Glenrowan. The information contained in the morning papers aroused the interest of the public to a high pitch, but it was not until the notification that Ned Kelly had been taken, and that the rest of the gang had been surrounded –posted at the doors of The Daily Telegraph office – that the excitement of the public commenced. Immediately upon the news being posted, the footway and far into the street was the scene of a heaving, struggling mass of people, all clamorous for slips containing the news. As each succeeding telegram came to hand, and fresh editions were issued, the crowd continued to increase, until at time it was almost impossible to get near the door of The Daily Telegraph office, and quite impossible to get up or down Collins street at that site. At all points of the city persons were to be seen eagerly scanning the news, the streets were deafened with the cries of the aamins calling the various issues of “extras.” Ladies in their carriages even pulled up to purchase the latest editions with the full, true and particular account of the Kelly gang. The ordinary run of business was almost entirely suspended throughout the day, the political situation was lost sight of and Berryism, with a strange synonynity of terms in some people’s minds, cave place for the nonoe to Kellyism. The city literally gave itself up to the discussion of the deeds and doings of the Kellys and the police – more so than it would ever be got to do with regard to a political question of the greatest moment. Nor did the excitement cease with dusk. Eager readers - those who had only just broke loose from the counting house, the shop or the factory – were to be seen in groups underneath the street lamps, and at shop windows, scanning the extras and some men, still more anxious for news, were to be seen with lighted matches endeavouring to gather at a glance the slips posted in front of the newspaper offices. Long after dark, and when the final issues of extras had taken place detailing in brief the burning of the hotel, and, with it, Dan Kelly and Hart . The crowds still occupied Collins street , though they might fairly by that time have been deemed to have “supped full of horrors.” The despatch, during the day by special train, of a detachment of artillery and a twelve-pounder cannon, sent for with the object of shelling the hotel in which Dan Kelly and Hart still held their assailants at bay, created no small “hubbub” amongst a crowd who followed in the trail to railway station. The news that the hotel had been fired, and Dan Kelly and Hart consumed in its flames, gave rise to much discussion as to the justification of pursuing such an extreme course. On the one side it was argued that the outlaws deserved no consideration, and that to have pursued any other course was only to jeopardise life and limb: while on the other, the act is designated as monstrous and unnecessary cruelty, prematurely enforced. The medium argument is, perhaps, the most worthy of acceptation – that the hotel was fired with the view only of driving the outlaws from their … it never being … that they would remain to be consumed by the dames. It may expressly be mentioned that there is a precedent for the proceeding in the case of the murderer of President Lincoln . Booth the murderer, it will be remembered, posted himself in a house, and refusing to surrender, the building was fired, and Booth shot in the flames – this too, while suffering from the effects of a broken leg, obtained in jumping from the private box in which Lincoln was seated on the stage.

As we stated yesterday, we despatched two special representatives to the scene of action. The gentlemen were not only spectators of all that occurred during yesterday, but were active participators in the raid made upon the gang. Below will be found detailed narratives of the proceedings:-

(By Our Own Reporter)

A special train left the Melbourne station at fifteen minutes past 10 on Sunday night for the scene of the recent Kelly outrages at Sebastopol , near Beechworth, and at starting the only passengers were the representatives of the Press. On arriving at Essendon Lieut Connor, Mrs Connor and her sister, and five blacktrackers joined the train and we proceeded at a rattling pace towards our destination through the bright, clear, frosty night. At Craigieburn we went through the gates, but although the shock was imperceptible, the train came to a standstill shortly afterwards, and a quarte of an hour was lost in releasing the engine break and slips, both of which were broken away. We arrived at Benalla at … and were met by Superintendent Hare and seven men, who showed great energy in getting away with their horses. Fearing an accident a pilot engine was sent ahead and we followed shortly afterwards in her wake. This was a wise precaution and had it not been done we should all have been sent to perdition a few miles past Glenrowan, where the Kellys had pulled up the line, to lie in wait for our coming. We received intelligence, before reaching Glenrowan that the gang were there, ... turned out and set to work with the following success:-

continued

.1. , .2. , .3. , .4. , .5. , .6. , .7. ,