Royal Commission report day 20 page 11
The Royal Commission evidence for 14/5/1881
(see also introduction to day 20)
'James Reardon giving evidence'
7665 You tried to escape again?— Yes; we went back again, and said to Dan Kelly, “I wish to Heaven we were out of this. Mrs. Reardan put out the children, and make them scream, and scream yourself;” and she was coming past one of the rifles in the passage, and one of the rifles tangled in her dress, and Dan Kelly said to Byrne, “Take your rifle, or the woman will be shot;” and I came out, and she screamed and the children, and they came out. The fire was blazing out, and a policeman called out— I thought it was Sergeant Steele — “Come this way,” and he still kept firing at her—at my wife with the baby in her arms.
7666 Is it not possible he may have been covering her?— Firing at her and covering her are two different things.
7667 Did any of the bullets hit her?— She has a shawl with a bullet through the corner of it, which she can show you. I heard a voice saying, “ Come this way.” Constable Arthur was standing close to Sergeant Steele , and he said, “If you fire on that woman again, I am if I do not shoot you, because you see she is an innocent woman.” Those were Arthur 's own words, end I did not believe the man would do that.
7668 So you were away before permission was given by the police?— Then I had to return back; there were bullets flying at me, and I crept on the ground, and went back to the house with the children, and as my son returned he got wounded in the shoulder, and fell on the jamb of the door, and he has got the bullet yet, and he is quite useless to me or himself. I would sooner have seen him killed. He is getting on for nineteen.
7669 Did you observe anything more that day?— I returned back into the house then and laid down among the lot inside, and put the children between my knees, and there was a bullet scraped the breast of my coat, and went across two other men, and went through the sofa at the other end of it. We remained there expecting every minute to be shot, until we heard the voice, I think to come out, about half-past nine. We got ten minutes.
7670 Whose voice?— I think it would be Mr. Sadleir's, to the best of my belief. I cannot say for certain. Mr. Sadleir was the first I recognized after I came out. We all came out. I was the last, for I had the two children, one in each hand, and as I was coming down there was a constable named Divery, and he said, “Let us finish this—lot,” or something like that. Then the terror of that drove me—I ran to the drain. A black-fellow there cocked his rifle at my face, and I did not know what to do with the children, and I ran away up to where Mr. Sadleir was.
7671 That was hot work?— Hot work I you would not like to be there I can tell you
7672 Was there any of the outlaws shot while you were in?— Byrne was shot.
7673 Where?— At the end of the counter, going from the passage. He was standing still. I only heard him fall. I heard him fall like a log, and he never groaned or anything, and I could hear like the blood gushing.
7674 What time was that?— About five or six in the morning; but when I was coming out the other two (Dan Kelly and Hart)—they were both standing close together in the passage, not a move in them, with their armour on, with the butt end of their rifles on the ground.
7675 Were they struck at all while you were there?— Yes; I could hear the bullets flying off they armour several times.
7676 Their lives were saved for the time being by their armour?— Yes.
7677 Had they fired many shots before that?— They did in the early part, but I believe from the time that it came daylight they did not fire but very few that I could notice.....
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