Changes
Import from source
Story of the KellyGang - the Royal Commission evidence
[[Royal Commission report day 15 page 13|previous page]] / [[Royal Commission report day 15 page 15|next page]]
== The Royal Commission evidence for 4/5/1881 ==
''''''
=== full text ===
(see also introduction to [[Royal Commission report 4/5/1881|day 15]])
'''Constable [[Const W Duross|Duross]]''' '''giving evidence'''
<span id="rc3786">[[#rc3786|3786]]</span> At what time did you leave [[Aaron Sherritt|Sherritt]]'s house for [[Mrs Margaret Byrne|Byrne's]]?— About eight o'clock .
<span id="rc3787">[[#rc3787|3787]]</span> And, on Saturday night, later?— Yes.
<span id="rc3788">[[#rc3788|3788]]</span> And return about four in the morning?— Yes, and sometimes a good deal before that, as we could not keep near the house for the dogs barking.
<span id="rc3789">[[#rc3789|3789]]</span> About what distance from the house did you get to watch?— We used to go round about three miles.
<span id="rc3790">[[#rc3790|3790]]</span> No; I mean, what distance from Byrne's house?— About a hundred yards; sometimes more and sometimes less.
<span id="rc3791">[[#rc3791|3791]]</span> Were there any children?— No, I never saw them, only going to school in the day-time—a little boy and girl going to school. Only once I saw [[Patrick Byrne|Paddy]], a boy of nineteen, next to [[Joe Byrne|Joe]]. We saw him watching Sherritt's house one day—watching the hut for an hour.
<span id="rc3792">[[#rc3792|3792]]</span> How long was that before Sherritt was shot?— On the Sunday before exactly.
<span id="rc3793">[[#rc3793|3793]]</span> Had you any suspicion he would give any information of that to Mrs. Byrne?— That was her son Paddy.
<span id="rc3794">[[#rc3794|3794]]</span> So that his mother could communicate to the Kellys?— Yes. He had a well-bred horse, stable-fed, locked up of a night, that we suspected he used to be scouting about on of a night—that is, Paddy Byrne. A couple of days after this Sunday he was watching, Mrs. Sherritt got him at the back of the house in the scrub. There is a thick scrub at the foot of the range, what they call the Sugarloaf.
<span id="rc3795">[[#rc3795|3795]]</span> Did you find out afterwards that the public knew you were in that house all the time?— No.
<span id="rc3796">[[#rc3796|3796]]</span> You never had any information that Byrne knew you were there?— No.
<span id="rc3797">[[#rc3797|3797]]</span> Had you any suspicion that anybody in Byrne's family or anybody knew?— We thought it strange Paddy Byrne watching the house this Sunday, and a couple of days after in the back.
<span id="rc3798">[[#rc3798|3798]]</span> Then in fact you considered that you were being watched by the Kelly friends?— I consider we were only in a trap all the time; and I would request that you would ask any constable that has been doing duty previous to me about that.
<span id="rc3799">[[#rc3799|3799]]</span> What did you think of Sherritt not giving you information all the time that you were in a trap?— I do not think he knew it, because if he knew it he would not have got shot himself.
<span id="rc3800">[[#rc3800|3800]]</span> Are you not aware that Sherritt upon many occasions gave information about the movements of the Kellys?— He said he mentioned one case that he met them after they came from [[Jerilderie|Jerilderie]]—met [[Joe Byrne|Joe Byrne]] and [[Dan Kelly|Dan Kelly]].
<span id="rc3801">[[#rc3801|3801]]</span> Are you aware whether he said on any occasion that he could tell where the police were?— Yes.
<span id="rc3802">[[#rc3802|3802]]</span> In consequence of his intimacy with the Kellys?— Yes; he told us that the Kellys could see the police, the way they were galloping round the country in search parties.
<span id="rc3803">[[#rc3803|3803]]</span> Did not he pretend to be in constant communication with the Kellys and their sympathisers as-an agent—did he ever tell you that?— Yes; that he was doing the police good service all the time by speaking to them. He said he had communication with [[Kate Kelly|Kate Kelly]]—that he was over at [[Greta|Greta]], where she was, and spoke to her on different occasions.
<span id="rc3804">[[#rc3804|3804]]</span> Was Sherritt with you all the time you were there, or did he go away?— No; on the day he was shot he went to [[Chiltern|Chiltern]], twelve miles away.
<span id="rc3805">[[#rc3805|3805]]</span> How long was he gone?— Gone about three hours. He rode away.
<span id="rc3806">[[#rc3806|3806]]</span> Did he tell you what he was going for?— He said he was going to look for some cattle of his mother-in-law's in pound.
<span id="rc3807">[[#rc3807|3807]]</span> Did he tell you anything?— No, only he saw the police going about.
<span id="rc3808">[[#rc3808|3808]]</span> Do you know [[John Sherritt Jnr|Jack Sherritt]]?— Not Jack, but his brother [[William Sherritt|Bill]]. I saw Jack in Beechworth and in Glenrowan.
<span id="rc3809">[[#rc3809|3809]]</span> You do not know why the outlaws did not set fire to the hut?— They tried to. It was a damp night; because we found some bark broken up at one side of the hut and some leaves up against it, and the leaves were damp.
<span id="rc3810">[[#rc3810|3810]]</span> Did you hear them threaten to set fire to the hut?— Yes.
<span id="rc3811">[[#rc3811|3811]]</span> Did you expect they were going to carry it into execution?— Yes.
<span id="rc3812">[[#rc3812|3812]]</span> What action were you going to take if that were the case?— To remain as long as we could, and then make a rush when we could not do anything else.
<span id="rc3813">[[#rc3813|3813]]</span> Would it not be better to make a rush while they were making preparations?— I do not suppose they would all be doing it.....
=== Previous page / Next page ===
<br />
{{MicroficheCopy}}<br />
'''The [[Royal Commission report day 14 page 1|previous day]] / [[Royal Commission report day 16 page 1|next day]] . . . Royal Commission [[Royal Commission Index|index]]'''
[[Category:Royal Commission]] [[Category:March 1504]] [[Category:Royal Commission]] [[Category:Commisioner Standish]] [[Category:history]]
MediaWiki:Sidebar
{{^|Original page location \documents\RoyalCommission\RC810504_15_14_3786.html}}
[[Royal Commission report day 15 page 13|previous page]] / [[Royal Commission report day 15 page 15|next page]]
== The Royal Commission evidence for 4/5/1881 ==
''''''
=== full text ===
(see also introduction to [[Royal Commission report 4/5/1881|day 15]])
'''Constable [[Const W Duross|Duross]]''' '''giving evidence'''
<span id="rc3786">[[#rc3786|3786]]</span> At what time did you leave [[Aaron Sherritt|Sherritt]]'s house for [[Mrs Margaret Byrne|Byrne's]]?— About eight o'clock .
<span id="rc3787">[[#rc3787|3787]]</span> And, on Saturday night, later?— Yes.
<span id="rc3788">[[#rc3788|3788]]</span> And return about four in the morning?— Yes, and sometimes a good deal before that, as we could not keep near the house for the dogs barking.
<span id="rc3789">[[#rc3789|3789]]</span> About what distance from the house did you get to watch?— We used to go round about three miles.
<span id="rc3790">[[#rc3790|3790]]</span> No; I mean, what distance from Byrne's house?— About a hundred yards; sometimes more and sometimes less.
<span id="rc3791">[[#rc3791|3791]]</span> Were there any children?— No, I never saw them, only going to school in the day-time—a little boy and girl going to school. Only once I saw [[Patrick Byrne|Paddy]], a boy of nineteen, next to [[Joe Byrne|Joe]]. We saw him watching Sherritt's house one day—watching the hut for an hour.
<span id="rc3792">[[#rc3792|3792]]</span> How long was that before Sherritt was shot?— On the Sunday before exactly.
<span id="rc3793">[[#rc3793|3793]]</span> Had you any suspicion he would give any information of that to Mrs. Byrne?— That was her son Paddy.
<span id="rc3794">[[#rc3794|3794]]</span> So that his mother could communicate to the Kellys?— Yes. He had a well-bred horse, stable-fed, locked up of a night, that we suspected he used to be scouting about on of a night—that is, Paddy Byrne. A couple of days after this Sunday he was watching, Mrs. Sherritt got him at the back of the house in the scrub. There is a thick scrub at the foot of the range, what they call the Sugarloaf.
<span id="rc3795">[[#rc3795|3795]]</span> Did you find out afterwards that the public knew you were in that house all the time?— No.
<span id="rc3796">[[#rc3796|3796]]</span> You never had any information that Byrne knew you were there?— No.
<span id="rc3797">[[#rc3797|3797]]</span> Had you any suspicion that anybody in Byrne's family or anybody knew?— We thought it strange Paddy Byrne watching the house this Sunday, and a couple of days after in the back.
<span id="rc3798">[[#rc3798|3798]]</span> Then in fact you considered that you were being watched by the Kelly friends?— I consider we were only in a trap all the time; and I would request that you would ask any constable that has been doing duty previous to me about that.
<span id="rc3799">[[#rc3799|3799]]</span> What did you think of Sherritt not giving you information all the time that you were in a trap?— I do not think he knew it, because if he knew it he would not have got shot himself.
<span id="rc3800">[[#rc3800|3800]]</span> Are you not aware that Sherritt upon many occasions gave information about the movements of the Kellys?— He said he mentioned one case that he met them after they came from [[Jerilderie|Jerilderie]]—met [[Joe Byrne|Joe Byrne]] and [[Dan Kelly|Dan Kelly]].
<span id="rc3801">[[#rc3801|3801]]</span> Are you aware whether he said on any occasion that he could tell where the police were?— Yes.
<span id="rc3802">[[#rc3802|3802]]</span> In consequence of his intimacy with the Kellys?— Yes; he told us that the Kellys could see the police, the way they were galloping round the country in search parties.
<span id="rc3803">[[#rc3803|3803]]</span> Did not he pretend to be in constant communication with the Kellys and their sympathisers as-an agent—did he ever tell you that?— Yes; that he was doing the police good service all the time by speaking to them. He said he had communication with [[Kate Kelly|Kate Kelly]]—that he was over at [[Greta|Greta]], where she was, and spoke to her on different occasions.
<span id="rc3804">[[#rc3804|3804]]</span> Was Sherritt with you all the time you were there, or did he go away?— No; on the day he was shot he went to [[Chiltern|Chiltern]], twelve miles away.
<span id="rc3805">[[#rc3805|3805]]</span> How long was he gone?— Gone about three hours. He rode away.
<span id="rc3806">[[#rc3806|3806]]</span> Did he tell you what he was going for?— He said he was going to look for some cattle of his mother-in-law's in pound.
<span id="rc3807">[[#rc3807|3807]]</span> Did he tell you anything?— No, only he saw the police going about.
<span id="rc3808">[[#rc3808|3808]]</span> Do you know [[John Sherritt Jnr|Jack Sherritt]]?— Not Jack, but his brother [[William Sherritt|Bill]]. I saw Jack in Beechworth and in Glenrowan.
<span id="rc3809">[[#rc3809|3809]]</span> You do not know why the outlaws did not set fire to the hut?— They tried to. It was a damp night; because we found some bark broken up at one side of the hut and some leaves up against it, and the leaves were damp.
<span id="rc3810">[[#rc3810|3810]]</span> Did you hear them threaten to set fire to the hut?— Yes.
<span id="rc3811">[[#rc3811|3811]]</span> Did you expect they were going to carry it into execution?— Yes.
<span id="rc3812">[[#rc3812|3812]]</span> What action were you going to take if that were the case?— To remain as long as we could, and then make a rush when we could not do anything else.
<span id="rc3813">[[#rc3813|3813]]</span> Would it not be better to make a rush while they were making preparations?— I do not suppose they would all be doing it.....
=== Previous page / Next page ===
<br />
{{MicroficheCopy}}<br />
'''The [[Royal Commission report day 14 page 1|previous day]] / [[Royal Commission report day 16 page 1|next day]] . . . Royal Commission [[Royal Commission Index|index]]'''
[[Category:Royal Commission]] [[Category:March 1504]] [[Category:Royal Commission]] [[Category:Commisioner Standish]] [[Category:history]]
MediaWiki:Sidebar
{{^|Original page location \documents\RoyalCommission\RC810504_15_14_3786.html}}
