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== Overview ==
[[Aaron Sherritt|Aaron Sherritt]] (also known as Moses and Tommy) was the most famous of the police agents but there were a number of others. See [[Police Agents|names]].
Com Standish gave a number of agents a note in the following form so they could send me information by [[Telegraph|telegraph]] 'Permit the bearer to send any messages to me, F.C.S' ([[Royal Commission report day 1 page 22|RC276]])
After Com Standish and Sup Hare were replaced by Ass Com [[Nicolson|Nicolson]] in mid [[events 1879-05/ 1879-07at KellyGang|1879]] police numbers and available funds for the hunt were reduced. Nicolson decided to listen to the community and try and build up information about the '''KellyGang'''. He was prepared to pay agents. Few in the community were prepared to accept the policeman's money or supply any information. Later there was often a fine line between people who were prepared to help the police and those who wanted to hinder them. Standish was dismissive of many of Nicolson's agents. He said. 'I heard that some of the men whom you employed used to take your money and laugh at you behind your back and tell the' '''KellyGang''' ([[Royal Commission report day 1 page 22|RC270]])
The Royal Commission stated in its report:
"At the same time systematic efforts were made throughout the district to induce the well-disposed portion of the population to aid the police by every means in their power, and to afford any information respecting the outlaws that might come to their knowledge. This in time began to bear good fruit. At first the intelligence gleaned would be about a month old, then it was reduced to a fortnight, in time about a week, and sometimes a day only would elapse, before the receipt of news of the appearance of the gang, or the doings of their sympathizers. In fact the [[Nicolson|Assistant Commissioner]] appears at this time to have relied almost solely upon secret agents for information, and a reference to the list of reported appearances shows that his plan of operations so far was producing some effect. It was not, however, until he had been six weeks in charge that he obtained positive and reliable information that the Kellys were in the district." ([[Royal Commission second Report Part XII ( page 18)|RC2nd reportXII]])
See also ([[The Complete Inner History of the KellyGang and their Pursuers (42)|JJK]])
== police agents at KellyGang ==
In early [[ev78-10--4Mansfield Murders|November 1878]] Det [[Ward|Ward]] followed up on a number of potential agents ([[Royal Commission report day 38 page 3|RC13840]])
See Patrick Quinn ([[The Argus at KellyGang 10/11/1880 (2)|Argus10/11/80]])
Sup [[Sadleir|Sadleir]]'s agents at the time of the Stringy Bark Creek murders. ([[Royal Commission report day 10 page 11|RC1883]])([[Royal Commission report day 10 page 13|RC1928]])
In early 1879 Com [[Standish|Standish]] employed four agents in two different parties of two each. Sup Sadleir did not know what arrangements he made with them, and he did not know how much Standish paid them, but they turned out to be worthless. The [[Police Tactics|police]] were at this time entirely dependent upon rumor for information, and we were then driven to fall back upon the Queensland [[Police Trackers|trackers]]. Sup [[Hare|Hare]] proposed this-that we should send for them, and Com Standish was persuaded then to do it. ([[Royal Commission report day 11 page 4|RC2035]])see also ([[Royal Commission report day 47 page 5|RC16036]]) ([[The Last of the Bushrangers Chapter 10 page 1|FH]]) ([[The Argus at KellyGang 12/2/1879 (2)|Argus12/2/79]])
Ass Com [[Nicolson|Nicolson]] described how he recruited and managed his agents. ([[Royal Commission report day 3 page 14|RC885]])
In early [[ev80-06-28Glenrowan|June 1880]] when [[Nicolson|Nicolson]] left he had only 5 agents. ([[Royal Commission report day 2 page 21|RC2635]])
When Sup Hare went up in June 1880 he needed a credit of £40 to pay the agents. There were no arrangements to pay the agents. In giving secret service money Hare never consulted Captain Standish. He gave a man £2 at night, or £5 out in the bush, as I did on different occasions.([[Royal Commission report day 9 page 6|RC1622]])
Pat [[Patrick Allen|Allen]] recorded in his ledgers accounts with agents. ([[Cookson, 05_09_1911_2|BWC]])
== Agents and incidents ==
See note [[17/4-4/10/78 Events|29/8/1878]] from [[Sadleir|Sadleir]] to [[Standish|Com Standish]] about the use of an agent to catch Ned Kelly. ([[Royal Commission report day 10 page 4|RC1755]])
([[The True of Bushrangers Chapter 15 page 2|CHC]])
In early September Ass Com Nicolson issued orders for agents. Det [[Ward|Ward]] gave a copy of them to the Commission ([[Royal Commission report day 38 page 5|RC13850]])
At about this time the police had few agents. They had [[Wangaratta|Dickson]] (who later became a policeman at Wangaratta) and [[Mansfield|Nicolson]] who lived at Mansfield.
On about 28/9/1879 Sup [[Sadleir|Sadleir]] met Foote near [[Oxley|Oxley]] and he told him of seeling the '''KellyGang''' with [[Tom Lloyd Jnr|Tom Lloyd]] the day before. See [[Police Agents|Foote]] for details ([[Royal Commission report day 49 page 6|RC16698]])
When Sup Hare was replaced by Ass Com Nicolson in mid 1879 Aaron Sherritt was the only police agent. ([[Royal Commission report 13/4/1881|RC2649]])When Sup Hare took over he discussed the dismissal of the agents with Sup Sadleir.([[Royal Commission report day 13 page 11|RC2913]])
John Jones ([[Royal Commission report day 38 page 5|RC13855]])
When Ass Com [[Nicolson|Nicolson]] left the hunt on [[events 1880-4/ 1880-6|2/6/1880]] and was replaced by Sup [[Hare|Hare]]. Nicolson's agents were let go. ([[Royal Commission report day 12 page 14|RC2522]]) ([[The True of Bushrangers Chapter 17 page 2|CHC]])
Nicolson had 5 agents at this time. ([[Royal Commission report day 12 page 18|RC2638]])([[Royal Commission report day 12 page 19|RC2680]])
== Value of information ==
Insp [[Insp Wliiam Montfort|Montfort]] recognised that the system of agents can degenerates into a system of espionage. Agents can be paid for the information they have to give; and if they have none to give, they will manufacture some. ([[Royal Commission report Appendix 1 page 1|RCApp1]])
== Names of agents ==
The Royal Commission had a list of the real names of the agents ([[Royal Commission report day 25 page 4|RC9633]])
== [[shop1|Visit the Book Exchange]] ==
At the end of Sup [[Sadleir|Sadleir]]'s time in North Eastern Victoria in April [[ev81-00---Royal Commission|1881]] there were two agents left. One of these came to him rushing away from his farm. The agent had not a penny to his name. There was £20 due to him for a reward, and the money was actually coming by post for him, yet he would not wait for it. The other came to me the following night in very much the same state. ([[Royal Commission report day 49 page 9|RC16716]])
The the exposure of information through the Royal Commission and the problems of 1881 ment that the police had very little information ([[The Argus at KellyGang 26/5/1881|Argus26/5/81]])
KellyGang
[[Category:Things]] [[Category:Justice & Police things]] [[Category:Agents]] [[Category:police agents]] [[Category:crime and sport]] [[Category:the Kelly Gang]] [[Category:bushrangers]] [[Category:history]]
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