The Argus at KellyGang 26/11/1880 (3)
Cross-examined by Mr Dwyer. Prisoner never showed any hostility to the police. I brought her up from the Melbourne gaol. She always promised to give me any information she could get, and her house appeared to be kept respectably.
James Reardon deposed that he was a railway line repairer, and knew prisoner. Some time after the shooting of the police witness said to prisoner “It was a great pity the Kellys shot the police.” She said, “It was; but if they did not shoot the police, the police would shoot them.” I asked her if she would take the reward. She said she would not take any blood-money. She said there were a lot of police after the Kellys, and she gained very well by them. I was in Mrs Jones’s house on the 27th June. On that Sunday morning, about 2 o’clock, my dog made a great row. I went out, and met Edward Kelly about 100 yards from my place. He did not then speak to me. I had some conversation with his mate, and Kelly then presented a revolver, and said he wanted them to take up the line, saying, “I am Ned Kelly.” He took them to the railway station, where there were several people. Mrs Jones and another woman and the station-master were there. Ned Kelly told them in prisoner’s presence to pick out what tools they wanted, and then turning to Hart said, “Take these men where you want to break the road.” Miss Jones (prisoner’s daughter) and the accused went with them. When they returned after taking up the rails Mrs Jones was still there. She went up to her own house some time after. She returned in about 20 minutes, and said to Ned Kelly, “Come on, old man, and have some breakfast and a wash; it will do you good.” One of the gang said, “There is no room in your house,” and she said there was plenty of room. She then said, “Come on and have a drink,” and they all then went up to the house. Dan Kelly ordered breakfast, and said he would pay for it. They remained there until 10 or 11 o’clock the next morning (Monday). During the night Ned Kelly asked my wife if she would not like to go home, and she said she would. Mrs Jones said no one should leave the house until Ned Kelly gave them a lecture. Mrs Jones locked one of the doors; she might have locked the other. She gave one key to Dan Kelly and kept the other herself. Edward Kelly was at the back, and came and cautioned me not to leave my bed without permission. When the police came and fired, and when the boy was shot, Mrs Jones said to the bushrangers, “You cowards, why don’t you go out and fight them hand to hand?”
Cross-examined.―I took up about 22ft. of the rails. I could have done it in five minutes, but took about an hour and a half to do it. I was summoned here by Constable Armstrong. When they returned the four men were all there. An old woman had gone away, and Byrne went and fetched her back. It was Dan Kelly ordered prisoner to get breakfast. I was afraid of my life. Prisoner’s son was shot in the house. Sergeant Steele told witness it was he shot him. That was on Monday morning. Young Jones, Miss Jones, and Martin Cherry were shot from outside. I heard that Mrs Jones demanded compensation from the Government for her house. Saw the house burning. There was very little drinking going on in my presence. I knew nothing against Mrs Jones. She kept a decent, respectable place, as far as I knew.
Denis Sullivan , another line repairer, corroborated the last witness’s evidence, adding that while the people were all at the station he saw Mrs Jones give Byrne a drink out of a bottle. Mrs Jones told her daughter to make ready the breakfast. The daughter was playing a concertina on the verandah. Dan Kelly let down the front blind. He tried to lock the door. Mrs Jones said, “That is not the key, Dan; I will get you the key;” and went and got it, and she herself locked the door, and handed the key to Dan, saying, “You take this key, Dan, and give me the one you have, as it is the key of the bar.” Mrs Jones kept the people from going away by locking the door. When the police came, Mrs Jones called the bushrangers a lot of cowardly fellows, and asked them why they did not go out and fight the police. Ned Kelly was not with the three others when she said this.
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