Changes

Royal Commission report day 28 page 7

5,910 bytes added, 04:07, 15 November 2015

Import from source

Story of the KellyGang - the Royal Commission evidence

[[Royal Commission report day 28 page 6|previous page]] / [[Royal Commission report day 28 page 8|next page]]

== The Royal Commission evidence for 9/6/1881 ==

''''''

=== full text ===

(see also introduction to [[Royal Commission report 9/6/1881|day 28]])

[[../../people/peA/arthurJPC.html|'''Const James Arthur''']] '''sworn and examined'''.

[[#rc11076|11076]] ''By the Commission''— What are you?— Mounted constable.

[[#rc11077|11077]] Were you out in any of the [[Police Search Parties|search parties]] after the Kellys?— Yes.

[[#rc11078|11078]] In the time that Mr. Hare was in the North-east?— Yes, I was out with him.

[[#rc11079|11079]] And with Mr. Nicolson?— Yes.

[[#rc11080|11080]] You have been there all through?— Yes, I have.

[[#rc11081|11081]] Did you in any of those parties believe that at any time,You came near upon catching the Kellys?— No; I cannot say that.

[[#rc11082|11082]] You had no information that you had come, or were coming, close up to them at any time?— No

[[#rc11083|11083]] Did you, in acting upon information you received, ever have the idea that you were getting close to them?— No.

[[#rc11084|11084]] Did you form any opinion while you were in that district as to whether it was a good method to go out in large parties and scour the country, as was done under Mr. Hare?— Yes, I have; I don't think it was—going out in large parties.

[[#rc11085|11085]] You do not think it was calculated to catch the men?— No; it was impossible.

[[#rc11086|11086]] Did you form any opinion as to the private agents that Mr. [[Nicolson|Nicolson]] had?— Some of them were good; in fact I know one that was good.

[[#rc11087|11087]] Did you ever get information that led you to believe you were near the Kellys' or in acting upon it that brought you anywhere near?— Well to where they had been.

[[#rc11088|11088]] How long before?— A fortnight before.

[[#rc11089|11089]] Do you think that information was of any value?— No, not any.

[[#rc11090|11090]] Have you formed any opinion of what the best method of dealing with such a gang would be?— The only way is to send out men to watch the sympathizers by night, but not go out in large parties; say two or three to watch them night and day.

[[#rc11091|11091]] Do you think it would be a good method now, before anything of the sort should occur, to have strong, active young men riding through that district, and making themselves acquainted with all the inhabitants?— Yes, it would.

[[#rc11092|11092]] Do you think they would be in a better position, if an outbreak came, to catch the men at the time, than men going into the district?— Yes; they would have a better knowledge of the country and the people round.

[[#rc11093|11093]] They would know all the people?— Yes.

[[#rc11094|11094]] Do you think a pursuit carried on on that principle would be much more likely to drive the men out of the country or catch them?— Yes, it would.

[[#rc11095|11095]] Small parties?— Small parties.

[[#rc11096|11096]] Riding in different directions?— Riding in different directions.

[[#rc11097|11097]] By concert meeting at different places and comparing notes?— Yes.

[[#rc11098|11098]] Were you in the cave party?— No, I was with Mr. Hare in the first party, when he watched [[Mrs Margaret Byrne|Byrne's]] house.

[[#rc11099|11099]] Did you understand when you watched Byrne's that you might have been watched yourselves?— Yes.

[[#rc11100|11100]] Did you think you were?— I did.

[[#rc11101|11101]] That it was known while you were there?— Yes; [[Aaron Sherritt|Sherritt]] knew, and he was not to be trusted.

[[#rc11102|11102]] Would you trust Sherritt?— No.

[[#rc11103|11103]] Did he ever give any reliable information as to where the outlaws were?— No; he would say, in speaking about Byrne, not to shoot him; and as for [[Ned Kelly|Ned Kelly]], he said that he would never be taken, not by all the police in Victoria; they would never get him. That is the way he would be talking.

[[#rc11104|11104]] Did you consider at the time he was an agent of Ned Kelly?— I did.

[[#rc11105|11105]] You always thought so?— I always thought so.

[[#rc11106|11106]] Did his actions at any time lead you to suppose that was the case?— By his talk and the way he would go away, come and stop with us a night, and next night be away, and move out all hours of the night, and never have anything that was any account. He would be always blowing about Ned Kelly and Byrne never being taken.....

=== Previous page / Next page ===

 

{{MicroficheCopy}} 

'''The [[Royal Commission report day 27 page 1|previous day]] / [[Royal Commission report day 29 page 1|next day]] . . . Royal Commission [[Royal Commission Index|index]]''' [[RC_index.html|RC_index.html]]

[[Category:Royal Commission]] [[Category:April 1609]] [[Category:Royal Commission]] [[Category:Commisioner Standish]] [[Category:history]]

MediaWiki:Sidebar

{{^|Original page location \documents\RoyalCommission\RC810609_28_07_11076.html}}

Newer edit →

Admin

Bureaucrat, administrator

14,870

edits