Sydney Morning Herald (20)

From KellyGang
Revision as of 16:41, 20 November 2015 by Admin (Talk | contribs) (Text replacement - "MediaWiki:Sidebar" to "<sidebar>MediaWiki:Sidebar</sidebar>")

(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to: navigation, search

Sydney Morning Herald

12/12/1878

... part of the KellyGang story

full text of the article

"OUTRAGES BY THE KELLYGANG "

[By Telegraph]

(From our correspondent)

On Monday, at noon the two Kellys and two mates bailed up all the people at Younghusband's Faithfull Creek station and stayed there till yesterday afternoon. In the meantime they made prisoners of Gloster, a hawker; Mr Casement, a farmer; and some other who were coming near there at about 8 o'clock yesterday afternoon. They then cut the telegraph wire, and left one to guard the station. The others compelled Gloster's lad to drive the waggonette. They came with it and Mr Casement's spring cart to the Bank at Euroa by about 4 in the afternoon. They drove the waggonette into the yard belonging to the bank, and entering the front and rear of the building made prisoners of the manager and his family. Using also the manager's horse and buggy they took them with all the cash and firearms to Younghusband's station. They there threatened, but did not hurt any one. They waited for dinner at the hotel near the bank, and followed on horseback as a rear guard. The Kellys arrested a line repairer named Watts as he was going to the station for maintenance. They also imprisoned four railway repairers who came to work near there. They decamped about 9 last night leaving the conveyances intact.

The police at Benalla, advised by the Euroa constable, started by night train and arrived about 4 this morning. They seem to be well armed and have a black tracker with them; but as yet the police party is too weak for overcoming difficulties of capturing even such a party in Strathbogie Ranges.

10pm

The outrages by the KellyGang was the was the principal subject of conversation to-day. Mr Scott, the manager of the National Bank at Euroa is in town and has been interviewed. The bank is close to the railway station,and is only divided from the other buildings in the main street of Euroa by a vacant allotment. The two mates of the Kellys are Stephen Hart and Byrne. Having stuck up the station and congregated some twenty two persons there they cut the telegraph wires, and then the man Byrne was left as a sentinel over the prisoners on the station. He was heavily armed and waked up and down outside the hut where the men were. The two Kellys and Stephen Hart then started for Euroa Ned Kelly drove the hawker's cart, the hawker's boy being compelled to go with them. Dan Kelly drove the spring cart and Hart rode the horse he bestrode when the station was first stuck up. The last named appears to have gone on first and actually went to the North Eastern Hotel at Euroa, where he dined at the public table without exciting suspicion. The Kellys drove into town in the afternoon and the three joined company and went direct to the bank at five minutes to 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Ned Kelly drove up to the front door of the bank in one of the carts jumped out and fastened up the horse. At the same moment Dan Kelly drove the other cart into the back yard of the bank and Hart rode into the same place. Although after bank hours the bank doors were open as the station master was frequently in the habit of getting drafts from Melbourne late in the day, Ned Kelly entered the front of the bank and at the same moment Dan Kelly and Hart entered by the back himself was about to attend a funeral.

On entering Ned Kelly at first presented a cheque signed by Mr Macauley, the overseer of the Faithful Creek Station but as soon as the two made their appearance, he pulled out a revolver, announced himself as a Kelly, and ordered Mr Scott the manager, Mr Bradley the accountant , and the two clerks to "bail up"or to "put up their hands". Hart had a revolver in each hand and both of the Kellys also presented revolvers. Mr Scott and the other bank employees being thus covered had no alternative but to submit which they did with as good a grace as possible. The Kellys then demanded the money from Mr Bradley the accountant who appealed to Mr Scott as to whether he was to comply. Mr Scott replied that he supposed they could not prevent the bushrangers from taking the money but they would not give them anything. Kelly then helped himself to all the cash in use amounting in all to 300 pounds in specie and notes.

They then prepared to visit the other parts of the premises and Mr Scott being afraid that the ladies would be alarmed on the appearance of the bushrangers, told Kelly that if he attempted to go into the room where they were he would resist and strike him be the consequences what they might. In an instant Mr Scott was covered by Hart with two revolvers which he held and for a moment the scoundrel seemed inclined to fire but was restrained by a glance from Kelly. Subsequently Kelly in reply to a question said to Mr Scott that if he had shown the least bit more resistance Hart would unquestionably have shot him down. The Kellys then proceeded into the house leaving Hart to keep guard over the prisoners in the banking room. They conducted themselves quietly enough. The ladies acted capitally and although alarmed there was no noise which would have perhaps resulted in loss of life.

On returning to the banking room Ned Kelly said he knew very well they had not all money and demanded that the rest should be handed over. Mr Scott said he would not give them any thing but Ned Kelly got the keys of the strong room and proceeded to appropriate the reserve cash. This he packed up in a neat parcel with the other, the total sum taken being £1942 and 30oz of gold. The £1942 were made up of about £400 in specie and the balance in notes the numbers of which are not known. The specie consisted of about £90 in silver and £310 in gold so that the parcel was a tolerably weighty one. Kelly also examined some of the bank books and letters and took one or two deeds of trifling importance but left the bulk of the bills and securities untouched. All this time Mr Scott's family and the bank officials were under guard, and were under guard, and of course as everything was very quietly conducted and it was after bank hours no alarm was given. The party then started, Dan Kelly in the hawker's cart with the clerks and one of the female servants leading the way then followed Mrs Scott with her mother and seven children the eldest of whom is 13 years of age.

continued

, .1. , .2. ,


 ! The text has been retyped from a microfiche copy of the original.

We have taken care to reproduce this document but areas of the original text may been damaged.

We also apologise for any typographical errors.