Sydney Morning Herald (31)

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CAPTURE OF THE KELLY GANG

[BY TELEGRAPH]

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT)

MELBOURNE , TUESDAY

The following details show the manner in which Ned Kelly was captured, and his conduct afterwards. The outlaw maintained a stubborn resistance to the last, and it was only when completely disabled that the police succeeded in rushing him.

Sergeant Arthur Loftus Maude Steele, of Wangaratta, states: I arrived at Glenrowan with five men about 5 am; the others came down by train; I was challenged in the vicinity of the hotel by the police, and informed them who we were; I scattered men round the house; I went up to the nearest tree behind the back door, and heard no firing up to that time ; a woman and child came to the back door screaming; I told her to run on quick and she would not be molested; a man then came to the back door, and I called upon him to throw up his hands or I would fire on him; I was only about 20 yards from the house; the man did not hold up his hands, but stooped and ran towards the stable; I fired at him, and he turned and fell back into the house; I am certain that the man must have been injured, as he screamed and fell towards the door; I was firing with slugs; there was then some hot firing, and bullets were whistling all round; from the ring of the slugs I at once recognised that the man wore mail; I then heard some men running out; it was then just breaking day, and when I looked round I saw Ned Kelly stalking round behind me in the bush; he was marching down on the house quite deliberately, and from his rig-out I supposed him at first to be a black- fellow, until I saw him present a revolver, and fire at the police; I could see the bullets flying about his head and chest, and concluded he had armour on; I then made a run for him, and got within about 10 or 15 yards of him, when he turned round and aimed at me with a revolver; I immediately shot at his legs, and he staggered; he still aimed at me, so I gave him the second barrel also in the legs, about the knees; I was at this time in the open; he fell on my second charge, and said, " I'm done, I'm done ;" I ran up to him then; just as I got up he tried to get the revolver pointed on me again, but I ran behind, and he could not twist round fast enough; I got up to him and seized hold of the revolver, and turned it off from me, and he fired it off in my hand; senior-constable Kelly came up at this juncture, and caught hold of him, and in a few seconds there was quite a group of people around us; we disarmed and secured him; we found only one revolver on him; having divested him of his armour, we carried him to the railway station; just after I had seized him the rush of the other people knocked Kelly and me over, and I received a rather awkward twist, and his armour injured my side.

M. Gibney said: I am a Catholic priest of Perth, West Australia; I was travelling on the north-western line, having left Melbourne by the first down train; in the morning, on arrival at Glenrowan station, having heard while going there that the Kelly gang were at Jones's hotel, I got out of the train, abandoning my intention to proceed farther on; consequently my presence at the scene was, so to speak, accidental; I got out at Glenrowan because I thought I might be of use in my clerical capacity; the train arrived at Glenrowan between 12 (noon) and 1 o'clock, and I went at once into the room where Ned Kelly was lying at the station. I don't think he is dying; he is penitent and shows a very good disposition; when I asked him to say, "Lord Jesus, have mercy on me," he said it, and added, " It is not to- day I began to say that;" I heard his confession, which I shall not be expected to repeat; as I at first thought he was dying, I anointed him; Kelly freely confessed his intention of wrecking train, &c.

After the house had been burned, Ned Kelly's three sisters and Tom Wright were allowed an interview with him. Tom Wright, as well as the sisters, kissed the wounded man, and a brief conversation ensued, Ned Kelly having, to a certain extent, recovered from the exhaustion consequent on his wounds. At times his eyes were quite bright, and, although he was of course excessively weak, his remarkably powerful physique enabled him to talk rather freely. During the interview he stated: "I was at last surrounded by the police, and only had a revolver, with which I fired four shots, but it was no good. I had half a mind to shoot myself. I loaded my rifle, but could not hold it after I was wounded. I had plenty of ammunition, but it was no good to me. I got shot in the arm, and told Byrne and Dan so. I could have got off, but when I saw them all pounding away I told Dan I would see it over and wait until morning."

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