The True Story of the KellyGang of Bushrangers Chapter 12 page 4

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The Euroa robbery threw the whole colony of Victoria into a wonderful state of indignation and alarm. The Government increased the reward for the apprehension of the Kellys from £500 to £1,000 per head. The banks in large and populous towns, hundreds of miles from the Kelly country, strengthened their premises against attack and armed the bank officials with revolvers. The outlaws were the constant subject of conversation in every corner of the country. ‘Police and Kellys’ became a favourite game among school children everywhere in Victoria , and a game in which the Kellys were always victorious. Then and for many months afterwards the policeman’s lot was not a happy one, if contempt and abuse, very largely undeserved, were calculated to make him unhappy. All the mistakes made by the police were exaggerated, and the most absurd tales were told of their deliberate wish to avoid the outlaws and their refusal to venture into places where they knew them to be. Irresponsible writers, who understood none of the tremendous difficulties which the nature of the country and the people put in the way of pursuit, spoke glibly of the disgrace incurred by the police in not capturing the outlaws off hand, and assured the public that had they control of affairs things would go very differently. It cannot be doubted that mistakes were made. There was a want of concert between the police and the other Government departments, as was shown by the fact that no information was given to the police of the breakage of the telegraph lines at Faithfull’s Creek, whereas an early report might have changed everything. But where the police were to blame the fault seems, as a rule, to have lain at headquarters rather than with the officers actively engaged. The latter, with very few exceptions, worked pluckily, intelligently, and hard; but Captain Standish showed a certain lack of enthusiasm and energy in the supreme direction of affairs which was most discouraging to those under him, while his evident partiality for Mr Hare and his inclination almost to thwart Mr Nicolson were productive of anything but good feeling and discipline in the force. Mr Hare unfortunately, more especially at a later date than up to the time of the Euroa robbery, did more to aggravate than to smooth away the jealousies occasioned by Captain Standish’s ill advised conduct. Active, energetic, courageous and popular with his men, Mr Hare was too little inclined to credit his brother officers with the possession of the same qualities; and his egotism, which led him to take an undue share of credit to himself for every good move, was both during and after the Kelly operations a legitimate cause of soreness and bitterness to the other leaders of the police associated with him. He, however, entered upon his new duties in the North Eastern District with the utmost confidence and enthusiasm, and great things were expected of his association with Captain Standish, in the way of a speedy termination to the Kelly gang’s career.

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