Ovens and Murray Advertiser at KellyGang 24/7/1880 (7)
Full text of the article
“From the date of my arrival at Benalla up to Sunday, the 27th June, I heard nothing positive concerning the movements of the outlaws, although their agents and sympathisers were particularly active, and I was privately informed that the outlaws were about to commence some outrages which would not only astonish Australia, but the whole world.
“On the 24th I received a communication from you that Mr O’Connor and his black trackers were to be sent back to Queensland.I informed Mr O’Connor accordingly.The next morning he started away from Benalla with his ‘boys.’ I had but one Queensland black of our own at Benalla, and there was another at Mansfield. I telegraphed for the one at Mansfield to be sent down to Benalla at once, so that I might have two trackers in case anything happened before Mr Chomley, who had gone to Queensland for a fresh supply of trackers for our own force, returned, as I did not expect him back for eight or ten days.
“On Sunday, the 26th ult., I was at the telegraph-office, at Benalla, at 10 o’clock a.m.I received telegrams from all the stations in the district that all was quiet.I made an appointment with the telegraph master to be at the office again at 9 p.m.About half-past two o’clock that day received a memo.From the railway telegraph-office to go to the general telegraph office, as there was important information for me there, and a memo.To the same effect had been sent to the telegraph-master.I lost no time in going there, and received a message from Beechworth that Aaron Sherritt, in whose house I had a watch party, had been shot the previous evening at 6 o’clock. I immediately sent for Mr Sadleir, and we consulted together as the best course to adopt.First of all we decided to give you all the information in our possession, and ask you to request Mr O’Connor to return without loss of time to Benalla, with his ‘boys,’ as we considered they might have a good chance of tracking the outlaws from Sherritt’s house.
“About 8 o’clock that evening I received a telegraph ?? be sent up by? ? leaving town at 10 o’clock.I also telegraphed to you, asking authority to send on a pilot engine in front of our train. Your reply to me was, ‘A good idea; there’s no knowing what desperate deed the outlaws may now be guilty of.Have the pilot.’
“The whole afternoon Mr Sadleir and myself were engaged in the telegraph office, warning all stations to be on the alert, and at places where there were no telegraph offices private messengers were employed, and sent out to convey the information of the outrage at Beechworth, and to be on the alert also. “I started off then for the railway station having previously sent word to the station-master to have an engine ready to go Beechworth as soon as possible, as it was my intention to take up my party and the two trackers, in the event of Mr O’Connor not consenting to return. I told Mr Stephens, stationmaster, that a special was to leave town at 10 o’clock, and that I wished the engine that I had ordered to act as pilot to the train to Beechworth, which would reach Benalla about 2 am.
“He informed me that he had no engine there which could run to Beechworth, that line requiring peculiar engines. I requested him to get the engine which was to come down to Wangaratta from Beechworth the following morning to get up steam at once, run down to Wangaratta, and wait there till my arrival, so that it could act as pilot thence to Beechworth. He consented to do this, and also to have trucks ready to convey the horses and men from Benalla to Beechworth.
“I then returned to the telegraph office, where Mr Sadleir had remained during my absence. We made arrangements for horses and provisions to be ready for the trackers, and told off the following men to accompany me to Beechworth:—Senior-constable Kelly, Constables Barry, Arthur, Gascoigne, Canny, Kirkham and Phillips; leaving a party behind us all ready equipped, with two black trackers, for Mr Sadleir, in case anything occurred while I was away.I remained in the telegraph office until 10 o’clock p.m. Having completed all arrangements, I went to lie down for two or three hours, as I expected to reach Sherritt’s house at day-break the next morning, to commence tracking from there.
.1. , .2. , .3. , .4. ,.5. , .6. , .7. , .8. , .9. , .10. , .11. , .12. , .13. , .14. , .15. ,
| ! | 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. |
