Royal Commission report day 1 page 5
The Royal Commission evidence for 23/3/1881
(see also introduction to day 1 ) Captain Standish evidence
18 You desire to continue your narrative for the present, till the Kellys were taken?- Yes, I think it would be better.
19 Very well?- About a fortnight before the Euroa bank was stuck up in December 1878, I received information from Mr. Nicolson that a bank would be probably stuck up in the North Eastern district.
20 A bank?- Yes. I at once issued instructions to Mr. Hare, who had several stations on the line of railway, to warn him to take the necessary steps to protect the banks in his part of the district. Inspector Green also received similar information from a prisoner in Pentridge. No provision was made whatever to protect the banks at Euroa and Violet Town.
21 Whose district was that?- Under Mr. Nicolson, the North Eastern district; and as both those townships were close to the Strathbogie ranges, it was almost sure that one of those would be selected as the bank to be stuck up. On the l0th December, shortly after I returned from a public dinner at the Town Hall, I received information that the Euroa bank had been stuck up.
22 What is the date on which you warned them to protect the banks?- Immediately after I had received the information, a week or ten days before the bank was stuck up.
23 That warning was simply conveyed to Superintendent Hare and Inspector Green believing that Superintendent Nicolson, having given the information, would take the necessary steps himself?- Yes, it was his duty to do so. At 11 p.m. on the night of the 10th I received information that the Euroa bank had been stuck up. I rushed down to the telegraph office and was there most of the night telegraphing.
24 At what hour?- A little before 12 o'clock; and I was at the office on and off nearly the whole of the night telegraphing. Communication was interrupted with Benalla, and I had to telegraph through Deniliquin and Albury; and having heard that Mr. Nicolson had gone to Albury I sent a telegram to him there, which, I believe was the first intimation he had of it. The ensuing day I had to remain in town to see the manager of the National Bank, and to arrange other matters in connection with the pursuit of the Kellys. I started the following morning, the 12th by the 6.10 a.m. train, and arrived at Euroa about l0 o'clock.
25 You started by the first train?- Yes the early train. I there saw Mr. Nicolson, found him very much knocked up in appearance, and his eyes bad, and so I instructed him to return to Melbourne to take temporary charge of the Police Department, my office, in my absence informing him that I should remain at Benalla some time. He was very much knocked up physically; he had had very hard work; that was on the 12th December.
26 That is two days after the robbery?- The robbery was on the evening of the 10th, and I came by the early train on the 12th. Mr. Hare came up, by my instructions, by the evening train. I proceeded to Benalla by the evening train, and the next day had a long conference with Mr. Wyatt the police magistrate. Mr. Wyatt informed me that he was returning from Seymour, or some town on the line of railway, the night the bank was stuck up, and that as the train approached Faithfull's Creek, near Euroa, they pulled up and saw the telegraph lines on both sides of the railway had been smashed up a couple of hundred yards.
27 They stopped the train to see that?- Yes; and Mr. Wyatt informed me that he got out and picked out a bundle of broken telegraph wires, and took them up with him. On arriving at the Benalla railway station Mr. Wyatt met Mr. Nicolson and Mr. Sadleir.
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