The Age (38)
The Age continued with its report of Ned Kelly's committal hearing in Beechworth
full text of article
see previous
Cross examined: I left Mr Younghusband’s employ in 1879. I told Detective Ward what I have said and he wrote something on his book. I did not have any conversation with any of the other men who came with Kelly. I have read the report in the newspapers. I read Saturday’s paper. I read the Age. I did not read the whole of M’Intyre’s evidence, and did not see how much my evidence and that of M’Intyre might clash. I spoke to M’Intyre on Friday in the barrack yard. M’Intyre asked me, “How did Kelly make his statement to you?” The first time I saw M’Intyre was at Glenrowan. I did speak to him there. I was summoned here as a witness on Thursday, and stopped in the barrack yard. Mr Gaunson: Practically in the custody of the police.
Witness: Yes Sir. I might leave if I liked. I went straight to the barracks and did not leave the barracks that night.. The next day I stopped in the witness room. I saw Ward standing in the passage. I did not have any conversation with the police about my evidence.
Mr Gaunson: Then what was your conversation with M’Intyre on Friday about.
Witness: He asked me what I had to say , and I told him that Kelly had told me that Lonigan, when bailed up, ran behind a log. That is all I told him. M’Intyre said that was not the way it happened; that when he wheeled round he saw four men standing armed with guns, and Lonigan never got behind the logs at all. Immediately Lonigan started to run Kelly moved the gun and shot him. I told Ward of the conversation with Kelly. Two or three days after I saw Kelly I made a statement to Sergeant Ducy in Melbourne after the Glenrowan affair. He found me in Abbott’s sale room, in Bourke street . He called me into Abbott’s sale yards, and took down what I had to say. Constable Boyd served subpoena upon me. He did not say anything to me about the great anxiety of the police to see Kelly acquitted. He did not say that Kelly would not be hanged. He said that “Kelly in his opinion, would be hanged, and that he ought to be hanged.” I have no opinion with regard to Kelly. I do not think he will be acquitted. I think he will be hanged. (On hearing this Kelly laughed.) If all is true that Kelly told me, my opinion is he ought to be hanged. I believe all he told me. I have not been promised any situation under Government. I was at Glenrowan in the beginning of June on private business. I saw Kelly at Benalla.
Mr Gaunson: What took you there?
Witness: Well, I was employed as a detective.
Mr Gaunson: Then I will drag out of you what you were doing at Glenrowan.
Witness: I was employed there as a detective.
Mr Gaunson: This is your disinterestedness. You have purposely deceived me by saying that you did not expect a situation from the Government. What have you been doing since you left Younghusband’s?
Witness: I entered into the employ of the Government at the end the month. After I left Younghusband’s I saw Mr Nicolson in Benalla and he put me on about the end of January. The agreement was that I was to go out and try to come across the Kelly’s.
Mr Gaunson: I suppose you had a great anxiety to meet them?
Witness: I had. I was told by Mr Nicolson that he would give me 6s per day, and any …….. out, he said would be refunded. I drew my last pay on the Tuesday after they were taken. I do not think I am entitled to any of the reward. I worked hard to earn it. I expect to get into some ……… or this trial; at least. I intend to try it. It was on Government business that I went to Glenrowan; it was bush work connected with the task. I sent in reports to Mr Nicolson from time to time of my doings. It was in the middle of March I went to Glenrowan, and I remained there until about a fortnight before the arrest of the prisoner. I left to go to another part of the district to a farmer’s place -
Mr Smyth: I object to the farmer’s name being mentioned.
Mr Gaunson: I do not want to know that.
Witness: I was in Benalla on the day on which I heard of the capture of the prisoner. I saw the prisoner that night when he was brought to Benalla. I saw him in the trap which brought him from the station. I was at Glenrowan for about three months.
Mr Gaunson: In whose employment were you?
Mr Smyth objected to the question. In the present state of the colony to have the names of people disclosed from whom the police got information was positively dangerous.
Mr Gaunson: I do not ask from whom the witness got information. I ask him by whom he was employed. As to the dangerous state of the country, that is a mere scare. To the witness: Were you in the employ of Patrick Henneasy, at Glenrowan?
| ! | 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. |
