The Argus at KellyGang 19/5/1879 (2)
' It may not be generally known, but it nevertheless is the fact," says the Warrambool Guardian. "that some months ago an offer was made by a resident in this district to go in search of the Kellys, and had that offer been accepted, it might have been un-necessary to have brought black trackers all the way from Queensland to amuse themselves about Benalla at the expense of the Victorian public. About five months or so past, and shortly after the first ineffectual attempts of the police to discover the whereabouts of the Mansfield murderers, Mr M William Goodall, the superintendent of the aboriginal station at Framlingham, wrote to the Acting Chief Secretary, offering to take four of the blacks under his charge and three or four others from Coranderrk who were acquainted with the country around Mansfield and Greta, and track out the fugitives, supposing them to be then concealed in the ranges. It was Mr Goodall's intention to have used his men merely to discover the whereabouts of the Kellys, to get on their track in fact, and then leave the police to follow it up and that, he maintains, is only to be done by going to look for them, and not waiting outside until the outlaws chose to show themselves again. The offer was, however, declined by Sir Bryan O'Loghlen - the answer returned to Mr Goodall being that his services were not required at present."
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