The Argus at KellyGang 5/12/1891
THE LAST OF THE BUSHRANGERS
Mr F Hare, police magistrate, and lately superintendent of police, has written a book on his experiences in Victoria , mainly devoted to the exploits and capture of the Kelly gang, and an advance copy has been forwarded to us by Messrs Melville, Mullen and Slade. The title is as given above, which may perhaps be justified—at least we hope so. The opening chapters are all about the writer, his experiences in the early days of the colony, and so on; and Mr Hare may be congratulated upon his twofold success, for he not merely lived through many narrow escapes, but is able to chat about them in a very entertaining manner. This, indeed, may be admitted of the whole book, for Mr Hare has shown no mean quality as a writer. Whatever may be said, he is not diffuse. His "yarns" are to the point and racy of the soil. In the beginning we find that he was the son of an English officer, and was born in Cape Colony in 1830. He came to Victoria in 1852, and lived the life of a digger with all its attendant excitement and with moderate success. As with most other men of his day he was hunted now and again by the police for his license, and learned some tricks which served him in good stead when shortly afterwards he was appointed a lieutenant in the police force, and was in turn called on to vindicate the law. It is not given to everyone to graduate as Mr Hare did, and the Queen, no doubt, had a more vigilant servant in him than Her Majesty would have had under other circumstances.
He raises an interesting point in describing the Spring Creek rush (now known as Beechworth). "The diggers," he says, "were up in arms against the Government officials, and whenever a policeman or any other Government servant was seen they raised the cry of 'Joe-Joe.' I never heard the origin of the word." Surely there must be someone who can enlighten him and students generally as to the first use of the term, which was familiar to every man in the fifties. One feasible explanation has probably not been heard by Mr Hare. It is this. In the earliest days of the diggings proclamations were issued on diverse subjects, but mostly in the direction of curtailing the privileges of the miners. These, so it is said, were all signed, "C. Joseph La Trobe," and became known by the irreverent—not to say flippant —description of “Joes." By an easy transition, the corruption of the second name of the Governor was applied to his officers, between whom and the spirited diggers no love was lost, and accordingly the appearance of a policeman on a lead was signalled to every tent and hole by the cry of “Joe-Joe."
It would be a pity if the generation of forty years ago were to pass away and leave this point in doubt.
Mr Hare, as is well known, took part in the capture of Power, the bushranger, and he tells the story clearly and concisely. It is to be regretted, however, that he should have refrained from mentioning the names of the comrades who acted with him, one being a senior officer, the other a junior, and both now respected members of the public service. Mr Hare speaks of "my brother officer" and "my clerk" in telling how they followed up the trail which led to Power's hut. He admits that "my brother officer" undertook the delicate task of enlisting the services of a friend of Power's, who put them on the trail, but hardly does himself justice in withholding the name of the colleague. Everyone who has knowledge of the subject is aware that it was Mr Nicolson, police magistrate, and recently assistant commissioner of police, who was with Mr Hare at the time; and that "my clerk" was Superintendent (then Sergeant) Montfort. Those who care to recall the exploits of Power will be interested in the statement that after his release from Pentridge he was employed as gamekeeper to Sir William Clarke at Bald Hill Station. Mr Hare had a conversation with him there." He appeared very dissatisfied at the unexciting life he was leading. He was a hale, strong man, even then very fond of telling his experiences to anyone who would listen to him.
As a necessary introduction to his account of the Kelly gang, Mr Hare very properly describes the four members, shows the bad stock from which they came, and gives such a picture of the country as should make it somewhat easy for readers outside Australia to understand how it was possible for them to evade capture for so long. The active support of sympathisers, and the fact that honest settlers were deterred by fear from giving the police assistance account for the delay in exterminating them. It cost £115,000 to bring them to earth, while at least six or seven innocent lives were sacrificed. Mr Hare brings all the important episodes into relief, tells of the murder of Sergeant Kennedy and Constables Lonergan and Scanlan ,recounts the raid on Younghusband's station and the audacious but wonderfully planned robbery of the bank at Euroa, gives due space to the descent on Jerilderie and the looting of the bank in that place takes the reader into his confidence in regard to his negotiations with Aaron Sherritt (who was a friend of the gang, and was subsequently murdered by Joe Byrne for his perfidy), describes some of the hunting expeditions through the ranges after the outlaws, and finally deals with the well-remembered fight at Glenrowan. Of all this the most entertaining gossip is about Sherritt. Mr Hare claims that he won strong regard from that young scapegrace, who worked assiduously and suffered much for the police in their attempts to capture the Kellys. Notwithstanding that Sherritt was afterwards shot, which was indication that the gang believed him to have betrayed them, it is difficult to repress the suspicion that after all he was not sincere in his service to Mr Hare. The pun is not intentional, but it must be said that he appears to have been running with the hare and hunting with the hounds. No doubt he had some purpose in life. Probably it was to furnish Mr Hare with material for some very entertaining, if not very edifying, chapters in his book. The author was wounded in the first volley fired from the Glenrowan Hotel, and had to return to Benalla; therefore he has been obliged to give an account of the fight written by one of the spectators. It is a pity, however, that he did not deal more fully with some of the antecedent events in order that the uninformed reader might the better appreciate the story. For instance, no information whatever is given as to how the outlaws became possessed of armour, yet the fact that they wore armour was one of the most extraordinary things in the whole affair. The police records contain ample material from which information on this point might have been obtained.
It is matter for regret that he should have failed to do justice to the efforts of Mr Nicolson when in charge of the operations against the Kellys. The only reference by name to that gentleman (and his name is misspelt) is a quotation from remarks by the late Mr Ramsay when Chief Secretary—a quotation which is in terms of disparagement. Mr Hare, in venturing upon authorship, could hardly have been unaware of his obligations, but in his references to Mr Nicolson he speaks as a rival.
At this distance of time it would have been becoming to have forgotten such differences as kept them apart in the police force. Moreover, the reader is entitled to have history told without important omissions. For our part we have no desire to revive the disagreements between the two officers, but since Mr Hare has told his story, it is due to Mr Nicolson to briefly refer to his version. When before the Police Commission he stated that on being recalled from the Kelly country he urgently requested to be allowed to remain for a few weeks longer, feeling that he had the gang almost within his grasp. He claimed before the commission to have predicted (before being withdrawn) that they must soon break cover, for their resources had been exhausted, and their sympathisers alienated by the "secret service" policy he had adopted. His request was not complied with, and he returned to Melbourne . The gang re-appeared less than four weeks afterwards. Mr Hare's best friends will be sorry that he should have laid himself open to criticism in this connection, more especially as he writes in the opening chapter—" My aim has been to keep within the record, to extenuate nothing, nor to set down aught in malice."
- The Last of the Bushrangers: An Account of the Capture of the Kelly Gang. By Francis Augustus Hare, PM, late superintendent of Victorian police. London : Hurst and Blackett. 1892.
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