The Argus at KellyGang 7/9/1881
The Police Commission was occupied yesterday hearing Superintendent Sadleir's closing statement. Mr Sadleir reviewed the portions of the evidence affecting his own conduct, and dealt with them in a clear and straightforward manner. Referring to his application to be relieved of the charge of the North-Eastern district, he explained that be was driven to this step by the late Government, who refused to give him the means necessary for the protection of the district. They declined to establish certain new stations he recommended, and to bear the cost of continuing Mr Nicolson's secret agents at work until all danger of a fresh outbreak could be prevented ; and to crown all, the Government or acting-commissioner issued orders for the collection of the camping-out equipments, with the view of storing them at the Richmond depôt. He therefore applied for a change, and thereby threw the responsibility of the district on the Government, and the result was that his successor received reinforcements, and Mr O'Connor was nominated to the command of the black trackers. When he found the Government thus disposed to be more liberal he expressed a strong desire to return to the district. He was briefly cross-examined by Messrs Nicolson and Hare, and also by members of the commission. To-day Mr Nicolson's state ment will be heard.
POLICE COMMISSION
TUESDAY, SEPT. 6
Present – Messrs Longmore (chairman), Dixon , Gibb, Fincham, and Anderson .
Superintendent Sadleir, upon being called upon to make his closing statement, said be took charge of the North-Eastern district in July, 1878. All the witnesses who had a knowledge of the subject had shown that under the best circumstances that district was far too extensive to be supervised efficiently by one man. On taking charge he pointed out this fact to the chief commissioner, who agreed with him, but the Government of the day insisted that the new system, under which two and a half districts had been thrown into one (the North-Eastern) should be carried out. With regard to the preliminary search for the Kelly brothers he (Mr Sadleir) visited Greta for the first time after taking charge on the 30th of July, 1878 , and was there informed, in a mysterious way, by a resident in the neighbourbood, that the Kellys were in the Wombat Ranges . He drove his informant to Mansfield for the purpose of gleaning more information from him, but he (the informant) got the worse of liquor, and became useless. Was also told by Senior-constable Strachan that two horsemen corresponding to the Kellys were seen on a hill in the same neighbourhood.
It was in consequence of the information he had thus obtained that he gave his first instructions to Sergeant Kennedy and his men. Kennedy was to have received more definite information from a man who, however, proved unreliable and reticent. Did not think Kennedy had any information beyond what he (Mr Sadleir) told him, and was satisfied that when he and Scanlan left the others it was with no intention of securing an advantage over them. First received information about the murders when at Dookie on the 29th October. On getting to Benalla found Mr Nicolson despatching police in all directions, and left the pursuit of the gang in his hands. Arranged, however, with Sub-inspector Pewtress for starting parties in search of Sergeant Kennedy. Respecting the positions of Mr Nicolson and himself in the district, all the evidence on the subject showed that Mr Nicolson was in charge of the Kelly operations, and he (Mr Sadleir) of the ordinary work of the district, and this view was held by the commission until Mr Graves and Superintendent Winch gave their opinions.
As a matter of fact his (Mr Sadleir's) original duties were never taken out of his hands, and he was never in any sense superseded. In short, it had been made quite clear that one man could not do both the ordinary and the Kelly work, and that one man was required for each. An officer could only be responsible when he had power to carry out his own opinions, and his conviction was that he had no responsibility even where he acted as a free agent, so long as his action was approved of by his superior officer. Yet he would not shield himself behind that abstract theory. He would accept responsibility to this extent - whenever he acted alone or offered advice which was acted on by his senior officers. The evidence had made it perfectly clear that he always gave every assistance in his power to the officers in charge of the Kelly operations. It was the value and extent of the assistance that had caused some persons to consider him as having taken a separate and independent responsibility in the Kelly business.
He took a personal responsibility in the search at Sebastopol in November, 1878. It was he who collected the police, 23 in number, and not 35, as he had previously estimated. In a letter submitted by Mr Graves it was said that the information about the gang being at Sebastopol was received at Beechworth on a certain day, that five or six constables were ready to start, that an officer dropped in and ordered them to remain and await orders, and that in consequence three days were lost. The facts were that he was the officer referred to, that there were only two constables at Beechworth, that he telegraphed at once for more, and that assistance arrived and the party were on their way to Sebastopol before daylight on the following morning. Another occasion on which he acted on his own responsibility was when the Kellys were reported to have crossed at the one-mile bridge near Wangaratta in November, 1878.
He heard of it from Sergeant Steel at the Benalla station, and directed Steel to go to Wangaratta, to make inquiries, and to report to Mr Brook Smith who was in charge there. Mr Brook Smith subsequently reported to him that the rumour was not confirmed. Regarding the search in the Warby ranges on the 12th November, 1878 , the original tracks were lost before Sergeant Steel gave up the party. As to the information received by witness that Mrs Skillion cooked food for the gang, it had been proved that the hollow log in which one informant said the food was probably deposited was found full of cobwebs and dust.
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