The Argus at KellyGang 7/9/1881 (2)
Sadleir giving evidence
He could not remember the instructions he gave as to the watching of Mrs Skillion's hut to see how the food was conveyed to the outlaws, but this ought to be cleared up by the re-examination of Senior constables Mullane, Flood, and others. With respect now to the reasons which induced Mr Nicolson and himself to go to Albury, not withstanding Mr Wyatt's information about the wires being cut at Euroa, witness had made up his mind that the outlaws would probably attempt to cross the Murray at Howlong, and that a party of police ought to be stationed there to intercept them. Mr Nicolson, who had just returned from Fernhills, approved of this, and determined to go with him to Albury, so that he might confer with the New South Wales police officer.
They were just on the point of leaving when Mr Wyatt arrived. Now, although the wires were cut at 2 o'clock , and although Mr Nicolson had despatched a telegram to Captain Standish at a quarter to 6 pm , and although they were quite close to the telegraph office, they received no notice of any interruption. Mr Wyatt's excited manner when he arrived at the station had already been described. He took Mr Nicolson into a room, and shut witness out. He had previously cautioned the railway officials to give no information, and he thus took away all means of corroborating his own statement. In the few minutes available for consideration no sufficient reason appeared for Mr Nicolson and witness altering their plans. Mr Wyatt had admitted that the first account given of this matter by witness was more reliable than his own, and Sergeant Whelan had stated that Mr Wyatt did not lead him to believe for hours that the Kellys had any-thing to do with the breaking of the wires. He (Mr Sadleir) first felt uneasy when passing Glenrowan. There he saw a well-known sympathiser looking out from the shadow of the station as if for news, but keeping him-self carefully out of the light. Captain Standish's statement that Mr Nicolson was aware that a bank was to be stuck up in the North-eastern district was probably based on a certain newspaper paragraph.
Mr Nicolson and witness returned from Wodonga on the morning of the 11th December. Witness took the Wangaratta police to Lake Rowan , moving along the foot of the Warby Ranges. A sharp lookout was kept for tracks, and some having been found, he set a blacktracker who accompanied them to follow them up. Thiese tracks eventually went into scrub, into which witness himself led the way, but there they were lost. Searched about Glenrowan without result, and then went to Benalla. Respecting certain information received about the Kellys having been seen on the 28th September, 1879 , witness showed that the part he took in the matter did not in any way prevent success.
Coming to the Glenrowan affair, he said he started from Benalla at 10 minutes to 5 am on the 28th June, 1880 , and arrived at Glenrowan at about half past 5 o'clock . It was still dark, and he had had no previous knowledge of Constable Bracken having escaped, nor any opportunity of learning the real state of things. Asked Senior-constable Kelly where the men were placed, and then sent Sergeant Whelan with others to watch the side of the building which most needed reinforcements. Then sought Mr O'Connor, who told him that the hotel was barricaded with furniture and bags of grain. They discussed the question of forcing an entrance, and concluded that there was no way of doing it. Regarded Mr O'Connor as the officer in charge after Mr Hare left. Witness then give a detailed account of his movements during the morning, and throughout the day, and of the instructions he issued to the men. He directed that his men should be placed all round the building, and that they should fire breast high. Whilst it was dark, witness decided that nothing could be done until daylight, except to keep the house guarded.
When Ned Kelly was captured, the fact that the gang wore armour was proved, and this made matters far more difficult. It was when he was subsequently talking with Dr Nicholson and others that the question of sending for a cannon was mentioned, and not when he was with the reporters, as he formerly stated. All reasonable precautions for the safety of the prisoners of the gang were taken even before witness arrived. This was proved by the fact that no innocent person was injured after the first volley except young Riordan, and he was deliberately fired at in mistake for an outlaw. No doubt there was some unnecessary firing, but no officer could prevent that under such extraordinary circumstances. Witness's instructions were – "There are a number of innocent persons in the house. If you fire, do so breast-high. Firing is not necessary at present, unless the outlaws appear at the doors and windows, and then you can fire at them." Up to the burning of the house witness was continually in the field, watching for a chance at the outlaws, or at the station, receiving or despatching telegrams.
The public had always thought it strange that four outlaws, then three, and subsequently only two should have kept over 40 police at bay a whole day. The fact, however, was that it was he (Mr Sadleir) who held the police back against their own inclinations, and against the urging of the onlookers, and there was nothing in his conduct that day which gave him greater satisfaction than his continued determination, in spite of much importunity, to allow no policeman to risk his life unnecessarily. They had the outlaws in their hands, and it would have been his fault had a single constable been disabled without sufficient reason. Had they failed to burn the house, he had arranged to rush it before night, and in that case be would have been the first man to enter it himself. He had taken ropes with him from Benalla to pull the chimneys down, but the frequency and accuracy of the firing of the outlaws rendered that plan impracticable. As to the propriety of burning the house, he submitted that the whole weight of the evidence was in its favour.
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