The Complete Inner History of the KellyGang and their Pursuers (44)

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CHAPTER XI

continued

This letter was responsible for diverting the attention of the heads of the police force at Benalla to Albury while the Kellys entertained the Euroa bank manager and his wife and family and staff with tea at Faithful Creek homestead.

“Renwick” was the alias of another spy named Lawrence Kirwan, of Carbour, near Oxley, farmer, who on oath stated:—

(1)          That in April, 1879, I was employed by Mr Hare as a scout and guide to assist the police in the pursuit of the Kellys, at the rate of £1 per day.

(2)          That I acted as scout or guide for different parties of police for thirteen days and received in payment therefor the sum of thirteen pounds.

(3)          That I was instructed by Mr Sadleir to go out and seek information on the gang, and, acting on those instructions, I went to Benalla, round Mt Emu and Dondongadale River, where I met Mr Furnell and party; thence back to Carbour, and then up the Mitta River to Beechworth, where I met Detective Ward, who approved of what I was doing.  I went next to the Little River, and then to the Upper Murray by way of Cotton Tree Hill, but found no traces, and returned to Benalla and reported where had been, and that I had found no traces of the gang.

(4)          That when I sent in claim for payment for the time I was out seeking information, Mr Sadleir declined to pay me, as he said he did not know I was out; and I was left by this decision without a shilling and had to borrow ten shillings to take me home.

(5)        In September or October, 1879, I got a written message from Mr Assistant Commissioner Nicolson to meet him at Wangaratta.  I went in on Monday to Wangaratta and saw Mr Nicolson, who asked me to go out and seek traces of the gang.  I refused to go on the ground that I had a claim against Mr Hare and Mr Sadleir for services which they declined to recognise.  Mr Nicolson pressed me to go out, but I several times refused to go.  I explained to Mr Nicolson my claims and he said he would do his best to get the amount for me.  Mr Nicolson said he had heard of the disputed claim at Benalla and that he knew he would be handicapped over it.  I understood that Mr Nicolson meant that this disputed claim would prevent my working for him.  I afterwards saw Mr Nicolson; three days after I agreed to go out under him.  I went out alone the following day.  I was out four days on the King River, I went out with specific instructions to see if there were camps or traces of camps in certain localities on the river.  I found no traces.  I found an old saddle, which afterwards proved to be one of the saddles belonging to the police murdered at the Wombat.  There were floods in the King River, which interfered with the search I was directed to make.  I returned to Wangaratta and saw Mr Nicolson and reported to him.

(6)        That I remained in MrNicolson’s service until the first day of June, 1880.  That I was paid for all the time I was working for him.  I was paid all the time I was out, whether I got information or not.  I never had a dispute with Mr Nicolson.  I was paid by Mr Nicolson the sum of twenty-six pounds, fifteen shillings.  When not employed by Mr Nicolson I was idle, so that I received only twenty-six pounds, fifteen shillings in twenty-seven weeks.

(7)        That when Mr Nicolson was leaving the district I saw him near Beechworth.  He told me he was about to leave and paid me three pounds which were due to me.  He told me that Mr Hare was coming to take charge and that he (Mr Nicolson) would like me to go on working for him.  I told Mr Nicolson I did not think I would, and added that if he was going to leave I would knock off working.  Mr Nicolson pressed me to stay on, and I at last said I would go down to Benalla and see Mr Hare on the subject.

(8)        That what I said might have led Mr Nicolson to believe that I intended to go on working for Mr Hare.

(9)        That Mr Nicolson could not have said more than he did to induce me to remain working for Mr Hare.  I did not mention my claim to Mr Nicolson on this occasion.

(10)      I never spoke to Mr Nicolson again until August, 1880.

(11)      I went to Benalla and saw Mr Hare.  He asked me to work for him.  He said: “I want you to keep on working for me the same as you have been doing for Mr Nicolson, as you know the locality and the whole affair.” I said I wanted my disputed claim paid before I would do any more work.  He said: “Can’t help that; it is nothing to do with me.” I said that I had asked Mr Sadleir and he gave me the same reply, and if that was the way of it I was quite full of it and would work no more.  I went home by train.

(12)      That I met Detective Ward afterwards, and he told me that when Mr Hare complained to him of my refusal to work he (Ward) said I had a disputed claim with the department for work performed, and that Mr Hare had said in reply: “If Kirwan had told me that I would have made it all right.”

(13)      That from the information I was supplying and from the movements of the gang and police, I am sure that Mr Nicolson and his party must have encountered the gang within a few days of the time Mr Nicolson was removed.  An encounter could not have been postponed for ten days, and might have occurred in four or five.—LAWRENCE KIRWAN.  Sworn at Wangaratta, in the Colony of Victoria, this fifth day of September, one thousand eight hundred and eighty-one, before me, Fred J M Marsden, a Commissioner of the Supreme Court of the Colony of Victoria for taking Affidavits. (RC16863)

Towards the end of 1879 each of the permanent police spies developed the spirit of prophecy to a very high degree.  They always reported that the Kellys were starved out; that they were very thin, and would soon be caught.  Dan Kelly, as a matter of fact, had developed into a fine, well made man, although he was only ninteen years old when he died at Glenrowan.  Constable Bracken, who had been arrested by the Kellys at Glenrowan, said that the four bushrangers were in the pink of condition; that Ned Kelly was fit to win the Melbourne Cup.

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This document gives you the text of this book about the KellyGang. The text has been retyped from a copy of the original. We have taken care to reproduce this document but areas of the original text may been damaged. We also apologise for any typographical errors. JJ Kenneally was one of the first authors to tell this story from the KellyGang's point of view