The True Story of the KellyGang of Bushrangers Chapter 12 page 3

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Mr Hare arrived at Euroa that afternoon but he by no means felt inclined to start with the police party to the Strathbogie Ranges, for he knew nothing of the circumstances, and he told Captain Standish that, for this reason and because he felt very unwell, it would be most unfair to send him out. Captain Standish, who was always ready to attach great weight - too great weight it was generally supposed in the service - to the opinions and wishes of Mr Hare, very readily fell in with this view, and the police party departed under the leadership of Senior Constable Johnson. They remained away for six or seven days in the bush without discovering anything, and on their return reported themselves at Benalla.

From this day there began a new regime in the Kelly pursuit, Mr Nicolson going to Melbourne to take the Chief Commissioner’s place in charge of general and office work, while Captain Standish made Benalla his head quarters and directed operations against the outlaws with the assistance of Mr Hare.

By these officers the system of rushing police all over the country in search parties, which Mr Nicolson had followed, more and more against his own judgement, was vigorously pursued. Just before the Euroa robbery, Mr Nicolson, as private letters of his witnessed, had decided, had he remained in command, to follow a new plan, endeavouring to secure more accurate knowledge and better espionage of the Kellys by agents, and never sending police parties after them except upon the most definite and reliable information. The vague search, he had found, broke down the strength of troopers and horses and made the police more or less a laughing stock to the people of the district, who knew that every move was watched and reported by active Kelly sympathisers, who would be galloping away into the bush, with news almost before the police party had left the barracks.

Mr Wyatt disapproved of this system; Mr Sadlier described it as ‘fooling,’ and Superintendent Nicolson, though against his better judgement he had adopted it and kept the police uselessly active in order to satisfy the public opinion in the colony, had come to recognise the futility of such measures.

Nevertheless, Captain Standish, or rather Mr Hare, who had great influence over the Commissioner, pinned his faith to the police galloping system. In other cases it had had great effect. Ben Hall and Morgan, two notorious bushrangers of earlier dates in New South Wales and Victoria, had been kept constantly on the move, never getting a moment’s rest until Morgan was reported to have said that he would rather be dead than live the miserable hunted life that was his, and finally he was shot at Peechelba, near the border of Victoria and New South Wales. But to hunt and harass the Kellys, as these solitary men were hunted, was a far more difficult task, owing to the numerous sources of information, concealment and supply that number of their relatives and sympathisers afforded them. Of blood relations of the Kellys there were said to be seventy seven in the district, while the number of their connections and loyal sympathisers was legion. Doubtless the Euroa bank robbery did much to add to the ranks of their friends and to increase the loyalty and admiration of existing ones, for the outlaws, having no chance for personally spending the money, largely used it for distribution among their relatives and agents who purchased them ammunition and supplies. Kate Kelly and Mrs Skillion were observed to launch out into great extravagance in dress and to have their pockets full of money immediately after the robbery.

In one respect Captain Standish and Mr Hare were in a better position for vigorous action than Mr Nicolson, since, after the Euroa robbery, not only was the strength of the police increased but a number of the garrison artillery were sent to townships in the district to secure their safety from raiding, thus setting still more of the police free for active patrol work. The expense incurred by the country on account of the Kelly outbreak had already been considerable. From October 26 to December 12 it amounted to £3,408, of which the largest items were £1,000 odd for arms, ammunition and equipment, and £1,000 for travelling allowances to the police, the later expense arising from the fact that men were merely temporarily transferred for duty in the Kelly district, and during their presence there for months at a time received a 5s. per day allowance in excess of their ordinary pay.

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