The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-08-14 00:00:00

THE BUSHRANGERS IN AUSTRALIA.

The Times of Tuesday publishes the following from their
Correspondent
MELBOURNE, July 29.

_
An event has occurred which has for the moment
quite eclipsed the interest felt in the political situation.
The Kelly gang of bushrangers, who, notwithstanding
their extraordinary career of murder and rapine, have
so long defied all the efforts of the police to capture
them, were run to earth the night before last
at Jones's Hotel, Glenrowan, a town on the
north-eastern line of railway, about 136 miles from
Melbourne. For very many months special parties
of police,
.assisted by black-trackers, have been scour-
ing in vain what has been called the Kdlly country, in
the neighbourhood of Beechworth. Proclaimed out-
laws for the enormous crimes they had committed,
many thousands of pounds reward had been offered by
the Government for their apprehension and it has
been stated that they have cost the country upwards
of 245,000 in the various efforts made to brim: them to
justice. They have at last somewhat precipitated their
own fate by a daring attack OA a hut in which a party of
police were assembled. In this hut was a man known to
them, a member of the police force against whom
the gang had a special grudge, and by a stratagem
he was induced to come from the hut, suspecting
no harm, when he was shot dead in cold blood by
a ruffian named Byrne, one of the gang. The bush-
rangers then demanded that the Police should come
out, and on the latter refusing many shots were
fired into the hut, fortunately none of them taking
effect. As the night was dark, the police could not
see their assailants, and therefore any attempt to
return the fire would have been useless. After an
ineffectual attempt to burn the hut over the heads
of the inmates, the gang retired and made for the
place where the police finally came upon them.
Apprehending that a special train would be employed
for the purpose of pursuing them in the direction of
their well-known fastnesses in the mountain country,
they caused the rails to be taken up near Glenrowan ;
but this was discovered before any catastrophe could
ensue. The public-house in which they had intrenched
themselves was some time afterwards surrounded and
besieged by the police, many shots being fired on each
side. The man Byrne was shot dead, and Ned Kelly,
the leader of the gang, was taken after receiving
several wounds. He was in a sort of armour made
out of ploughshares, and it was some time before the
shots of the police told.

After the gang had perpetrated their last outrage, a special
train, containing Superintendent Hare and a body of police,
was despatched from Melbourne at 10 15 on the Sunday
night. The bandits, however, had made their arrangements.
On the Sunday morning they descended on Glenrowan, a
little township at the foct of the ranges where the Kellys
had their haunts, and on the Melbourne side of Beechwood.
Here they imprisoned the residents, compelled two plate-
layers to tear the line up beyond Glenrowan, and threatened
to blow out the brains of the stationmaster if he signalled to
the special train. John Stanistreet, the stationmaster at
Glenrowan, has thus described what occurred (says the
Melbourne Argus):—

"About three o'clock on Sunday morning a knock
came to my door. I live at the gatehouse, within 100
yards of the station, on the Melbourne side. I jumped
out of bed, and thinking it was someone wishing to
get through the gates in a hurry, I proceeded to dress,
and after getting half my clothes on, I went to the
door. Just as I arrived at the door it was burst in.
When the door was burst in, I asked, "Who are
you; what is this for?' The answer was, 'I am Ned
Kelly.' I saw a man clad in an overcoat, who
walked in with me to my bedroom. Mrs. Stani-
street and the children were there in bed.
There were two little girls and one infant. Ned
Kelly said to me, 'You have to come with
me and take up the rails.' I replied, 'Wait until I
dress ; ' and I completed my dress and followed him
out of the house on the railway line. I found seven
or eight men standing at the gate looking over the
line near Mrs. Jones's, Glenrowan Inn. Ned Kelly,
speaking to me, said, 'Now, you direct those men
how to raise some of the rails, as we expect a special
train very soon.' I objected, saying I know nothing
about lifting rails off the line. The only person that
understand it are the repairers, and they live outside
and on the line.' Ned went on aipong to Reardon, the
platelayer's house which stands about a quarter of
a mile along the line southward. I and the
other men were left in charge of Steve Hart.
Ned Kelly went on to Reardon's house. Steve
Hart gave me a prod with his gun in the side and said,
You get the tools-out that are mcessary to raise
those rails. 'I replied, I have not the key of the
chest.' He said, 'We'll break the lock,' and he got
one of the men to do so. They took all the tools out
of the chest, which lay in a back shed or a toolhouse
between the station and the crossing. Soon after-
wards Ned and two of the repairers, Reardon and
Sullivan, arrived. Ned, accompanied by`these two
men, proceeded down the line towards Wangaratta.
We stood with Hart in the cold at the hut for about
two hours. At last Ned Kelley and the repairer re-
turned. Ned inquired about the signalling on the
line—how I stopped trains with the signal lamps.
He then said, There is a special train coming, and
you will give no signal.' Then speaking to Hart,
he said, Watch his countenance, and if he
gives any signal shoot him.' He marched us into my
house, and left us under the charge of Steve Hart.
Subsequently other persons were wade prisoners and
lodged in my house, to the number of about seventeen.
They were the Reardon family, the Ryan family, Tom
Cameron, son of a gatekeeper on the line, and others
whom I don't remember. We were locked up all day
on Sunday, but we were allowed out under surveil-
lance. The women were allowed to go to Jones's Hotel
about dark. All the men but myself and family went
to the hotel soon afterwards. Steve Hart remained
with us all night. During the night Dan Kelly relieved
Hart, and he was afterwards relieved by Byrne. Just
before the special train arrived this morning I was
ordered by Hart, who was on and off duty throughout
the night, to follow him over to Jones's, and not to
signal the train. I went into the back kitchen, and
found there Mrs. Jones, with her daughter, about 14,
and two younger children. There was also a man
named Neil Al'Kean. By this time the train had
arrived, and firing was going on furiously, and we all
took shelter about the chimney. The house is a mere
shell of a structure. The gang disappeared from me
when the firing commenced."

Meanwhile the train had not blindly dashed into the pit
dug lor it. Superintendent Hare anticipated a trick of
the kind, and arranged that a pilot-engine should run in
front of the special, and that a watch should be kept from
it on the track, and that precaution would have saved the
force even if the alarm had not been given. But the alarm
was given. A platelayer stopped the special outside of
Glenrowan, and, instead of seeing the train wrecked
the gang found the police upon them. The four outlaws—
Edward Kelly and his brother Daniel, Byrne, and Hart—
took refuge in an hotel kept by a woman named Jones, in
whiah the gang confined a large number of civilians. Super-
intendent Hare and his men, assisted by some Queensland
"black-trackers," under Sub-Inspector O'Connor, at once
laid seige.—The following interesting details of the attack
by the police on the hotel where the bushr -ngers were
ensconced is abridged from the llelbourne Argus:—
"No sooner were we out of the train than Con-
stable Bracken, the local policeman, rushed into our
midst, and stated, with an amount of excitement which
was excusable under the circumstances, that he had
just escaped from the Kellys, and that they were at
that moment in possession of Jones's publichouse,
about one hundred yards from the station. He called
upon the police to surround the house, and his advice
was followed without delay. Superintendent Hare
with his men, and Sub-Inspector O'Connor, with his
black-trackers, at once advanced to the building.
They were accompanied by Mr. Rawlins, a volun-
teer from Benalla, who did good service. Mr. Hare
took the lead and charged right up to the hotel.
At the station were the reporters of the Mel-
bourne Press, Mr. Carrington, of the Sketcher,
and the two ladies who had accompanied us. The
latter behaved with admirable courage, never betray-
ing a symptom of fear, although bullets were whizzing
about the station and striking the building and train.
The first brush was exceedingly hot. The police and
the gang blazed away at each other in the darkness
furiously. It lasted for about a quarter of all hour,
and during that time there was nothing but a succession
of flashes and reports, the pinging of bullets in the air,
and the shrieks of women who had been made prisoners
in the hotel. Then there was a lull, but nothing could
be seen for a minute or two in consequence of the
smoke. In a few minutes Superintendent Hare re-
turned to the railway station with a shattered wrist.
The first shot fired by the gang had passed through his
left wrist. He bled profusely from the wound, but Mr.
Carrington tied up the wound with his handkerchief
and checked the hemorrhage. Mr. Hare then set out
again for the fray, and cheered his men on as well as
he could, but he gradually became so weak from loss
of blood that he had reluctantly to retire, and was
soon afterwards conveyed to Benalla by a special
engine. On his departure Sub-Inspector O'Connor
and Senior Constable Kelly took charge, and kept
pelting away at the outlaws all the morning. Mr.
O'Connor took up a position in a small creek in front
of the hotel, and disposed his black fellows one on
each side, and stuck to this post gallantly throughout
the whole encounter. The trackers also stood the
baptism of fire with fortitude, never flinching for one
instant.

"At about five o'clock in the morning a heartrend-
ing wail of grief ascended from the hotel. The voice
was easily distinguished as that of Mrs. Jones, the
landlady. Mrs. Jones was lamenting the fate of her
son, who had been shot in the back, as she supposed
fatally. She came out of the hotel crying bitterly, and
wandered into the bush on several occasions. She
always returned, however, to the hotel, until .she suc-
ceeded, with the assistance of one of the prisoners, in
removing her wounded boy from the building and in
sending him on to Wangaratta for medical treatment.
The firing continued intermittently, as occasion
served, and bullets were continually heard coursing
through the air. Several lodged in the station
buildings, and a few struck the train. By this
time the hotel was completely surrounded by the police
and the black-trackers, and a vigilant watch of the
hotel was kept up during the dark hours. At day-
break police reinforcements arrived from Benalla,
Beechworth, and Wangaratta. Superintendent Sadler
came from Benalla with nine more men, and Sergeant
Steele, of Wangaratta, with six, thus augmenting the
besieging force to about thirty men. When day was
dawning the women and children who had been made
prisoners.in the hotel were allowed to depart. They
were, however, challenged individually as they ap-
proached the police line, for it was thought that
the outlaws might attempt to escape, under
some disguise. At daylight the gang were ex-
pected to make a sally out, so as to escape if
possible, to their native ranges, and the police
were consequently on the alert. Close attention
was paid to the hotel, as it was taken for granted that
the whole gang were there. To the surprise of the
police, however, they soon found themselves attacked
from the rear by a man dressed in a long gray overcoat
and wearing an iron mask. A little scrutiny of his
appearance and behaviour soon showed that he was the
veritable leader of the gang, Ned Kelly himself. On
further observation it was seen that he was only armed
with a revolver. He, however, walked coolly from
tree to tree, and received the fire of the police with
the utmost indifference, returning a shot from his
revolver when a good opportunity presented itself.
Three men went for him—viz., Sergeant Steele,
railwayofWa guardngarottan,amSee(niioDr
oCwosnetstt.ablemeKellalytier,anhdowa.
ever, was only armed with a revolver. They fired
at him persistently, but to their surprise with no
effect. He seemed bullet-proof, It then occurred to