The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1880-10-21
A GANG OF BUSHRANGERS.
trr.i;nn Randi ts-,-A (%aHte" or Ex-
citing Scenes. Resembling the End
OF the NOrthiield kObber Raiders.

The Melbourne correspondent OF the
London NeWs writes as follows, under
date of the 29th Of June:
cat last the colony of Victoria has
been freed from cloud-I had almost
written a disgrace-which has been
hanging over it for now nearly two
years In October, 1879, the bush
rangers known throughout Australia as
the Kelly gang, began the career of
crime which has ended at last in II
most dramatic manner. So long had
the Kelly band defed the utmost eff
forts of the Victorian police, aided by
black trackers from Queensland, that
many people thought they had left
Australia, and had escaped either to
California or South America. Yester-
day evening, however, news was tele
graphcd down to Melbourne which
proved conclusively that the two
Kellys, Ned and Dan, with their as
sitant outlaws, Hart and Byrne, were
still in the colony. A man named
Sheriff, who 10 connected with the
Kellys by marriage, and who was for a
long time what is here called d Kelly
sympathyzer-in other words one Of
their accomplices-had latterly turned
traitor and had been giving informa-
ton to the police as to the outlaws
movements, doubtless with view to
sharing in the $4,000 reward offered
by the governm ent for their capture.
'eThe Kellys suddenly appeared be-
fore lonely hut in the bush near
Glenrowan, where Sheriff was hiding
in company with four policemen. They
caught German, and compelled him,
with a revolver at his head, to ask
Sheriff to come out and tell
him the way, as he, the Ger
man, was 'bushed'-that is, had
lost his road. Recognizing the Ger
mans voice, Sheriff came out Of the
hut, and the instant he did so was shot
down by Joe Ryan, one of the outlaws,
The bushrangers having killed their
betrayer retreated to the bush into the
dark and fired into the hut, calling on
the police to surrender, This the
troopers steadily refused to do, al
thoug Oh unable to return the Kelly's fire
effectually in the dark, and tn emselves
being much exposed, as there was a
bright fire burning in the hut. When
morning came the outlaws .retreated,
and the police were able to telegraph
to Melbourne what had occurred. A
special train was at once sent with re-
Environments ofpolice up to Glenrowan.
Knowing the desperate character of
the gang, it occurred to the police to
send on pilot engine in front of their
train, and it was lucky they did, as
they neared Glenrowan the driver dis
covered, in time to bring up, that the
rails had been torn up. During the
delay which occurred a trooper came
galloplng up to say that the Kellys had
hailed up hotel three miles off had
driven half the township into it, and
would be off if not pursued at once.
The police instantly started in pursuit,
and arrived in front Of the hotel just as
Ned Kelly, the chief Of the gang was
making off into the bush.
"a hot fight ensued, in which the
police and a man named Dowsett, rail
way guard took part. Kelly wore his
extemporized armor, made Of plough
shares, on his breast; and is said also a
helmet and thin wire mask on his face.
At last he was brought down by two
shots, one striking him in the abdomen
and the other in the groin. The in
slant he fell the police rushed in and
secured him, and he is snow on the road
to Melbourne jail under strong guard
1t is not thought he will survive. The
police then attacked the hotel. At
first they were only to sur
round it, because there were
some thirty innocent people in
the house. After time these man
aged to escape, and then the police
opened heavy fire. 1t is said--but
for the sake of humanity I hope it can
not be true-that the three bushrangers
kept back two little children in the
hotel, holding them up at the windows
and firing from behind them. One
child is said to have been shot dead.
and the other badly wounded But
can not believe this until hear it from
an actual eyewitness. A constant
firing was maintained on both sides for
hours, and the police do not seem to
have been hit, though an unlucky
newspaper reporter, named Rawlins,
is stated to have been wounded.
llC l1lSU w ldll W fIS ooC
Brync, the one who, as have said,
murdered Sheriff. the night before
Steve Hart and Dan Kelly, the two
survivors, still fought on, answering all
calls to surrender with oaths and jeers.
A field piece was on its way from Mel
bourne in order, if necessary, to batter
the house down. But before it arrived
the police on the spot took other
For half an hour no shot
had been fired from the house, and a
death like silence prevailed. Unwilling
to risk valuable lives against those of
men already food for the gallows, the
officer in charge Of the police deter
mined to fire the house, and so to COM
pei those in it-ifstill alive-either to
burn OF surrender. So a heavy fire
was opened on the front Of the house
while a trooper crept round and fired
it from the back Soon all was in
blaze, but still no one appeared out
side the flaming building. At this
juncture, Kate Kelly, the outlaws
sister, and their married sister, Mrs.
Scanlan, appeared on the scene, ac-
companied by Roman Catholic
priest. The good father bravely vol
unteered to enter the burning house
and see if the outlaws still survived He
found both Byrne and Hart dead, rid
died with bullets But he also found
a man named Sheny, Kelly sympa
thizer,' wounded, and in danger of be-
ing burned to death. The police, in
obedience to the priests appeal rushed
in and dragged Sheny out of the flames.
but he died almost imm ediately after
ward from burns and wounds.
"Kate Kelly and her sister openly
expressed their satisfaction at the out
laws having fallen in fair fight, without
being taken alive, and added that they
only regretted that their poor brother
Ned had fallen alive into the hands of
the troopers. Sure they added, and
it was no fault of his. It's not alive he
would have been taken, had he not
been disabled should mention that
one of-Ned Kelly's first shots struck
Inspector Hare of the police on the
wrist, without, however, it is said, In
ficting q serious wound. The two
contending parties were both armed
v,;th Cno,,oor rav,oo fi,,r rifoe &c wall a q