The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1924-05-02
THE BUSHRANGERS
A. D. 1879

1t Is a merit to love dumb animals,
but to steal them is an excess of vir-
tue that is sure TO cause trouble with
the police. All Australians have q
passion for horses, but thirty years
ago the Australian bushmen developed
such a mania for horse-Stealing that
the mounted police were fairly run
of their legs. The feeling between
buShmen and police became so exceed
ingly bitter that in 1878 a constable,
attempting to make arrests, was be-
set and wounded. The fight took place
in the house of a Mrs. Kelly, who got
penal servitude, whereas her sons, Ned
and Dan, who did the actual shooting,
escaped to the hills. A hundred pounds
were offered for their arrest
Both of Mrs. Kelly's sons were faint
ed, born and raised thieves At the
ago the Australian bushmen developed
such mania for DEMONSTRATING that
with Power the bushranger, who de-
scribed him as cowardly young
brute. Now, in his twenty-ffth year
he was far from brave. Dan, aged
seventeen, was ferOcious young wolf,
but manly. AS the brothers lurked
in hiding they were Joined by Joe
Byrne, aged twenty-one, q gallant and
sweet-tempered lad gone wrong, and
by Steve Hart, a despicable little cur.
All four were superb as riders, scouts
and bushmen, fairly good shots, init
rn rx-ith Of ha
supported by hundreds Of kinsmen
and the sympathy of the people gen.
orally in the war they had declared
against the police.
In October, Sergeant Kennedy and
three constables patroling in search
of the gang, were surprised by the
outlaws in camp, and, as they showed
fight, Ned and Dan Kelly attacked
them. Only one trooper escaped. AT
this outrage, Byrne was Mortified, Hart
scared, but the Kellys forced them TO
fire into Sergeant Kennedy's corpse
that they might share the guilt. Then
Ned Kelly, touched by the gallantry
with which the sergeant had fought.
brought a cloak and reverently COW
cred his body.
In December, the outlaws stuck up
a sheep station, and robbed the bank
at Euroa.
In February, 1879, they surprised the
police station at Jerilderie. locked two
policemen in the cells, disguised them
selves as constables, captured the town.
imprisoning a crowd Of people in the
hotel, then sacked the bank, and rode
away shouting and singing with their
plumber.
BY this time the rewards offered for
their capture amounted to eight thou
sand pounds, and the whole strength
OF the Victoria police was engaged,
with native crackers, in hunting them.
Had these wicked robbers ever showed
rudeness to a woman, or plundered a
poor man, or behaved meanly with
their stolen wealth, they would have
been betrayed at once 10 the police,
but the Australians are sportsmen,
and there Is gaIlantry in robbery IN
der arms that appeals to misguided
hearts.
The four bad men were so polite TO
all women, so kindly to unarmed citi-
Zens, so humorous in their methods,
so generous with their gold, so daring
in making war against a powerful Brit
ish state, that they were esteemed as
heroes. Even bad heroes are better
than none at all, and they were not
betrayed even by poor folk to whom
the rewards would have been for
tune For two years they Outwitted
the whole force of police. scouts and
crackers at cost to the state of one
hundred fifteen thousand pounds.
But with all this the best Of Australi-
an manhood was engaged in the hunt,
and the real heroes of this adventure
were the police, who made no moan
through months of outrageous labor
and suffering in the mountains.
Superintendent Hare, in charge of
the hunt, made friends With kinsman
of the outlaws, Young horse thief,
named Aaron Sheriff.. This lad knew
all the secrets of the outlaws, was
like a brother to them, and yet, so
worshiped Mr.. Hare that he served
WIFI Tie pOllCc Is spy. III tTedCIltTy
TO his kinsmen, he was at least faith
full to his master, knowing that he
went to his own death.
He expected the outlaws to come
by night to the house of Joe Byrne's
mother, and led Mr.. Hare's patrol,
which lay for the next month in hiding
upon hill overlooking the homestead.
Aaron was engaged to Byrne's sister,
was daily at the house and slowly a
dim suspicion dawned on the outlaws
mother Then the old woman, uneas-
lily searching the hills. stumbled into
the police bivouac, and saw Aaron
Sheriff, the spy, asleep in that COM
pany. His dress betrayed him TO her,
a white shirt, breeches and long boots,
impossible to mistake. And when he
knew what had happened, the lad
turned white. Now" he muttered,
81 am dead man."
Mrs. Byrne sent the news of Aaron's
treachery to her nutlawed son in the
hiIls. On June twenty-sixth, the spy
was called out OF his mothers cabin
by some one who cried that he had lost
his way. Aaron opened the door, and
Joe Byrne shot him through the heart.