The Argus
12/ 2/1879
... part of the KellyGang story
Full text of article
THE KELLY GANG AT JERILDERIE
Below we give particulars from various sources of the last outrage committed by the Kelly gang. The Kellys were able to surprise the police at Jerilderie with-out alarming the community, through the circumstance that the barracks are situated half a mile away from the township. It will be seen that they roused the police at mid- night on Saturday by pretending to ask for assistance to put down a public-house row. The police were unsuspicious, and were easily captured, and the gang remained in undisturbed possession of the barracks until Monday evening-the imprisoned police not being missed in the township, and no inquiries being made about them. On Sunday the gang did nothing, but two of them, dressed in police uniform, loitered about the premises, and the raid on the township was deferred until Monday morning.
The men then took Constable Richards with them, and made him introduce them to the residents. Byrne was put in possession of the plunder obtained from the bank, and he left Jerilderie an hour before the others, proceeding in the direction of Tocumwal-that is, he took the direct road back to Victoria. Whether the gang followed him or not is uncertain, and rumours prevail that they contemplate an attack upon Urana and Wagga Wagga, two townships in New South Wales, further inland than Jerilderie. Mr Tarleton, the bank manager, and Mr Living, the teller, came on to Melbourne yesterday afternoon to report the occurrence, and we give their personal narratives. The outrage was of the most daring character, for, after crossing the Murray, the gang had to travel through level country; and had the Victorian police been aware of the movement it would have been easy to cut the gang off from their old retreats and to have brought them to bay. The Victorian police have little information on the subject, but Captain Standish has telegraphed to the Acting Chief Secretary his belief that if the gang is on its way back to its old haunts he will be able to stop them. The New South Wales force on the border has been largely increased and a lively hope is entertained that this, which in many respects is the most irritating of the Kelly outrages, will be the last.
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[BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH]
(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT)
JERILDERIE, TUESDAY
Exactly at midnight on Saturday Ned Kelly, Dan Kelly, Hart and Byrne surrounded the police barracks here. Hart, in a loud voice shouted out to Devine, "Devine, there's a drunken man at Davidson's Hotel, who has committed murder. Get up at once, all of you." Constable Richards, who was sleeping in a room at the rear of the premises, replied. He got up, and came round to the front door. During the short interval Devine had got out of bed, and opened the front door, when Kelly told him there was a great row at Davidson's. By this time Richards had appeared. Devine approached Kelly, who presented two revolvers at the policemen, telling them to hold up their hands. Immediately the police were pounced upon by the other men, and secured. Devine and Richards were then placed in the lockup cell, and Mrs Devine and children were put into the sittingroom.
Afterwards Mrs Devine, in her nightdress, with a candle, was made to go through the premises and deliver up all the firearms. After this the gang went into the sittingroom where they kept watch till morning. The next day, Sunday, there was chapel in the courthouse, distant 100 yards from the barracks. It was the duty of Mrs Devine to get the courthouse ready for mass. She was allowed to do so but was accompanied to the courthouse by one of the Kellys; about 10 am Kelly remained in the courthouse while Mrs Devine prepared the altar and dusted the forms.
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