The Argus
18/ 8/1879
... part of the KellyGang story
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These men were convicted together of robbery on the 5th December, 1877, at Sandhurst, and were sentenced to two years' imprisonment. Their term, having nearly expired they were transferred to the Sandridge establishment, and they effected their escape from that place on the 11th of May last, when within only a few weeks of the expiry of their sentence.
They are described as follows -Cleverly, a Londoner, a baker and sailor, or ships cook by calling, 28 years of age, 5ft 6in high, fresh completion, brown hair, grey eyes, short nose, small mouth, brown eyebrows, large chin, oval visage, low forehead, scar under left eye, point of fourth finger of left hand injured, and of a rather stout build. Gostick, also a native of London, and a seaman, 27 years of age, 5ft 9in in height, fresh complexion, light brown hair, blue eyes, long nose, spare visage small mouth, light eye-brows, scars on right side of forehead, on the cheek bones, and on the back of the head, stout build, high shoulders, and has a swinging gait.
The six black trackers, under Lieutenant O'Connor, and accompanied by Sub-inspector Baber and several troopers, arrived from Kilmore at 10 o'clock on Saturday morning. About the same time a constable came galloping in from the ranges, with the intelligence that two men answering the description of the offenders had called on Friday evening at the Drovers Arms Hotel, Mollison's Creek. The hotel is situated in the heart of the Dividing Range, and about eight miles north of Lancefield. Sub inspector Baber, four troopers, Lieutenant O'Connor and his trackers, were dispatched immediately in that direction. They arrived there at about half past 11 o'clock, and had the information received in town fully confirmed. The country here may be described as a series of steep hills covered with timber. Rocks and large boulders abound in profusion, and would answer well in the absence of scrub for places of concealment. The hotel referred to stands in a valley, rather more than half way between Lancefield and Pyalong, and is kept by Mr Cornelius Lehane.
As time wore on, news of the bank robbers having been seen at different places carne to hand, and from all that has as yet been learned it appears that after proceeding as far westwards as Monument Creek the two men doubled back in a north easterly direction. They passed along the skirting of the ranges for a few miles, and then struck across the hills towards Mollison's Creek. They called at the house of a farmer named Mr K Welsh, about two or three miles from the creek, and inquired the way to Lehane's hotel. Mr Welsh informed them that they had simply to walk up the lane in which his house stood to two miles further, and then turn down the Pyalong road, and they resumed their journey as directed Mr Welsh thinking them suspicious looking characters followed at some distance, but stopped at a school house on the top of the hill, and saw them descend to the hotel.
The news of the bank robbery had reached the hotel early in the day, and was talked about amongst the landlord's family. At half-post 4 o'clock Mr Lehane's children were amusing themselves in the front of the house when they saw the two men approaching, and ran in, calling out to their parents that the bank robbers were coming.
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24-aug-10
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