The Herald
2 /07/1880
... part of the KellyGang story
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The Herald continued with its reports of the KellyGang and Glenrowan.
full text of the article
The people in “the Kelly country” are far from considering the Glenrowan episode as the last act in the awful tragedy. It is confidently stated that more is yet to come, although the nature of the occurrences cannot be foretold with any precision. During the reign of terror by the Kelly gang, no information whatever was obtainable by a stranger but now, although many who knew a great deal in connection with the bushrangers are still reticent, numerous of persons have untied their tongues and are ready to supply fragmentary information. For instance, it was well known by many persons who where no sympathisers of the gang, that the Kellys were having suits of armour made for them to be proof against police bullets. The blacksmith who made the armour is well known, and no secret is being made in mentioning his name. The police are also cognizant of the fact, and yet no steps have, as yet, been taken by bringing to justice this curious "worker of Iron" who reversed the prefect promise that a time will come when weapons shall be turned into ploughshares, but turned ploughshares into an instrument for the purpose of waging war against society.
A curious story is told a relative to Ned Kelly's armour. Some time ago a bushman entered a booksellers shop in Melbourne and asked for Sir Walter Scotts Ivanhoe. The bookseller looked a somewhat astonished that a person of the purchases appearance should have a taste for one off the best novels written by the "Wizard to of the North". Thinking however that the bushman wanted the book for some one else, he gave the matter not further thought. The sequel is now supplied. Ned Kelly had heard of the wonderful coat of mail which Isaac of York gave to Ivanhoe, and he was determined to get a similar one; and in the weird regions of the Strathbogie Ranges he whiled away his time by reading this book, which furnished him with the details of Ivanhoe's wonderful armour. The idea was also worked out by a blacksmith in the district. Of course an armour made of ploughshares and by a blacksmith, must fall far short off the mark of the one that described by Sir Walter Scott, but it must nevertheless be considered an ingenious piece of workmanship, and the leader of the desperate gang as he appeared on the scene at Glenrowan in the early dawn of a misty morning clad in it, reminded to one of medieval days. This story, if true, shows that he had been influenced in his career of crime by reading novels belonging to the romantic school.
The Beechworth people are of the opinion that Constable Bracken, who stole the key of Jones's Hotel and a great risk of his life gave the first information to the police in the special train that the Kelly's were at the hotel, should get the lion's share of the £8000. Report speaks goldenly" of Bracken. He was, previous to the Stringy Bark outrage, warder in the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum, and gave up his snug situation to help in capturing the Kelly's. He joined the police as a volunteer, equipped himself at his own expense and took no pay for six months. This cost the Bracken more than £100. He is not a rich man and a slice of the reward would do him a great deal of good. There are many other stories afloat, but as some of them might damage the reputation of persons in high places, the withholding of publication, until they can be substantiated, appears to be more judicious than to give them to the public on no authority other than on dit
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9-mar-09
This document gives you the text of the report about the KellyGang for this day. The text has been retyped from a microfiche copy of the original. We have taken care to reproduce this document but areas of the original text may been damaged. We also apologise for any typographical errors.