Story of the KellyGang - the Royal Commission evidence
The Royal Commission evidence for 13/5/1881
full text
(see also introduction to day 19)
Sgt Whelan giving evidence
5955 Had Ned and Dan Kelly been out then all that time?— They had.
5956 Do you remember anything of the bank robbery at Euroa?— Yes.
5957 Personally were you present?— No, I was not present; it is only from hearsay. I know that on the evening of the 10th of December 1878 , Mr. Nicolson and Mr. Sadleir left for Albury by the eight o'clock train. About half-past nine Mr. Wyatt came to the gate of the police station here. I met him at the gate.
5958 Were you in charge?— Yes. He came with a piece of wire and an insulator from the telegraph line in his hand. He said that be had been at Violet Town at court, and went down by the three p.m. train that day to Euroa, and when going down he found that the wires were cut on both sides. He did not say they were down entirely. When be went to Euroa he had but a few cases, and be thought that he would drive out to see the place, as he thought it was a storm that had blown them down. He got a horse from a publican named Hart, and it turned out to be a very bad one.
5959 Did Mr. Wyatt tell you this?— He did.
5960 You can leave out the details of that. What did you do in consequence of what Mr. Wyatt told you?— I went to the telegraph office with him, as he requested me, where he sent a telegram to Captain Standish. I then asked the telegraph-master to call Chiltern, as I intended to send a message to Mr. Nicolson to ask him if I would send a patrol to see about the wires. We could not get Chiltern. I then had to wait until the train got into Albury. I sent a telegram to Mr. Nicolson telling him what Mr. Wyatt said, and asked if I would send Detective Ward with a party down, but before I got an answer, about a quarter to twelve, I received a telegram from Captain Standish saying the Euroa bank was stuck up, and directing me to recall Mr. Nicolson at once. I repeated it to Mr. Nicolson, and the message came that he was getting the special train to come back.
5961 Was that the first time you heard of the bank being stuck up ?— It was.
5962 Was there any of the force at Euroa who saw the bank stuck up?— There was one constable there, and he arrived just at the time. After I came down from the telegraph office, Constable Anderson came and said the bank was stuck up. He could get no details before he left; he only heard of it, and at once jumped into the train and came off.
5963 Is that what Anderson told you ?— Yes, that he could give no details about it, as he only heard it at the railway platform just as the train was starting, and he only had time to jump in and come on to report it. I then sent a message to Mr. Nicolson and ordered a special train, and ordered the men — there was but one party on the station —and went with them to the train.
5964 Who were they?— Detective Ward was in charge; Constables Johnson, McDonnell, Hodgson, Graves —I forget the others —and two trackers, and constables Barry, Bell , Hedberg, and Anderson.
5965 What hour was that ?— At two a.m.
5966 On the 11th?— On the I1th. There were no horse trucks, and I had to get two of those old luggage-vans. There was some difficulty to get in the horses, but Constable Johnson rode them into the van. Mr. Wyatt went down with that party and returned again. I then met Mr. Nicolson at the station.
5967 At what time?— I think between seven and eight. The special train came down the next morning—that is, the 11th. Mr. Wyatt was there, and said I needed not go into details of telling what was done—that he would go back to the place where the wires were cut and tell Mr. Nicolson all about it.
5968 Mr. Nicolson came back by the special train as soon as you telegraphed?— He came back; he replied and said he was looking for the special train, and when he got it he came back. Mr. Wyatt, in his evidence—if I might mention it to the Commission—said that when he came to the station with the insulator, that the sergeant turned pale. Well, I met him outside in the dark, and it was impossible he could see whether I was red or pale.
5969 What hour was that?— Between nine or ten o'clock p.m. We afterwards went into the office, and I took the wires and insulator from him.
5970 Were you present at the Glenrowan capture?— I was.
5971 Were you there all the time?— No; I went up to the train with Mr. Hare's party, and saw them away at two am . on the night of the 28th June 1880 , and then returned.
5972 What time did you get to Glenrowan?— About five in the morning—arrived at five o'clock in the morning.
5973 Was it daylight?— No, it was moonlight.
5974 Can you state what was going on at the time?— Everything was quiet as possible when the train stopped at the station—not a shot fired or anything. We got out of the train, and Senior-constable Kelly and Constable Walsh, from Wangaratta, came up and spoke to Mr. Sadleir. He did not come with Sergeant Steele. I may mention Mr. Sadleir asked Senior-constable Kelly how the house was surrounded, and where the men were. He said that the north-east end (not in those words) was well guarded, and the front, but he said the back, or the south-west end was not protected....
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