Meet the people of the KellyGang story
I was arrested as a sympathizer
Links to the KellyGang below , Early Years , Teenage years , First run in with the law , Fitzpatrick Incident , Gold Mining , Mansfield Murders , Escape North , Euroa Robbery , Mass arrest of sympathizers , Jerilderie Robbery , Later in 1879 , Early in 1880 , Death of Aaron Sherritt , Glenrowan Siege , Ned Kelly's Trial , Royal Commission , Family ,
Ass Com Nicolson led a search party after the KellyGang past our place soon after the deaths (RC 676)
I information was given Mr Laing by one of our employees that KellyGang had been seen by my brother and I near the One Mile Bridge on 3/11/1878. We lived near the Wangaratta railway station. The story given by the platelayer was that that morning, at four o'clock, the KellyGang, instead of going through the railway gate, had swam the One-mile Creek, and crossed by the back of the hospital, behind our house; and that we recognized the KellyGang and that they were armed. (RC13960) see also (RC17307)
On 2/1/1879 Commissioner Standish ordered the arrest of about 20 sympathizers including myself. He took that action under section 5 of the Felony Apprehension Act. Most of the sympathizers were held in Beechworth Gaol.
I was arrested near Mansfield, by ... (Argus4/1/79) (Argus6/1/79) (OMA7/1/79)
We were held without ever being given a chance to defend them selves. We were remanded in custody for periods of 7 days. Only one of the sympathizers was represented by a lawyer. The magistrates repeated the remands each week for over 3 months before the sympathizers were finally released
At the start, the arrests had public support in Melbourne but that turned into general contempt for the police. The mass arrests resulted in fewer people being prepared to assist the police or to supply information about the KellyGang
Eventually they dropped the charges against me. (Argus20/1/79)
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7-mar-10