Meet the people of the KellyGang story
A relation of the Kellys and one of the Greta Mob. Many said I was the fifth member of the KellyGang
Links to the KellyGang below , Early 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 , After the Siege , Ned Kelly's Trial , Royal Commission , Family ,
Did they try and get the family on a trumpted up charge. Something to do with a hide. I gave evidence (Ensign7/1/1873)
In about 1877 people started to see my brother John riding around the country with Ned Kelly and his mates and some started to call us the Greta Mob. Some even said that we went on trips around the country with Ned Kelly when he went off pinching mobs of horses and cattle. Well we may have helped our cousins and had a bit of fun.
In September 1877 my brother Jack
and I and Dan Kelly got into trouble in
Winton after a prank. We hid on the Kelly property for a few weeks. Eventually
we gave ourselves up and were charged with wilfully damaging the property
of David Goodman, a hawker
who owned a shop in Winton.
Const Fitzpatrick said that we
gave ourselves up to him. (RC12871)
On 19 October 1877 at our trial we each received 3 months in Beechworth
Goal and ordered to pay £2 10 shillings in damages. I was also sentenced
to another 3 months for assaulting Mrs Goodman. (RCApp10)
The incident started with Dan Kelly delivering some meat to Mrs Goodman and picking up some groceries.. We arrived after closing time and the Goodmans would not open up. They were being silly so we encouraged them to open up. There was a bit of a disagreement, but I must say that while Mr Goodman was the main witness against us, he later was sentenced to 4 months for his evidence.
Later I was convicted in Beechworth on 28/2/1878 of indecent assault against Mrs Goodman and recieved a further 3 months
I lived near Quarry Hill, near Greta and next to Jacob
Wilson.(RC2112) (RC4410)
You can get there by taking Kilfera road, the main surveyed road to Greta,
and then there is a cleared track the last five miles to my house. (RC4581)
I was mentioned by the KellyGang in the Cameron letter. They said that Const Strahan was up on the River Murray getting evidence against Dan Kelly, my brother Jack and me when Const Fitzpatrick came to the Kelly home to arrest Dan.
Mrs Skillion was left to look after the whole Kelly family. We all had a duty to Mrs Kelly to help keep the family together. They had moved to Maggie's place.
I met the KellyGang on the night of the murders in the Wombat Ranges and they told me what happened in their hut. I kept guard till morning while they were having a few hours' sleep. We worked out that it might be best if they went over the boarder into New South Wales and held up the bank at Howlong. (RC1867) See also (JJK)
Const Duross saw me and one of the
Ryan boys when we went to Violet
Town. Hear how he followed me around like a puppy dog.
We apparently arrived in town about "six o'clock one evening; their names
were told to me by Const Gascoigne,
who was then in Violet Town
with me.
I followed them up the township. I saw them putting their horses in the stables
of the hotel. I went in after them, where they were in the sitting room, and
commenced reading the paper. They were sitting opposite me, and I do not think
they knew me at this time, until the coachdriver, who was driving the coach
between Shepparton and Violet
Town, came in-he spoke to me and called me by name. I did not answer, did
not want to make myself known to the men, and they commenced laughing; so
the coachdriver said, "I have seen a party of your police down on the road
to Shepparton, who are camped close to the road." They were laughing over
this. I sent a telegram to Mr. Sadleir in Benalla about the whole affair,
and he returned one to me, told me to pay strict attention to them and watch
which direction they went. I did so, and sent Gascoigne to watch them a certain
distance out of the township, and he watched them and said they went in the
direction of Benalla. I afterwards received a telegram from Benalla, saying
they were seen there at the proper time." (RC3588)
They did not get me
In March I was charged with assaulting police (OMA27/2/1879) (Argus12/3/79) (Argus13/3/79) (OMA13/3/79)
I acted as the scout for the KellyGang
as they crossed the River Murray
on their way to Jerilderie at Burramine.
I had a trial crossing; what happened (JJK)
They used the publican Mr Burke's punt
On 28/2/1879 the police got me. I was charged in Beechworth with indecent assault and received 3 months.(OMA13/3/79) (RC App 10)
Some thought that I might have killed John Lloyd
when he died at Mrs O'Brien's Hotel in Greta
in April 1879.(Argus30/4/79)
I was aquitted of manslaughter. Patrick and Dennis McAuliffe
were with me at the time.
In late June, during a search party with Consts Faulkiner
and other police they found three or four saddles hanging up at a place near
my home that had been recently used. They noticed they had surcingles on made
by a saddler at Wangaratta. The person who occupied the place was a man with
one hand, a bachelor, which clearly showed that he had not a use for four
saddles. When the KellyGang was captured,
and the horses and saddles brought to Benalla, Faulkiner identified those
saddles as the ones they had seen on their visit.(RC5327)see
also (RC5312)
See also (FH)
I, with Maggie Skillion. bought things for the boys including cartridges in Melbourne. (Argus21/6/79) see also (Argus20/6/79) (JJK)
Was I involved in making the armour with Dan Kelly? (JJK)
On 28/9/79 I was seen near Benalla with the KellyGang by a police spy, Patrick Quinn. (RC63)
I was spotted at Mrs Byrne's home
late in May 1880 (RC801)
About this time Jacob Wilson told
the police that the KellyGang visited
my place. (RC2110)
I lived next to Patterson's paddock where Wilson found the saddles. We were
on the edge of Kilefra.
Wilson went on to tell the Royal Commission that he saw a lot of horses at
my place and that he even saw Dan Kelly
here. (RC4479)
Wilson watched my place from 3rd of April until the 14th of May. I got sick
of it. One of the dogs went after him and we put him up a cherry tree. If
we had only found him. (RC4493)
A short time before the Glenrowan siege a party friends and I crossed the line just at Glenrowan, on horseback, got up mounted and dressed and equipped as if they were starting for the shearing. Four of our group (there were about six of us) were stopped at Yarrawonga punt by the police.(RC774)
It is likely that I turned up at the start of the siege with Ned Kelly and Steve Hart on the evening of 26/6/1880
We had our mates organised down the railway track where the rails were taken up. Ned came down and gave the boys the bad news; the blody police had stopped at Glenrowan. Things were very bad.
I was at the funeral for Dan and Steve (Herald30/6/80)
In late July 1880 I went down to Melbourne with Maggie
Skillion to try and arrange for Ned Kelly's
defence. (Argus2/8/80)
I attended the start of Ned Kelly's committal with Maggie. (Age9/8/1880) (Herald8/8/80)
(Argus9/8/80)
Maggie Skillion, David Gaunson and I stayed at the Hibernian during Ned Kelly's committal hearing. (Argus7/8/80)
Later
I and Dennis McAuliffe went out voluntarily
and helped Const Armstrong when he
was stationed at Glenrowan, and looked for a horse down in the bush after
Kelly's execution. (RC12181)
Const Robert Graham reported on 26th
April 1881 about the sympathizers of the KellyGang.
-"I beg to report for the information of the superintendent that a number
of them were here at Greta yesterday,
drinking, viz.: -Jack Quinn, Tom
Lloyd, jun, Paddy McAuliffe, Tom McAuliffe,
John McMonigal, and Jack Nolan;
and from their manner I am led to believe that another outbreak among them
is imminent. Jack Quinn is very anxious to find out who it was that got the
sympathizers arrested in 1879. They all appear to have a great dislike to
Pat Quinn, and speak of him as
the black tracker."(RC9870)
see also (RC2970)
I died at Greta on 27/8/1927.
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