Meet the people of the KellyGang story
On 2/1/1879 Commissioner Standish ordered the arrest of about 20 sympathizers including myself. He took that action under the Felons Apprehension Act. Most of the sympathizers were held in Beechworth goal.
I was arrested near Browns Plains by ... (Argus11/1/79)
I admitted being in goal with Dan Kelly
and Steve Hart and the Lloyds. My brother
John was arrested at this time.
The men were held without ever being given a chance to defend them selves. They 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. I was released on 18/1/1879. Most of the others were held for over 3 months before they 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)
privacy policy
2-aug-11