Things
It would seem that the KellyGang wrote the letter to get under the skin of Sir Henry Parkes, the Prime Minister of New South Wales. He had offered a reward for the capture of any of the KellyGang. It is unlikely that the KellyGang was at Bathurst when the letter was written
My dear Sir Henry Parkes,
I find by the newspapers that you have been very liberal in offering a reward for the Kelly Gang or any one of them. Now, Sir Henry the man that takes I, Captain E. Kelly, will have to be a plucky man for I do not intend to be taken alive. And as I would as soon die in NSW as Victoria I will give you or any other person who wishes to take me a fair chance to try your pluck. I am at present not very far from Bathurst (in fact I have been in the town of Bathurst and have taken a peep at the banks). Now I tell you candidly that I intend to rob Bathurst and particularly the bank. So now you are warned. Of course I will not say what time I and the gentlemen that follows in my train will visit the City of the plains. But one thing you can count on, that I will pay it a visit. Now Sir Henry I tell you that highway robbery is only in its infancy, for the white population is been [sic - being] driven out of the labour market by an inundation of Mongolians, and when the white man is driven to desperation there will be desperate times. I present my respects to the Sydney Police.
Yours
E. Kelly
The Camp March 10th 1879
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21-apr-10
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Find the hiding places and sites where the KellyGang found fame and fortune and where their friends indulged in horse stealing and tried to make a life against the challenges of the squatters and banks. Let the KellyGang show you the places where they found safety from the law in the bush.