... one of the things of the KellyGang story
Things
A number of banks operated in the area.
Australian and European
Bank of New South Wales
Bank of Victoria, Seymour,
Oxley Bridge, Woods Point
Colonial Bank had branches at Seymour, Woods Point, Gaffney's Creek, Lauraville, Jamieson
Commercial Bank had branches in Albury,
English Scottish and Australian Chartered Bank
London Chartered Bank of Australia
National Bank had branches at Euroa,
Violet Town
Oriental Bank Corporation, El
Dorado
Union of Australia, Alexandra
The banks urged the government to send the army to protect the banks after the Euroa robbery (Argus16/12/78)
In late 1879 when there was a threat that the KellyGang might hold up the banks in Beechworth, the postmaster, erected a telegraphic communication between all the banks and the police station, by wires being placed, and the uniting of these wires would cause an alarm at the banks and station, at any hour of the day or night that the KellyGang was likely to come. If they came to one of the banks, the station bell would ring, and police would be able to respond to the alert. The banks paid for the expence. (RC13584)
The Royal Commission made the following comments upon the threat to the banks
from the KellyGang and the actions of
the police to protect them;
" 15th November 1878, in which it was intimated that the KellyGang
would probably attack one of the banks at Seymour.
This information was communicated to Superintendent Hare
on the 26th November, and that officer took immediate steps in his own district
to guard against such an eventuality. On the 28th the document reached the
hands of the officers in Benalla, and on the following day Mr. Nicolson
telegraphed to the Chief Commissioner, suggesting that the police at Seymour
should be reinforced.
It seems clear that at this time rumors were current that one or other of
the banks in the district would he robbed; and it has not been satisfactorily
shown that Mr. Nicolson or Mr. Sadleir
took any precautions to frustrate an attempt of that nature if made in the
North-Eastern district. Indeed, their action indicates that they were either
ignorant of the rumors or attached no importance to them, although the witness
Patrick Quin asserts,
in the course of his evidence, that some time prior to the robbery he informed
the Assistant Commissioner not only as to the locality in which the Kellys
were secreted, but that one of the banks at Bright,
Avenel, or Euroa
would probably be attacked. That the force at the command of the officers
in charge of the district was inadequate to resist the threatened raid in
every centre of population in the district was apparent. Nevertheless it has
not been satisfactorily proved, from the documents or the evidence submitted
to your Commissioners, that Mr. Nicolson realized the danger and applied for
reinforcements. There is a document, dated some eight or nine months later,
written by Mr. Sadleir, in which he alleges that application had been made
to the Chief Commissioner for additional police prior to the attack upon Euroa,
and Mr. Nicolson, in cross-examination, reiterates the statement, but beyond
these mere assertions we have no proof that any special effort was made at
this time to protect the banks in the North-Eastern district.(RC2ndReport
IX)
The cheque used by the KellyGang to get into the bank in Euroa was drawn on the Oriental Bank
(Argus12/12/78)
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25-feb-10
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.