NOTORIOUS NED KELLY

Evening Star, Issue 19763, 13 January 1928, Page 2

NOTORIOUS NED KELLY

MEMORIES OF EXECUTION THE ONLY LIVING WITNESS First-class Constable “Smith.”— that is the name by which he is known in the George Street Home, Parramatta—claims to be the only man living who took part in the execution of the notorious bushranger, Ned Keuy (says the Sydney ‘Daily Telegraph'}, lie states that he was within reaching distance of Kelly when the latter was hanged. “Kelly,” “Smith” said, "died like a man; While ho was in prison in Melbourne he was visited twice by his mother, who was also serving twelve months in the same gaol. Ho received several visits from a Roman Catholic priest, and died saying his prayers.” “ Smith ” also claims that ho discovered the almost unrecognisable remains of Dan Kelly in the Glonrowan Hotel, and that he removed the iron helmet from Ned Kelly’s head when he was shot down by the police and captured. He says: “We heard-that the Kelly gang was going to make a night of it at Mother Jones’s Glenrowan Inn. About twenty police, in addition to black trackers, were sent down by train to capture them. The gang must have heard of our plans, and tore up the rail lines some way out of Glcnrowan, and Dan waited close by to shoot down any of us who did not perish in the smash. “We were saved, however, by the bravery of Mr Kurnow, a schoolmaster, who saw the gong at work He crawled along the ime with a candle and a piece of rod undergarment belonging to Ins wife When lie saw the train approaching he lighted the candle and held the red cloth close to the light. The driver saw the cloth and pulled up immediately.

SETTING FIRE TO THE HOTEL. “We left the train, and walked tho rest of tho distance. When it was seen how well the gang was protected m the inn our chief sent down Meibom no for a small cannon. The joke of the whole thing was that it was despatched from headquarters. It was afterwards decided that, after the hotel had been surrounded, we should set fire to it. This we did, and as it was blazing fiercely the large number of people who were "inside bolted out through tho

doors. „ r , “ The hero of the night was a West Australian priest, who repeatedly dashed into the flames, rescuing those who were trapped. In performing lus heroic work ho received many burns about the hands, head, and legs. “ When we examined the debris after the-fire had practically burned out we came upon a charred body, which was identified as that of Joe Byrne. There were several bullet marks on the remains In another part of the burnt timber we found two further bodies, which I am certain were those of Dan Kelly and Steve Hart. Those by each were the remnants of two guns. In no part of the debris could we find a trace of Ned Kelly. How he escaped I cannot tell to this day. That he had escaped we soon found out. A phan-tom-like horseman came clashing clown the hill and opened fire on the police. It was Ned Kelly returning to avenge, single handed, the deaths of his brother and mates. NED KELLY’S COAT OF MAIL. “ We opened fire on the fleeing horseman, who was covered from head to foot In a steel armor. The bullets fell off him as though they were pebbles. We doubted whether it was a human being, and many thought that it was a bunyip of some strange order. “After ho had jdone considerable damage with his bullets, First-class Sergeant Steele, of Wangaratta, ordered ns to fire low. It was then that Ned was thrown from his horse. We captured him shortly afterwards. “I took his helmet off and found that it, together with the rest of his armor, was made from ploughshares. We could have been shooting until now, and we would not have put a bullet through that armor. I was one of the guard to accompany Ned to Melbourne, whore ho was hanged. Besides myself, there wore two other members of the police force, a sheriff’s officer, and the hangman who helped in the execution. All these arc dead now.” “ Smith ” is about seventy years of age, and still can show marks of wounds that he received in the epic capture of Ned Kelly.