A NARRATIVE OF THE KELLY GANG EXPLOITS.

Thames Advertiser, Volume XII, Issue 3292, 5 April 1879, Page 3

A NARRATIVE OF THE KELLY GANG EXPLOITS.

{Concluded.) Thk history of the Kelly gang exceeds in thrilling incidents anything we have heard or read of in Colonial marauding, and we must go back to the stories of old border reeving and raising, with their attendant crimes and violence, to realise tho state of things which has existed in the Greta district within the last 20 years-evor since, in fflct, thoQuinns, Lloyds, andKellys have been in possession of the ranges. Linked together as one family, they havo acquired property under selectors' rights over a breadth of country now almost their own, and, following the old patriarchal calling of cattle-stealers, seem to have adopted the old motto of Lot theiu tike who have the power, Let those keep who can. Before attempting to recount the later deeds of the men whose names are in every mouth, I will endeavour to throw some little light upon the history of the Kelly family. " Rod Kelly," as ho was called, is tho founder of the clan. In the olden days they lived atCraigiohurn and Kilmore, where (hey had about as bad a reputation as even cattle-stealers can acquire, and it was a source of thanksgiving to the locality when they left it to settle in tho neighbourhood of Seymour upon a morsel of land which could never have afforded their required support unless supplemented by tho family support, lied Kelly for a long time evaded the law, but was at last overtaken and convicted at Beech worth of horse-stealing, and. died about 13 or 14 years ago, leaving children -Edward Kelly, Dan Kelly, Kate, and James. " The Quinns," wrote a Melbourne biographer, " came from Ireland in the early days of tho Colony, and after living a sort of gipsy life, knocking about all over the country, commenced a miserable existence in tho Greta ilanges. There are two families of Quinns-one of which Jim Quinn is the father, and a second of which Patrick Quinn is chief, Though of the same name, Patriok and James Quinn were not related by consanguinity, but only through Patrick having married Mrs Kelly's sister. The whole of the Quinns, as well as the Kellys, had the reputation of being cattle-stealers for several generaThe third branch of this notorious gang is the Lloyds, who are brothers-in-law to Mrs Kelly, having married into the Quinn family." Thus it will be seen that they are all mixed up by blood and marriage, and that accounts for the way in whioh they assist one another when in trouble. A strong feeling of fraternity has been engendered amongst them, and that finds substantial expressions in times of danger. Bed Kelly, then, is to be regarded as the > founder and paterfamilias of this clan, which has grown in numbers with somewhat alarming rapidity. It has been calculated that there are no less than 125 persons in the ranges and flats who are more or less closely related to the Kellys. These relatives are scattered all over the country, from Greta to the Buffalo Mountains, and they oan easily .•endor assistance to their friends and convey them intelligence. Amongst the worst of the clan were the Quinns, who had the reputation of holding human life very cheap indeed, In the words of an old Tipperary doggrel :— Shillelagh was his writin' pen, And all his oy was fightin' men. Amongst othor acts of violence Jim Quinn was imprisoned for beating a neighbour with a bullook-yoke. He threatened to murder another man by the horrible process of boring an au&ur into his head; and for a trampling assault, in which he cruelly beat a man with a heavy paling, he got three months, The antipathy of tho clan to tho police was inveterate, and we find Qainn" one day assaulting Senior constable Hall, ana splitting his head open with a stick. The village of Greta is within 40 miles of Mansfield and seven of the Glenrowaa railway station, and the hut in which the Kelly's now reside is a few miles from Greta. It is in the immediate neighbourhood of the ranges which may be called their own that the gang have taken shelter, and from which, in defiance of tho police, they make their predatory raids. In the old times of Morgan, Ben Hall, Thunderbolt, and Power, the Greta Eanges was the Alsatia to which they rushed in extremity, and were welcomed. The Kelly stronghold was in the Eleven Mile Creek, and along the Fifteen-mile Creek up to Glenmore, near the Wombat Hills, where the Quinns resided. From that point there is one road running over tho tableland to Mansfield, and another towards the King Eiver. The King River Eange is crossed through a gap running back from the stream, leaving the lower flat intersected by lagoons, This gap can be seen from the heights,- and the point is so commanding that no one can approach without being subject to' view. It is here that the Kellys have taken shelter, and being surrounded by their friends, it is impossible to approach them unawares; and unless they are taken in the open, I am of opinion that it will be a long time before their capture is effected. As I have said, their prinoipal pursuit was cattle-stealing: this was necessarily varied _ by agriculture, but it occupied all their spare time. It was not uncommon for some membor of the clan to cross to New South Wales, drive a herd over the border, run them into some plaoe inaccessible to the police, erase old brands, re-brand them, and send them into market for sale. This was the school in which the Kellys were trained, with what result we now see. When Ned Kelly—then described as a young fellow of good manners and appearance—was about 14, he fell in with Power, the bushranger, whose favourite place of refuge was in the neighbourhood, and became his associate. Power, after bushranging overmuch in Beeohworth, whioh beoame too hot for him, went to Geelong-Kelly, it is said, being with him, and returning after two days' stay by the Little Eiver, touched the Wemba encampment, and thence to Malmsbury, where they attempted, unsußcessfully, to stick up the herdsman of the Malmsbury Common. Superintendent (now Assistant Commissioner) Nicholson, on receiving the news, despatched a trooper in pursuit, who came up to the grog-shanty, where he saw two horses at the door. He was qaiie certain ho had his man, but on enr- ring found only young Ned, who at once wont away with him in custody. Power, it is supposed, had escaped. When the charge was heard, the hordsmen could not swear to Kolly, and tho lad was released. The superintendent, fooling an interest in tho boy, induced him to go into tho iutorior on a cattle-station,' whioh ho did, but was soon afterwards brought back by one of the Lloyds, his relative, and recommenced his evil course". Shortly afterwards Power was betrayed md captured at Power's Look-out, a rocky steep on the side of a mountain, commanding a view over the country for many miles round. At tho time youug Kelly had tho odium of this treachery, but it was afterwards traced to Lloyd, who expiated bis faithlessness by break-

ing his neck through a fall from his ho on his way to Greta. Shortly af Power went unwillingly to Pentridj Kelly surrendered himself to the pol on a charge of horse-stealing, but I case fell through, and he was again large. His time was, however, by means lost, Ho nas still engaged in I old pursuit with more or less succoss, I continued uumolosted until 1870, wh he again came into tho hands of t police for assaulting tho same Ser.i< constable Hall, who, as I have relate received the attentions of James Quin Hall had a warrant against Ned for t old game, and meeting his man, plac him under cover of his revolver. N rushed him and tried to gain the weapc but Hall was too much for him. Takii tho butt end of the pistol he dealt Kel a terrible blow, the marks of which still bears, and does not seem to forg< As usual, he was acquitted on the char, of horse-stealing—the police so far nev could catch him there; but he receive three months' imprisonment for the o sault, and was bound over to keep tl peace. By the time he emerged, Ha the sworn foe of the clan, had woven h not securely, and young Kolly, still but lad, was sentenced to threo years' impriso: menfc for his attachment to horsefles Three years in Pentridge was not tho. di to which the scamp of the hills and rangi was accustomed, and at tho time of h release, to all appearance, the wild spir was partially tamed, and he settled dow to. station work. Wherever he went I gained the character of a capital servan both willing and able,—and might hav continued a useful member of society, bi for an unlucky saddle and bridle whio were missed and traced to Ned. Agai throwing off his allegiance to honest toi he retreated to his old savage life amon the hills, where he was joined by hi brother Dan, and nothing was seen c heard of himuntil'New Year's Day, 187! when he rode into Benalla on the occasio of some public gathoring. He was ver reserved and quiet, and associated wit no one. The police, although no doul in possession of a warrant, refrained froi disturbing or driving him to extremities and gladly saw him quietly leave th place. From that time to the shootin of Constable Fitzpatrick, no one excep his relatives and cronies knew of th whereabouts of young Ned Kelly. H asserts that he was not within 100 mile of the place; hut his sister's story i widely different, as will be seen in a sub sequent part of this narration. Havinj brought the recital to this point, whici was unhappily the culminating one o this unfortunate young fellow's career and has already cost three human'lives I propose to trace his steps, in furthe: notices, along that dark road which hi has chosen to travel, and by ascertaining and presenting the truth, leave my readers to judge where are the faults of systert which have brought about a mors disastrously immoral effect than has evei visited this and the adjoining Colony oi Victoria. In the raid on Jerilderie, Kellj made it a condition, under cover of i levelled revolver, that Gill, the printer, should print "his life." As much of ii as is procurable follows :- The statement in writing given bj Edward Kelly, at Jerilderie, to Mr Gil] to be printed, is a wandering narrative, full of insinuations and statements against the police, of a type familiar to all who have had to do with tales from men of a criminal stamp. According to Edward Kelly, his criminal career commenced when he was fourteen years of age, when he received a sentence of three months' imprisonment for using a neighbour's horse without the consent of the owner. After this his convictions were frequent, and, says Kelly, " the polico became a nuisance to the family." At one period of his life, Kelly describes himself as a wandering gamester. When the affray with Constable Fitzpatrick took place, Edward Kelly was engaged in the horse, stealing business, and he says that he had stolen 200 horses. His narrative of what took place when Constable Fitzpatrick was shot may be given. He says!— Constable Fitzpatrick came to apprehend my innocent brother Dan. His mother asked the constable for the warrant. He replied, 'I have a telegram.' Dan was having something to eat at the time. My mother said, 'If my son Wed were at home ho would throw you out of the house,' and looking out of the window, said,' Here he comes.' Fitzpatrick turned suddenly round to look, when Dan auddenly threw down his knifo and fork, jumped np and seized him, and, in the scuffle, Fitzpatrick was shot," This statement is quoted, because publicity has been given to the serious charges made against Constable Fitzpatrick, and it has been alleged in Parliament that the policeman attempted to take liberties with Kelly's sister, and that this was the cause that led to the fight in the hut, A Melbourne journal actually published a tale to the same effect, told by a woman of the family. Other tales of the constabulary have also been told, which have had the effect of creating sympathy for the Kellys; but this account from the pen of Edward Kelly proves that the charges hitherto made by them against the police are a pure invention of tho woman, and the account given of the conduct of the police at the tragedy at Mansfield is obviously a string of falsehoods. It is admitted that the police were not in any way the aggressors, but they were surprised and shot down in cool blood. There was no authentic in. telligence of the movements of the gang yesterday.— Daily Times,

A German physician has started a new theory with regard to food. He maintains that both the vegetarians and meat-eaters are on the wrong tack. Vegetables are not more wholesome than meat, or meat than vegetables, and nothing is gained by consuming a compound of both. Whatever nutritive qualities they may possess, he says, are destroyed in great measure, and often entirely by the process of cooking. All food should be eaten raw, If this practice were adopted, there would be little or no illness among human beings. They would live their appointed time and simply fade away, like anioals in a wild state, from old age. Let those afflicted with gout, rheumatism, or indigestion try for a time the effect of a simple uncooked diet, such a3 oysters and fruit for instance, and they will find all medicines unnecessary, and such a rapid improvement of their health that they will forswear all articles of cooked food at once and for ever. Intemperauce would also, it is urged, no longer be the curse of civilised communities! The yearning for drink is caused by the nn' natural abstraction from what are termed 'solids' of the aqueous element they contain—uncooked beef, for example, containing from 70 to 80 per ceni, and some vegetables even a larger proportion of water. There would be less thirst, and consequently less desire to drink, if our food were consumed in its natural state, without first being subjected to the aotion of lire. Clothing, our adviser also tbiuks, is a mistake, but he admits that the world is not yet far enough advanced in civilisation to go about undressed. Whatever differences of opinion may exist as to this anti-cooking theory, there cannot be a doubt that in getting rid of the kitchen with all its abuses—including the cook—housekeepers would be spared a vast amount of worry, and probably on this acciunt alone would live to a greater n«n than at present,