Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 – 1947), Wednesday 30 June 1880, page 2
NED KELLY’S STATEMENTS
On the arrival of Ned Kelly at Melbourne a scene of great excitement ensued, and an enormous crowd had assembled at the railway station. By a ruse the police disappointed them, and the outlaw was taken from the train at another station.
Kelly looks much emaciated and is covered with bruises from gunshots which failed to penetrate his armour, but struck him hard in spite of it. From what Kelly has stated to the police the movements of the gang for the past six months will shortly be made known. He says that the police had made things
UNPLEASANT FOR THE GANG
for some time past. The rumour that Joe Byrne was seen near his mother’s residence a little while ago, is confirmed by Ned Kelly, and it has transpired that the police were aware that the whole gang had been lurking near the locality of
SKERRATT’S MURDER
during the past week. Superintendent Hare had even visited the house, and told Skerratt that the outlaws were not far distant. After shooting Skerratt the gang made for Glenrowan, Kelly says with the object of
MURDERING THE POLICE
and black trackers. Ned Kelly says he was constantly
AFRAID OF THE TRACKERS,
and his expressions of fear of them are even now most marked. The presence of the trackers in the district had the effect of keeping the gang quiet so for long. Ned Kelly says he knew the black trackers had gone to Melbourne, and then they were going to return by special train.
With the object of destroying them and the police the gang pulled up the rails, and would have succeeded in their object had not Mr. Curnow so providentially given warning. All the members of the gang were very ‘jolly’ while at the hotel, and Ned Kelly remarked with
FIENDISH DELIGHT,
that he would be present when the train, which carried the trackers, went over the culvert. On Monday morning, as the special had not arrived Ned Kelly thought it was not coming and allowed some of those who were prisoners in the hotel to leave. Just as he did this
BYRNE RUSHED IN
saying, ‘Here she comes; turn out, Ned.’ Ned Kelly and the others of the gang then went out, Ned locking Constable Bracken in a room, taking the key with him. Constable Bracken, however,
CONTRIVED TO ESCAPE.
Kelly asked the other people in the hotel to go out, but as the firing had commenced they refused. Little Jones was shot at the outset and
A DREADFUL SCENE
ensued, the women and children screaming and praying that their lives might be spared. They then got into an inner room, where the storm of bullets now flying into the hotel could not penetrate. Mrs. Reardon and Mrs. Jones, with young Reardon, then
MADE A BOLT.
Directly the police saw the figure of a man, they let fly at him, and Reardon was brought down with a bullet in the shoulder. Seeing what was likely to happen if any more of them tried to escape, Dan Kelly told the inmates to remain because the police would shoot them if they attempted to leave. Some one said to him
‘YOU’LL BE HUNG SOON,’
and added, ‘You had better go out and surrender.’ Dan replied,
‘WE WILL NEVER SURRENDER.’
He then told the people very confidently ‘We shall most likely leave directly.’
During the morning Dan Kelly told the prisoners that Ned Kelly had been shot when returning in the morning to the fight. Ned Kelly evidently expected the other members of the gang would join him at any risk.
Glenrowan 