224 A HISTORY OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA 



In the neighbourhood of Greta, about 140 miles north-east of 

 Melbourne, there dwelt a representative group of such families. A 

 convict named Kelly, originally transported from Ireland, had 

 married into a family of kindred tastes, and in the early fifties he 

 appears to have discovered the suitability of the district for supply- 

 ing meat to the outlying diggings without the necessity for in- 

 curring the original cost. He died in 1865, leaving behind him 

 four daughters and three sons, whose training had not been based 

 on any recognised catechism. As they grew up, their associations 

 were necessarily bad. Ned Kelly, the eldest son, acted for a time as 

 a scout and assistant to Power, a notorious bushranger from New 

 South Wales. Some of the family formed combinations with the 

 Harts, Byrnes, Sherritts and others for mutual assistance in out- 

 witting the police. The country was covered with what were 

 known as "bush-telegraphs," and the appearance of a mounted 

 trooper on the horizon set them all working. Ned and Dan Kelly 

 had both served sentences for horse stealing, and in April, 1878, a 

 constable was sent to Mrs. Kelly's to arrest her son Dan for a fresh 

 offence. When he entered the hut he was set upon by a number 

 of people, and, in the scuffle, slightly wounded by a pistol-shot. A 

 reinforcement of police subsequently went out to vindicate the law 

 and apprehended some of the gang, including Mrs. Kelly, but the 

 brothers Ned and Dan had fled. A reward of 100 each was 

 offered for their capture, and from that day they graduated from 

 common horse thieves into idealised Dick Turpins. For five 

 months the police schemed in vain to entrap them. The press 

 twitting them with their incapacity, a special effort was determined 

 on, and in October four experienced mounted troopers were detailed 

 to scour the ranges. On the second day out, while Kennedy, the 

 sergeant-in-charge, and one of the men were searching a likely spot, 

 the two remaining in camp were suddenly called upon to surrender 

 by four men who covered them with rifles. One attempted flight 

 and was shot dead ; the other held up his hands. The men were 

 Ned and Dan Kelly, Steve Hart and Joe Byrne. When the ser- 

 geant and the other trooper unsuspectingly returned to the camp 

 they were confronted with presented weapons. The man attempted 

 to spring from his horse to get behind a tree, but was shot through 



