NOTORIOUS NED KELLY

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 139, 9 December 1929, Page 19

NOTORIOUS NED KELLY

HIS LAST FIGHT

RELICS OF FAMOUS DUEL

The last man to bo shot at by Ned Kelly is still.-, living to tell the tale, and a remarkable tale it is.

. Just before his capture, says the "Adelaide Observer", tho notorious bushranger waged: a revolver duel at close quarters with Mr. Jesse Dowsett, the guard of the railway train that had taken the' police to Glenrowan.

Battled by the events at the siege of Mrs. Jones's hotel during the night, and encumbered by his armour, Kelly's aim was not true, and Dowsett survived, gullets from Dowsett's revolver pierced Kelly's ammunition tin, but were stopped by his armour.

It was at ■ the very moment that Kelly was about to fire point blank at Dowsett that Sergeant Steel brought the desperado down with a shot. Dowsett rushed forward and wrenched the revolver, still smoking, "from Kelly's hand. " "■■■■■-.

At his home in Glehhuntly (Victoria) Dowsett still treasures relies of the memorable morning when the reign of terror of the Kelly gang came to an end. in a green. baize cover he keeps the big Colt revolver which he wrested from Kelly.

BELONGED TO POLICE,

The revolver is one' that Kelly took from the police sergeant at Jerilderie when his gang attacked the.town, held up the police station, and robbed the «wnk' On the handle the letters •N.S.W.Gr." indicate its original ownership. A. chip from the wooden part of the stock shows where one of the police bullets took effect in the final episode at Glenrowan. Another interesting relic is the boot worn by Kelly showing where a bullet from Steel's weapon penetrated.

The mustard tin in which Kelly kept his ammunition shows the two holes made by bullets fired by Dowsett. One of the bullets found inside the tin with Kelly's ammunition is shown by Mr. Dowsett as evidence of his good aim. '

Air through the Kelly episode, Mr. Dowsett was living at Benalla. He was the guard on many trains that were rushed to various points to meet the gang. On tho night of the Glenrowan fight he_felt the train being pulled-up and looked out in time to see Thomas Curnow, the schoolmaster, showing a light behind a red handkerchief to warn the tram driver that the line had been, torn up. ■

Mr. Dowsett tells how Constable Kelly shot police horses that were tethered near the scene of the fight, because ne thought they were the horses of the Kelly gang. Describing the exciting scenes at Kelly's capture, Mr. Dowsett said that just as day was breaking and Constable Tmniy n fS Und a rifle and caP near a pool of blood about 100 yards from the hotel he wont with Sergeant Steele and Unstable Kelly into the bush in search or the man who had escaped from the

We were lying alongside a forked log in the dim light of. the breaking dawn when something that looked like a tall native wrapped in a blanket appeared m the bush before us" said Dowsett. "We fired at the object A nng like a bell told us that our^bullets t)T e + *tn., km S some metal object and the tall figure with its grotesque outline continued to advance •■ "Someone said, 'It's the devil himself., Another offered the opinion that it was a uunyip.

KELLY'S RETOET.

"When the flash of a revolver was seen and a bullet hissed near to us we realised that we were face to face with Ned Kelly. I sa i d to the figure as I fired my revolver: 'How dVou like that, Kelly?' The bullet had no effect, and he shouted back as he ?»ot at mo: 'All right. How d'ybu like that one?' The bullet missed me and lie came forward to fire again He was getting very close. At that moment Steele fired low and Kelly staggered We rushed upon him and he fought like a madman, but his strength was failing owing to the wounds he had received. "'Will you give in now? 5 Steele asked. Kelly replied: 'Never while Iv© got a shot left.' Kelly fired his revolver again to emphasise his answer,, but I,got to his hand and wrenched the weapon from him. "Then wo,took him to the doctor and put him. on tho train for Melbourne. On the way down we received word that, a big crowd had gathered at Spencer. street, and so the train was. stopped at North Melbourne and ho was taken off there."

; With justifiable pride Mr. Dowsett shows the memorandum of recognition of Ins bravery sent to him by the Kailways Department "announcing promotion and an increase of pay of Is a day. In addition to this ho received £175 us his share of the £8000 reward for the capture of the Kelly gang given by the Victorian and New South Wales Governments. : '