THE MURDERS BY VICTORIAN BUSHRANGERS.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1480, 13 November 1878, Page 3

THE MURDERS BY VICTORIAN BUSHRANGERS.

The following further particulars regarding the murders are from Australian papers received by yesterday’s map ; Kyneton, October 30 h. "Word has been Drought here that four armed men, supposed to be Kelly and pirly, were seen at 2 p.m. to-day at Green Hills, near Malmsbury, making towards Metcalf, Police from Malmsbury and Taradale, with a party of volunteers, armed, have gone out in search of them. Sergeant Manso i a- d kur constables from th's station also started from Kyneton at half pa-t 6 p.m, with arms and ammunition, in pursuit. Mounted-constable Oahi 1 has returned, and reports that the information that Kelly’s parly were at Green Hills ha? proved incorrect. The police and volunteers from Malmsbury have returned. Sergeant Manson and the constables who went with Idm from Kyneton have not yet returned. What rendered the information given to the Malmsbury police probable was ifiat Power, with Kelly, when limited from King River district in 1870, m ide across here, and was in this neighbourhood for about a week. The Kellys and Qninn, who are eaid to be with them, have relatives in the Tylden district. Mansfield, October 31.

The search party in quest of Sergeant Kennedy reached the halting-place for the night about half past six last evening, and camped there for the night. The party numbered in all, including the police, twentyfire persons. An early start was made this morning at halt-past five, the party being provided with provisions for the day. They headed for the vicinity of the scene of the late encounter, when the party formed themselves into an extended line, and scoured the country tmtil they readied the place where the murder had been committed. After consultation it was decided to scour for a raiie in the direction of M’liityre’s escape tracks. Half a-mile had scarcely been searched when a coo-co from Mr Sparrow brought the party together, and it was then found mat the body of the unfortunate Sergeant Kennedy had been discovered. This was abouteight o’clock. The body was stretched out, and covered by a uniform cloak. Upon the removal of the cloak, the body presented a partially decomposed appearance, particularly where the wounds were visible. The remains were then partially placed in a bag, and raised to the back of a horse by Mr Tomkins and Constable Orr. A cart was then sent for to meet the procession, and the bociy was conveyed to t he halting-place, which it reached at eleven o’clock. Tne body was found on M’lntjri’s return tracks. The party reached Mansfield about three o’clock, the nows having previously been brought by Messrs Tomkins and Hageman. The body now lies in the morgue awaiting a post-mortem examination. The unfortunate man is scarcely recognisable, except by general appearance and the clothing. The face is quite blackened, the nose partially gone, and there is one large bole in the breast as if a rifle had been put, close to the body and fired after Kennedy had fallen, Ilis clothes were burnt io the spot and around the wound. The right ear appeared to have been cut off as with a knife. There is also a bullet wound uuder ihe right arm. The re'uni party report that they met a party of poli e from Gerta, which was originally organis d to net in concert with Kennedy’s party. The Greta police jstated having come upon the tracks of Kelly’s party hist evening by discovering a native bear recently s-ot by a rifle ball; they are now following up the tracks, but are badly equipped

Benalla, November li,

A special party of men who have been in reserve for several days have just been ordered up the lino. It is the impression of the police that the Kellys are still in the ranges north-east of this place. It has been ascertained that they have endeavored to puss themselves off as police, with the assistance of the handcuffs and revolvers they got at th Wombat, but their youth and looks ought to be agains t them.

One of Strahan’s pirty arrived i'r nn Mans field to-day. They worked the varies 1 fom tho Wombat to the head of the wci-t hva> eh of (ho Ki'ii?;, going along (he top of the range. They were out, for four day?, and had n good deal of wet we ithcr, but Saturday win fine, and they got an cx'or.sivo view of the vull y of the King from the high ground. The tracks seen were not. recent, ai d doubtless were left by horsemen com c"ti’d with sfa'iors beyond Mam*field. On one night they st-o* j>- <J at an old hut on the Wombat rmg,: They crossed the blaz.rd tri ck from IV>anfCeld <o Glonnvnv, hir did not descend to Quinn's o'd haunts. Kews was circulate 1 in Ifenulla yesterday to the effect that the Kellys had stuck up a at r j on the King River, between Glei more and Whitfield. The statement was found to be correct, but the occurrence took place three weeks ago. Tho owner of the store tried to shut Kelly out, but at night the marauder forced a road in, and told him that if he ever barricaded Ids doors in that way again lie would be shot. Tho man was bo frightened at tho threats he heard that lie made no complaint to tho police, and h : s relatives only mentioned the matter privately in the course of a visit to Benalla yesterday, so for his s tko tho name of the locality must be withheld. This will show how effectively the scattered settlements have been hell in terror. To show how extensive the Kelly connexion is, it may be mentioned that scarcely a day passes that we do not hear that some relative has bean in Benalla.

Isaiah Wright was brought up at Mansfield to-day and discharged, the police not pressing their complaint against him. Waxoabatta, November 6, 1115 p.ra. Tho account which has been obtained from Mr Nicholson s' ows that none of the supposed Kelly party are wounded, and that satisfactory item in past reports must be given up. Margery is a selector near the Murray. On his way backwards and forwards to the river Lst Tuesday ho saw four men near a lagoon. He had some talk with thorn. They said at first they were police, and afterwards one of them stated that he was Kelly. They showed handcuffs, and he saw that they carried firearms in their swags as many shearers do. Ho had a long talk with them, and they got some loaves of bread and a bottle of vine from him, but made no demand for provisions, aid did not stick him up. He told them that if they were the Kellys they had belter clear out, as that was po place for them. They stayed some time at

the lagoon, aiid kept him there also. Before he went up to them he had seen them on his way to the river, where he had set sjme fishing lines, and ho parsed once or twice [before ho hud the curiosity to see who they were. The police ascertained that Margery had been drinking, but in their inquiries in the neighborhood they found that other persons had seen (he same party. This occured on the Tuesday, and it wrs not until Friday night that Mr Nicholson arrived from Benalla. On Saturday the police got on the tracks of four or fire horsemen, Margery had told them that they were mounted on remarkably good horses. The tracks were Wi ll defined for some distance, and at sundown they had reached the place where the party had camped the previous day. The footprints were those of shod horses. Rain came on, and not only obliterated the tracks, but flooded the surface of the ground. They still kept on, but finally lost the track entirely at a reserve near Barnawartha. On entering the township they learned (.hat a party exactly like the men they were in search of had passed through a little in advance of them. They followed on, and made np to four men. One of them was remarkably like Kelly, and the other three young men. They took them into Chiltern on Sunday at 7 a.m., and Margery was confronted with them, but he was sure they were not the men ho had seen. Mr Nicholson, though struck with the likeness, did not for a moment suppose he had got Kelly. It was satisfactorily shown that the men were shearers, so that they were at once brought before a Magistrate and discharged from custody. This pursuit of a false scent lost the police a day. The search was resumed on Monday, and soon fresh evidence of the presence of the Kelly partv was met with in the neighb rhood of the Murray. It was pretty evident that attempts had been made to cross and that the parly had been baffled. Some information which the police don't care to disclose at present was obtained. It was not from Margery that they heard about the brands on the horses, but from a more trustworthy source. Up to yesterday the police felt that they were still upon strong indications. Some fresh parties of troopers will be sent out from here to-morrow.

Mansfield, November 6. Constable Sfrabau and Shewbridge’s parfj have just returned from Wombat for provisions and further orders. They report finding no trnee of Kelly’s gang. They feel perfect I veonfident that they are hiding in the Upper King ranges, and they are anxious to return, I 1 he weather being very stormy is much against their search. The latest report is that one mate is K-d'y’s sister. The two Lloyd’s are in Mansfield, no doubt with the intention of showing that they are not the two unknown ones of the gang. Sub-inspector Pewtrees still complains, and with just cause, of the scarcity of r flee, The party that bus ju*t returned have only four, two borrowed ones and two belonging to the force. A well-informed correspondent writes: “There is every reason to believe that the su r miso of the officials of the penal department that Strickland, who was a prisoner at Pentridge, is one of the Kelly gang, is correct. A short time before his discharge he, with two others, made a savage attack on the wellknown Yon Sanden in the messroom, and the assault might have terminated serioudy had not some of the warders been present. For some time Strickland was employed as a wardsman, and subsequently in the stonecut* cos’ yard, where his associates were the worst class of prisoners. So well aware were some of tne warders of this man’s proclivities that as soon as the report of the Mansfield affair was known, suspicion at once turned to Strickland, especially as it was known that he was from that part of the country. Daring the time Kelly was at Pentridge there was nothing remarkable in his conduct beyond his desire to let the people know that he* was Power’s mate in bushranging. The latter has always said that he had no confidence in Kelly’s courage. On one occasion, says Power, when lie was nearly surrounded by police nt Mount Battery station, and there seemed but little hope of escape, Kelly said that he would surrender, when Power said, ‘ If you attempt to do so I will shoot you on the spot.’ Power said he would have stuck up the Seymour Bank if Kelly would have agreed to hold his horse close to the bank, which he refused to do. Power appears to have been informed about the recent tragedy, but he makes no comments. He has been in the prison hospital for the last two years, and is not likely to recover from a disease contracted during his bushranging career.”