The Kelly Haunts.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3733, 11 December 1880, Page 2

The Kelly Haunts.

THE FORTIFIED HUT OF THE GANG. Leaving Melbourne one day last week, I took train to Long wood, and from thence coached it to Mansfield, the town* ship which derived bo much notoriety through the outbreak of the Kelly gang. Procuring a hone well used to rough country, and obtaining the services ora guide, who, I may state, was intimately connected with the Kellys and their friends, and had undertaken to conduct me to several of their haunts, I started early in the morning from Mansfield, and so as to avoid observation made a slight detour before finally getting on the direct tract to the Wombat raages. Thenoe we made our way .across country to the scene of the police murders, which, I was informed, was near to the fortified hut of the outlaws. Trims of the murders are still visible; on every side are bullet-marked trees, and a few old posts of Walter Lyneh's hut can be noticed almost in the centre of the cleared space, which the Kellys and their confederates approached by creeping up under the shelter of the tufts of spear* grass. Whether Kennedy was aware of it or not, all the time he was retreating and dodging from tree to tree, firing as best he could, and sternly contesting every inch of ground, he was making in almost a direct line for the hut in whioh the Kellys and their mates had lived for many months before they committed the crime whioh caused their outlawry. A ride of about half a mile from the spot where Kennedy's body was found brought me and my companion to the stronghold of the Kellys, situated on a small rise situated in the midst of a basin, bounded on the east by Byan's Greek, on the west by a very. high and steep mountain, forming part of the Wombat xtangei, on the northern,/by a small creek flowing down from between the hills, and on the south by a medium sized ridge, which, however, is high enough to oonoeal the hut from view in that direction. Seining in my horse on the crest of this'ridge, and taking a glance at; the scene which lay before me, I could not but be struck with wonderment that such a perfect settlement • should have existed so long within half a dozen miles of selections without its existence being discovered. A farmer named Jebb lives within four and another named Harrison within six miles of it, and yet neither—at least so they assert—were even aware that the Kellys were in that locality, although Uto latter must have lived in this locality many, months, or they ootld never have got matters '' id su^hval^BiM<M ? ijtate. fay about 70 acres, and thfd fii Fenoed in on three sides (north; south and east) by a sapling, dogleg, and brush' fence, the west side requiring no fencing owing to the steepness of the hill. which constitutes its boundary." Immediately surrounding the hut some 20 acres have been cleared, the trees ringed, and the timber—principally swamp gum and peppermintr-plaeed in heaps ready for burning.. The ground, has even been raked, so as to give every. chance for the grass to grow, and-the aspect of, the whole place denotes that the . Kellys had lived in this secluded - retreat many a long day before the Wombat , murders took place; and as a proof that - someone knew of their existence, Xa*J .. mention that on a large peppermint tree within a short distance from the hit the ' name of " J. Martain " has been carved in the sapwood of the ttee afjmr the sheet.of bark! had been taken oft lid jrat <Nt the roof of the hut. In the creek flowiriff to dthe norjthof the hut a consuforafte amount - of gold-digging has been done, slfucing being the means employed, aodgfroo* appearances gold has been got in payaM* quantities, and the workings are%f suoh an extent that it would be utterly isapos* sible for any four men to carry .them on under a period of several months. . Perhap3, however, the most startling; sight of all is the appearance of the hut and its immediate surroundings.^ r Mf iT*"*; a house erected of bullet-proof HffP&lly 2ft. in diameter, one on the top of tM other, crossed at the ends after the fashion \ of a chock and log fence, and with a door 6ft. high by 2ft. 6in. wide, made of stiff, slabs, and plated with iron nearly • quarter of an inch in thickness, which was loopholed to fire through. The door, is on the north side, opposite the gold-, workings in the creek, and a well-built log chimney occupies the greater part of , i the west end of the hut. Such was fbjt/ , home of the Kelly gang for some monthr before the police murders. Its interior - was fitted up just as substantially as its exterior, and in a manner calculated to stand a long seige, there having bean... every provision made for. the tAnn^LdCflour, beef, tea, sugar, and/ otherJ|«»t>,i sariesoflife; and to show infiwsh ] meat, at least, they were not wanting, w* ' discovered portions of Mvei^ oaroasses, together with seven or eight aetdi of cattle, with bullet holes in the centre of

the' forehead, lying outside the .hut, which may hare belonged to either H serabV bers " out of the ranges, or the fat bul. " looki of some not far distant* squatter or farmer, but most probably the Utftftr.* Jfr; Empty jam and sardine tins, old powder; J flasks, cap boxes, broken shoreb, old billy cans, glass bottles, door* hinges, aaiV a greht ranety of other articles were fo'bift:'' ] seen t 1 rouna the hu^ But the.orowttK - >v

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wonder of all was the evident pains taken by the Kellys to improve themselves as marksmen. In every direction—takißg the hut as a standing point—we saw trees which were marked with bullets, from fire to fifty having been fired into each, at ranges varying from 20 to 400 yards. The bullets being afterwards chopped out, and melted down, and converted again into their former state. On one small tree a circle of charcoal 6in. in diameter had been traoed, and into this two or three revolver bullets had been fired— one striking the black dot meant to represent the bullseye, in the centre, and the other two being close to it. Some of the bullets had gone to a depth of four inchei in the trees, and consequently a great deal of chopping had to be done to done to get them out, and there was abundant evidence, too, to prove that the more practise the ontlaws had, the more they improved in the use of the rifle and revolver, the shooting at some marks on the trees being vei j wide, and on others remarkably straight and dead into the I did not attempt to inspect the count:/ in the vicinity ot this stronghold of the outlaws. By the time I had taken a hurried sketch and picked up a few interesting relics, it became time to think of turning homewards ; so only waiting a few moments frj inspect the track which led from the hut across the creek and over -r-ffie gap towards Greta, my guide and I turned our horses' heads southwards, and •fter a rather rough ride reached Mansfield late at night, from whence I took coach to Longwood next day, reaching Melbourne the same night, none the worse for my trip in the Kelly country.—Argus Correspondent. ,