THE WOMBAT MURDERERS.

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1264, 5 August 1880, Page 3

THE WOMBAT MURDERERS.

TICL " sp n ( i ll'" of tliG hi/dm')/ JY H s ttl'JgripliT iiiul.r dafo July .'5O. I intei \ ii"U'(l iVLi>. ~S\> Ijoiinol, thelmd- ] idy i'j tho i( ll*-.l 1 *-. i\ 'i' M'f ) n, -itUicjio ,\iin, ibis liioi niiiJi 1 . iSliu slated : Jvuiy on Xundiy monnng I was awakened by my Imsbmd getting out of bod. Uo went outsi le, .ji 1 bOiiio oue, v, ho tiumd out to bo Ntd Kxilv, siid, '' T) >n't you luim\\ me ?'' My husband '-.lid, " X >." Ob ! you m.sst k"o\\ me, I.a X'ed Kelly ,'' ;>nd Ivlauphed v.hil-4, i.'_ s i i it. .So did Ui'j othui. He ill i! a 1 cd to -,oo i.ie, and boiiVi told tb if, I w 't> in bed, pUjiitd ojion tbo dou. , .aid •aid, "' How .uo t, (iiij^lis, * ,ie .-'' 1 sud, tl Who cii.' you !" Ho s.u'l, " I'm Ktlly ! <jit maud (lio-i youiiS 'lf.' 1 I tbeii not up and m ( ii out, and .a >\ Tl.ufc and I>\ mo out^ilo iiii 'vii -eb.ick. Ia! i<iu o icLO^nLid Ned Iv'ily, and «aid, l> 01), Xod ! '-cw alter, d you a io ! He said, '• Urut call mo Xcd. my name is od<. k Ilojle, '' and tbcn tbi.} .ill 1 milled. Tli'-yhul mt '^ot on the 'iimuui-pliitito iben, ami did not put them on till Sunday ni^bt, tbo polite cam. Htiit \i uit Ijy the naiiio ')■ Collio, audJJjmo called 'Sug.ir.' That a\.h> because bo Av.ib so .M\ect on the gir'.o. Byrne Jisked me it I Know him, aiid J b^ul J fliil not know him ns Byrne. Tic =-,iid " Ko, I thought not ; I have been bcrj often enough under another name.'' 1 then remembered having seen him &e\ ei-cvl tnnefe at my house (hums: the last six nionthh. After they had a drink they talked quite pleasantly -with me and my husband. Ned Kelly told us that we a\ ere wanted over at Mis. Jones' hotel, and -said, " Yon must all go o\er there, childien a,ud all. He then •went over to the gatehouse, and they left Hart to guaid us all. The women Aveie kept theie all day Sunday. The outlaws were \ery civil, ;aid joked and laughed with us constantly. They bi ought u-j brandy uhon we lequhed it. Haic .said that he had drunk bix nobleio of biandy and it was .so bad that if ho took another he thought he would lo^c his head. During the diy Ned Kelly iitmihed himaelf and Iho otbeift by vaiious games, and he boasted that he could jump further than any other man. He also got up a bit of a dance with the ladies theio, and none of us wero afraid. In the afternoon he rodo oil 1 to iiud Biackcn, tbo constable, as ho wanted his hoi.ie, and In ought him. back. Wo were all then put into the hotel. We made tea, and took our meals v/i!h the Kellys, but they forced us to taste everything befoie they eit it themselves. Wo all lay dow n at night and were easy in our minds. The} 7 told us we would be let go as f.oon as the Beech worth train was bma.shud up, when Maidenly wo heard the whistle of tlu and just theii Dan said, " That .Tjiaekeu lias gone" Ned called out to them to btand by the hou^e, and the}'- went into the verantlill. The train came up slowly, and some police got out a1",a 1 ", the hlation. We could .see they were greatly excited, and gesticulating wildly. Then several of them came marching up to the hotel. Dan Mid, *• Giu; it to them, bojs,'' and th'^y all tired. We saw one of them fall, and then they -u'ltterod and began to iiu> at us. The bullets came into the hou-e i l e\ cry direction, and tho women were \ery much afraid, aud kept screaming. One of tbo bulkts stiuck Mi's Jones' poor little boy, and he .said " Oh ! mother, 1 am ■sliofc/' uud fell down on the floor. Mro.

Jones screamed, and we lifted him on to tlio bed. Just after this another bullet struck the girl in the head, but she puled ifc out with her finger, and is all rig-lit now. It was only a hult'-speut ball. Ned left us soon after daylight to look after the horses. He had got on his armour, and said, "ll'h all right, boys, they cau't hurt mo." Soon after we saw them fire at him from the back of the house. He fell. D,m shouted with rage when ho saw his brother f. ill, and rushed outside shooting at everyone. He could see he was struck in the leg and forced to come back- SOmeone called out to let out the women and the boys. Young Delaney and my little boy Jack asked Dan to" let them go, Saying they might as well be 6hot outside as in and then they let us all out one at a tin.c. A line repairer climbed up a tolegr iph polo to fix on a wire, and. he did' a bravo i hing, for the bullets whistled all round him, but be was lucky and escaped. Ned's two sisters soon after came up, and Airs. SUlli.m wanted to go into the house, but Mr. Saddler would not let lier go. Father Gibboy then said he would go, but they kept him back They soon after set lire to the hotel, one Constable going to the side with a big bunch of straw soaked in. kerosene, and the police kept firing, at. the. other .side all the time but they were all dead then. As soon as the place was blazing, tho priest walked to the doorway and 100 cd inside. He then waved his hat a» a signal that all was right, and d» ngged old Cherry out. • He received the dying man's last words, and gave liim tho sacrament. The bodies of Dan and Steve \\ c found lying side by side in an inner room. They had • shiit -themselves, and lay down dead together., Father (Jibbcy attended to Ned and' gave him consolation. Ned seemed to>se A-ery sorry 4 for what he had done, and said it Was not his fault. He says that he says his prayers CA T ery night, and is a God-fearing man. I believe ho is to ; but he was iliiron to crime. The people came up in hundreds to the station, and crowded loiuid lo see the dead bodies It was a pitiful sight to see the two poor girls holding Ned's head and bathing his temple. Kate was self-possessed, and scarcely cried, although one could see how slie suffered, Miss Lloyd, Ned's cousin, who was very fond of him, wont ! down to Benalla. She will break her j heart, poor giri, if he is hanged. I hope ho will not be, for it was a dreadful day's woik for them all shooting at innocent people, and not caring whom they hurt.

Temperance in Chicago./ — Three yeare ago it was estimated, that there wore in Chicago at least 30,000 boys aud girls who were habitual frequenters of the drinking 1 saloons of thac pity, of which tlieie worn t-ome 3080. In consequence of this condition of things, the Chicago Citizens' Leagne for the Suppression of the iSalo of .Liquors to Minors was ebtabbilshed, and fair warning of its intention was given to the liquor sellers. Tho society has been very successful in its opeiatious. In 1877, 6018 minors were an eiatcd ; but s>mcu then there has been a sensible jeaily diminution in the number. Between 250 and 300 liquor sellers have been convicted. Two hundred have in consequence either abandoned their business or removed to other localities. Between 400 and 500 l evidences have been visited in the interest of minors found in the rum-shops, aud in only two instances Mrre the \i.-sitoia leceived uith any other expressions tluui those of gratitude ; while many notoiioue. places have been suppi c^scd. This work cost 3000 dollars tor the two years, and saved from 20,000 to 30,000 dolhus annually, it is estimated, in the mere matter of criminal prosecution alone.