Ned Kelly: The Famous Australian Bushranger
Ned Kelly was one of the most famous Australian bushrangers, and a cult figure in his country. Many still resent him for his crimes but there are others who admire his strength of character and the way he stood up against the system to defend his family and others.
Early Life and Anti-Police Sentiments
He was born in Mansfield, Victoria and moved to Kyneton when he was a child. He was brought up by his father Red and his aunt Ellen in a house near the railway line where he had a large garden. He was a natural sportsman and enjoyed hunting, fishing, and shooting. He developed an uncanny ability to fox hunt, and was known to be the best in the area.
Early in life, he saw his family treated unfairly by the police because of their "selector" status and he became increasingly anti-police. When his brother Dan was accused of horse theft in 1877, Kelly shot and injured a policeman who was trying to arrest him.
The Formation of the Kelly Gang
After the incident, he and his brothers formed the Kelly gang, which became famous for their daring robberies in the Victorian-New South Wales borderlands. In addition to bank robberies, the Kelly gang staged attacks on police officers and seized hostages.
The most famous Kelly gang attack was at Stringybark Creek in October 1878, where the gang killed three policemen. The gang also staged bank robberies in Euroa and Jerilderie, a city on the Murray River.
The Standoff at Glenrowan
In June 1880, the gang attacked Glenrowan, a small town on the main Benalla-Glenrowan railway line. The police arrived to stop the attack but the Kelly gang managed to capture and take over the local hotel.
They surrounded the police, and the police were unable to get into the building. During the ensuing fight, Kelly used a suit of makeshift armor to protect himself and his gang members. He also shot at police officers who tried to stop him and wounded several of them until they were hit in their legs and groins.
The Trial and Execution
He was eventually caught and put on trial at the Melbourne gaol. He was convicted and hanged for his crimes on 11 November 1880.
Kelly's Defiant Letter
Before he was sent to the gaol, Kelly wrote an elaborate letter to his family, describing the injustices he had suffered at the hands of the police and explaining that his gang robbed banks as a way of helping those who had been oppressed by the government. The letter is 56 pages long and reveals much about Kelly's personality.
The letter is written in rough language and is full of arguments, but it shows that Kelly believed he was acting in self-defense. He drew on his Irish heritage to justify his actions and he was angry at the oppression of the people of Ireland by the British.
Insight from the Jerilderie Letter
Despite his rough language and lack of grammar or punctuation, the Jerilderie letter is a valuable document in revealing Kelly's thoughts about his crimes. It also provides insight into the attitudes of those who knew him, including his mother Ellen and his brother Dan.
