Ned Kelly - Jerilderie Letter Version of the StringyBark Creek shootout

My readings have taken me to the bush ranger, Ned Kelly.

Ned Kelly was a self described Outlaw, and in his Jerilderie letter, he seems quite honest in detailing his perspective about many aspects of his life.

There were alot of tensions between some of the community and police. This led to an incident with a police officer named, Fitzpatrick, which led to Edward Kelly being on the run, with his gang, and 4 police officers set out to apprehend the Kelly Gang.

In his letter, Ned, states that;

"on the 25 Oct I came on Police tracks" and that "we knew our doom was sealed if we could
not beat those before the others would come"

So, two of the police officers had gone out searching, and 2 were left to guard the camp. The gang decided that it was best to "bail up" the officers, take hostage, before the others returned, as Ned didn't know how many police were around.

"we thought there were more men in the tent asleep"

The plan was to avoid unnecessary bloodshed and capture the 2 police on sentry;

"we could have shot those two men without speaking but not wishing to take their lives we waited McIntyre laid the gun against a stump and Lonigan sat on the log " (McIntyre & Lonigan being the Officers).

I like the honour that Ned Kelly had for life. He had a value system and would try to avoid talking life.

McIntyre surrendered, as he was unarmed at the time, he had placed his weapon inside the tent.

"when I called on them to throw up their hands McIntyre obeyed and Lonigan ran some six or seven yards to a battery of logs instead of dropping behind the one he was sitting on"

For Lonigan, who Ned thought was another officer named, Strachan.

"he had just got to the logs and put his head up to take aim when I shot him that instant or he would have shot me"

McIntyre asked Ned to let him try to get the other officers a chance to give up;

"he said he would get them to give up their arms if I would not shoot them"

There was a reasonableness here that was again quite honourable.

"I told McIntyre to tell them to give up their arms he spoke to Kennedy who was some distance in front of Scanlan he reached for his revolver and jumped off on the off side of his horse and got behind a tree when I who carried the rifle slewed his horse around to galop away but the horse would not go and as quick as thought fired at me with the riflewithout unslinging it and was in the act of firing again when I had to shoot him and he fell from his horse I could have shot them without speaking but their lives was no good to me"

Again, I like the rules. The integrity, that taking a life was of no benefit.

Ned then notes that he allowed McIntyre to get away.

"McIntyre jumped on Kennedys horse and I allowed him to go as I did not like to shoot him after he surrendered or I would have shot him as he was between me and Kennedy therefore I could not shoot Kennedy without shooting him"

McIntyre for his part, jumped on the horse, for fear of being shot due to bloodlust and caught up in the exchange.

Kelly, shoot Kennedy in the armpit, which I think would be a really painful shot to receive, and acknowledges that he didn't know that the revolver had been dropped.

"first Kennedy kept firing from behind a tree my brother Dan advanced and Kennedy ran I followed him he stopped behind another tree and fired again I shot him in the armpit and he dropped his revolver and ran I fired again with the gun as he slewed around to surrender I did not know he had dropped his revolver"

and again justification for defending himself and his logic of forgiving them had they surrendered.;

"the bullet passed through the right side of his chest and he could not live or I would have let him go had they been my own brothers I could not help shooting them or else let them shoot me which they would have done had their bullets
been directed as they intended them"

In those rough times. There were many tensions between cultural groups, authority and rich vs poor.
Police had to enforce a growing frontier and were also less than perfect.

McIntyre, was a teacher before joining the police. He had convinced himself that he would be dead at the hands of the gang. From his readings, desperate outlaws have no motivation to release captives.
He was of the opinion that the Kelly gang would have had more reason to destroy them. In some logical sense, it would have been easy to destroy the evidence had all witnesses been murdered.

From Ned's perspective, he says about McIntyre;

"I do not call McIntyre a coward as he is as good a man as wears the jacket he had the presence of mind to know his position directly he was spoken to it is only foolishness to disobey an outlaw it was cowardice and foolhardiness made
Lonigan fight it was is foolhardiness to disobey an outlaw as it means a speedy despatch to Kingdom come
However, with most frontiers in history, humans have a tendency to reach amazing highs, and atrocious lows."

With statements like that, Ned Kelly was self-righteous, with its good and bad connotations.

He had very little respect for Police.

"to put up with the brutal and cowardly conduct of a parcel of big ugly fat necked wombat headed big bellied magpie legged narrow hipped splawfooted sons of Irish bailiffs or English landlords which is better known as Officers of Justice or Victorian Police who some calls honest gentlemen but I would like to know what business an honest man would have in the Police as it is an old saying It takes a rogue to catch a rogue and a man that knows nothing about roguery would never enter the force and take an oath to arrest brother sister father or mother"

Sources:
http://www.nma.gov.au/collections/collection_interactives/jerilderie_letter/page_1
http://www.policemuseum.vic.gov.au/asset/get/62/section1.pdf
https://cv.vic.gov.au/stories/a-diverse-state/ambush-ned-kelly-and-the-stringybark-creek-murders/
http://www.ironoutlaw.com/history/
https://www.weekendnotes.com/the-ned-kelly-trail-melbourne/
https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/search-discover/explore-collections-theme/australian-history/ned-kelly