Ned Kelly - The Australian Robin Hood PT 2/3

I've decided to split this into three parts. You can find Part 1 HERE.  

 

Prior to bushranging with Harry, Ned had only had one documented brush with the law. This had happened in 1869 when he was convicted for the robbery and assault of Ah Fook, a chinese trader. Apparently Ah Fook was passing kelly's hut when Ned approached him with a long bamboo stick in hand, stating that he was a bushranger and threatened to kill him unless he'd hand over money. Ned then allegedly took Ah Fook away from the house and into the bush where he beat Fook with the stick and stole ten shillings. 

The Kelly family denied this, stating that Ah Fook had actually approached their house and asked for drinking water. When Anne Kelly gave him creek water, Ah Fook abused her because it wasn't rain water. Provoked by Ah Fooks rude, entitled attitude, Ned came outside and pushed him. Ah Fook then allegedly grabbed his stick and hit Ned 3 times, causing him to run into the bush. Ah Fook then left the property, threatening to return and burn the house down, and Ned didn't return home until sundown.

Ned was arrested the next day for highway robbery and locked up overnight. He was sent to court the following morning, where Sergeant Whelan, despite using an interpreter to translate Fooks account of what had happened, ended up requesting a remand so the police would have time to find another interpreter. Ned was held in custody and returned to court four days later, where police had requested another remand due to not being able to find another interpreter. A few days later the charge was dismissed and Ned was released.

Reports were made in early 1870 to the police that Harry had a new accomplice. Ned had been spending a lot of time with Harry and it was thought that these two engaged in bushranging activities together. Harry was an old rogue with a bad temper, and after witnessing one of his fierce outbursts, Ned left Power's lookout and returned for home.

He was only back at the kelly hut for one night, when the police raided and arrested him. Apparently Power and Kelly stuck up and robbed a Mr M'Bean. Ned was charged with robbery and being an accomplice of Harry, but was let off when the victims could not identify him. He was charged again, but the main witness could not be located and charges were dropped.  

He was then charged again for a hold-up with power, against a man named Murray. The victims for this charge were reported to have also failed to identify Ned, but had in fact been refused a chance to identify him by two superintendents. They told the court that Ned fitted the description and then requested that he'd be remanded to the Kyneton court for trial. The request was granted, but Ned was instead sent to Melbourne, where he spent the weekend in lockup. He was returned to Kyneton court, where no evidence was supplied, and was released after a month. Reports from witnesses had described harry's accomplice as a 'halfe-caste' but superintendent Hare and the police commissioner, Captain Standish, believed this to be because Ned was covered in dirt. Many consider these identification events to be police harassment, but they're also thought to be because the Kelly family had intimidated the witnesses.

Late in 1870, Ned was arrested again, this time for assaulting a hawker who had accused a family friend of the kelly's, Ben Gould, for stealing a horse. Ben Gould had written a foul letter and filled a box with calves' testicles after being accused, which Ned gave to a cousin of the hawker, to then be delivered to the hawkers childless wife. Ned was sent to do three months of hard labour.

When he returned home, he met Isaiah "Wild" Wright. Wild had arrived in the area on a stolen mare, which went missing whilst he was staying at the Kelly hut. He burrowed one of the Kelly horses to return home with, and told Ned that if he found the mare he could keep it until he returned. Ned found it, and was soon caught riding it by Police Constable Hall, who knew the horse was stolen property. This brush with the law involved Hall actually trying to shoot Ned, but being overpowered by him and being ridden like horse. Ned was arrested, bashed by Constable Hall and sentenced to three years imprisonment, although maintained that he never knew the horse was stolen. Three weeks later he was sent to Pentridge jail. Wild was later caught and given only 18 months for stealing the horse.   


19 yr old, Ned Kelly.

Ned got out of jail in 1874 when he was 19 and wanted his revenge. Whilst he was at a bar, Wild waltzed in. A heated discussion ensued about the stolen horse and a bare-knuckle boxing match was organised between the two. The match lasted 20 rounds with Wild surrendering, and Ned was declared the unofficial boxing champion of the district.  



In 1877 Ned was arrested for riding over a footpath and spent the night in lock up. The next day whilst being escorted by police officers, he broke away from them and ran into a shop. During the struggle to arrest him, Ned's trousers were ripped off, and a Constable Thomas Lonigan took the opportunity to 'black-ball' him (grabbed and squeezed his testicles) in order to subdue him.
During this scuffle, Ned yelled to Lonigan, "I never shot a man yet. But if ever I do, so help me God, you'll be the first." These words foreshadowed the crime that would eventually condemn Ned to death.  

-To be Continued-   

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