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The Jerilderie Letter is held at the State Library of Victoria |
Ned Kelly Raid
The Day Ned Kelly & His Gang Came To Town
From Saturday evening, February 8, to Monday evening February 10, 1879, the Kelly gang carried out an audacious raid on the town of Jerilderie, robbing the Bank of New South Wales of 2140 pounds, holding more than thirty residents hostage and locking the police in their own cell.
Those taking part were Ned Kelly, Dan Kelly, Steven Hart and Joe Byrne.
While the thirty hostages were detained in the Royal Mail Hotel, Ned Kelly addressed them, saying police persecution had led to the deaths of the three policemen at Stringybark Creek and the subsequent activities of the Gang.
Ned Kelly tried to locate the editor of the Jerilderie Newspaper, Mr Sam Gill, saying he wanted him to publish his account of the events of the past eleven years. Mr Gill was almost captured by the outlaws with Mr. J. Rankin and Mr. H.D. Harkin, but was able to make his way on foot to Carrah to raise the alarm. Ned tried to hand the now famous 'Jerilderie Letter' to Mrs. Gill who refused to take it, upon which bank teller Mr. Edward Living offered to take custody of the letter until Mr. Gill's return when it could then be published.
Mr. Living did not give the manuscript to Mr. Gill but kept it himself; and it did not resurface until more than 100 years after the event.
It is now known that the four outlaws rode into Jerilderie at about sunset on the Saturday. They made their way to the Woolshed Hotel where they had a meal. Later on Saturday night, the outlaws captured Senior Constable Devine and Trooper Richards by a ruse in which the two officers were called from their beds by a man shouting that there was a brawl in one of the hotels. When the two officers walked into the verandah of the barracks, they were covered by three of the robbers at pistol point. The officers were locked in the cell and Mrs Devine was assured by Ned Kelly that no harm would befall any of them if they obeyed orders. The outlaws donned police uniforms.
The thoroughness of the planning of the raid, which in some respects follows the pattern of a similar raid in Euroa on December 10, prevented most of the Jerilderie's five hundred townsfolk being aware of the visit of the robbers.
Contact details
Jerilderie Shire Council
03 5886 1200 (ph)
03 5886 1701 (fax)
mail@jerilderie.nsw.gov.au
