Ned Kelly: The exposed legs beneath the armor
Ned Kelly wore armor during the confrontation at Glenrowan, but his legs remained exposed. Sergeant Steele brought him down with shotgun blasts to those unprotected areas and his thighs. The armor could withstand bullets striking its plates without protecting his entire body. His helmet, breastplate, backplate, and shoulder plates later displayed eighteen bullet marks, including five on the helmet. The dramatic appearance of the armored outlaw forms only part of the events at Glenrowan. Hostages, a railway warning, wounded officers, and a burning hotel all played roles in the siege that ended with his capture and the deaths of the other gang members.
By the afternoon of June 27, the gang had assembled sixty-two hostages at the Glenrowan Inn, including sympathizers placed among them to help maintain control. While waiting for a train, the outlaws provided drink and organized singing, dancing, music, and games. A hostage later testified that Kelly had not treated them badly, although another young hostage was repeatedly threatened with shooting. Toward evening, Kelly released twenty-one people he considered trustworthy. Schoolmaster Thomas Curnow gained the gang's confidence while seeking to thwart its plans. Kelly allowed him and his wife to return home, believing the teacher was a sympathizer, a decision that gave Curnow his opportunity.
A police special train left Melbourne that night after news of Aaron Sherritt's death reached the outside world. Its passengers included journalists, sub-Inspector O'Connor, and his native police unit. At Benalla, Superintendent Hare and additional men boarded, and a carriage of police horses was attached. Hare ordered a pilot engine to scout ahead. As that engine approached Glenrowan, Curnow signaled it to stop and warned its driver of danger. The engines then advanced cautiously. The local constable, Hugh Bracken, escaped from the hotel and reached the station to alert Hare and O'Connor, who led their men toward the building where the gang waited.
Ned Kelly and his companions put on their armor as the train arrived. From the shadow of the hotel's porch, the outlaws opened fire when police approached in the moonlight. The first exchanges sent the gang back inside. A shouted warning that women and children were present brought a ceasefire. Hare was injured and returned to Benalla. An Aboriginal trooper named Jimmy was injured and rejoined the fight after treatment. Kelly was hit in the left arm and right foot, and Joe Byrne in the calf. Police bullets also wounded hostages inside the weatherboard building, with fatal consequences for some.
During a pause amid thick gunpowder smoke, several hostages escaped, mainly women and children. Others were driven back when police fired in the confusion. Kelly retreated into bush behind the hotel, where he remained through much of the night. Byrne was fatally shot while drinking whisky in the bar. Reinforcements arrived from Wangaratta and Benalla, bringing the police contingent to about forty. At dawn, Ned Kelly rose wearing his armor and carrying three handguns. He attacked from behind the police, moving from tree to tree toward the hotel as officers returned fire in the dim light.
His injuries, the armor's weight, and bullets striking the plate iron made him stagger. His injuries limited his participation. Witnesses struggled to identify the figure in the mist and called it a ghost, a bunyip, or the devil. Journalist Tom Carrington compared its appearance to a headless apparition with a long neck. The exchange lasted about fifteen minutes, with Dan Kelly and Steve Hart firing from the hotel to support him. Steele's shots ended Ned Kelly's advance. Police disarmed him, removed the armor, and carried him to the railway station, where a doctor treated his injuries.
The siege continued after the capture. A morning ceasefire allowed the remaining thirty hostages to leave, and police checked them for outlaws. By afternoon, hundreds of spectators had gathered. Superintendent Sadleir considered bombarding the hotel with a cannon before deciding to burn out those still inside. Senior Constable Charles Johnson set it alight under covering fire. Catholic priest Matthew Gibney entered the building and confirmed that Byrne, Dan, and Hart had died. The causes of Dan and Hart's deaths remain uncertain. Police rescued railway worker Martin Cherry, who later died.
Kelly was taken to Benalla and then to Melbourne Gaol, where he recovered in the hospital wing and received a visit from his imprisoned mother. His trial resulted in a murder conviction and a death sentence. A petition for clemency attracted more than thirty-two thousand signatures but failed, and he was hanged at Melbourne Gaol. In March 1881, the Victorian government approved a royal commission into police conduct during the outbreak. It examined witnesses, visited towns, and exposed widespread corruption while finding that police had acted properly regarding the gang's criminality. Its recommendations and disciplinary consequences reached numerous officers, including senior members of the force.
- Wikipedia, Ned Kelly — en.wikipedia.org