Читать книгу The Kelly Gang - George Wilson Hall - Страница 6

“What is here?

Gold-yellow, glittering, precious gold.”

- Shakespeare

At length, yielding, as thousands of others did at that time and afterwards, to the temptations held out by the golden visions which the highly-coloured reports from the Australian El Dorado conjured up before his imagination, Kelly proceeded to try his luck on the fields where fortune was said to smile upon all, showering riches particularly on those who sued for her favours pick in hand.

Bendigo was the stage upon which he made his debut in the character of a gold-digger, and there, in a short space of time, his anticipations were realised to a sufficiently satisfactory extent to justify his return home.

After coming back, he for some time dealt in horses, which soon increased his original “pile” enough to allow of his purchasing a comfortable farm at Beveridge. He remained here for a number of years, but eventually sold out and removed to a farm which he rented between Avenel and Tabilk. He chose this locality in preference to taking up his residence in more unsettled parts, where he could have secured better land on more advantageous terms, because it supplied the necessity of propinquity to a public school, and Kelly was most solicitous that his children should enjoy the benefit of some place of instruction.

At this place the head of the family died, leaving issue three sons, namely – Edward and Daniel (the outlaws); and James, who is undergoing a sentence of stealing some horses, which he afterwards sold to Mr. Dixon, of Wangaratta; and three daughters – one married to Alexander Gunn, and since deceased; one married to William Skillion, now in jail on a conviction of being concerned in an assault on a constable; and one, Kate, the youngest, still single.

Some eleven or twelve years ago, the Kellys gave up the Avenel farm, and removed to a piece of land on the Eleven-Mile Creek, about four miles from Greta township, where they built a small house, which was kept as a shanty or house of accommodation. At the time of leaving Avenel the sons were aged as follows:– Edward about 12, James 9, and Daniel 6 or 7; and since that time, as soon as they were old enough, the ostensible occupations of the two elder sons have been horse-breaking and farm and station work, while the youngest one generally assisted his mother and sister at home – all of them occasionally indulging in horse-dealing and swapping. It is a significant fact, that although according to various public journals and the statements of several private individuals this place, its occupants, and its visitors were of exceptionally evil repute, yet there is absolutely no record whatever of any stolen property having been traced to its precincts, nor have any instances of what is known as “lambing down”, such as have founded and helped to build the fortunes of some men now in good and reputable positions, been brought to light in connection with the establishment.

There is little doubt that Morgan, Power, and other desperadoes may have made it a house of call in their excursions, as they did many other out-of-the-way shanties; but so, also, did many harmless travellers in journeying through that district, as well as sundry of that numerous class whole claim to respectability is chiefly based upon the fact of their never having been found out in the perpetration of any nefarious fact. But this affords not the slightest excuse for the sheltering of marauders, cattle-reevers, and highwaymen by the owners of the shanty, nor can it be reasonably imagined that they could have harboured these abominable plunderers and malefactors – if they did so – without, to a certain extent, sympathizing and approving of their lawless acts; unless, indeed, the proprietors were under the tyranny of a similar terrorism to that which has since been attributed to the Kellys in their bushranging career, and which, if true, may possibly have been suggested to those notorious outlaws by the example of the older offenders.

As, however, we have no sufficient proof to guide out judgment in the matter, we must be content to record the rumours and facts at our disposal, leaving our readers to form their own conclusions.