Sean Ned Kelly’s Humble Beginnings
Ned Kelly was born in 1855 in Victoria, Australia to Irish immigrant parents. He came from a poor farming family and received little formal education. From a young age, Ned found himself on the wrong side of the law with several minor offenses. In 1874, at the age of 19, he was sentenced to three years in prison for being part of a gang stealing horses. Two years after his release from prison in 1877, Ned Kelly and two brothers were wrongly indicted for attempted murder of a police officer. Going on the run from authorities, the bothers took refuge in the rugged bushlands of northeast Victoria. This marked the beginning of Ned Kelly and his gang becoming notorious bushrangers.
The First Deadly Attacks
In late 1878, the Kelly gang carried out their first major criminal acts. They ambushed and fatally shot three Victorian policemen at Stringybark Creek. Ned Kelly left a defiant note taking responsibility for the officer’s deaths and pledging further conflict with police. Next, the gang brazenly robbed the Euroa bank in December 1878, making off with over £2000. They acquired more firearms and supplies by holding the town at gunpoint for over an hour without firing a shot. This cemented the Kelly gang’s growing reputation for notoriety across the colony.
Reign of Terror in Northeast Victoria
In early 1879, the Kelly gang terrorized the isolated farming communities in their bushland domain. They murdered a former accomplice turned police informant, ensuring no one dared reporting on their criminal activities. Seeking ransom and revenge, the gang derailed an armored police train in June 1879. Fortunately, no lives were lost but it showed the gang’s escalating boldness and firepower. Police forces were baffled on how to capture the elusive bushrangers and restore law and order to the region.
The Final Showdown at Glenrowan
Ned Kelly issued another letter in April 1880 outlining further grievances against the system and threats against the government. He hatched an audacious plan to take over the town of Glenrowan and use the residents as hostages. On the night of June 28th, 1880, the Kelly gang arrived in Glenrowan dressed head to toe in homemade steel armor, hoping to derail any attempt to stop their uprising. A fierce gunfight erupted between the heavily armed gang and over 100 police that had been tipped of their whereabouts. By dawn, all the gang laid dead except for Ned Kelly.
The End of the Legend
Ned Kelly was the sole survivor of the Glenrowan siege but was badly wounded. After being nursed back to health in prison, he stood trial and was found guilty of murdering Sergeant Kennedy. Despite international petitions for clemency, the bushranger was hanged at Old Melbourne Gaol on November 11th, 1880 at the young age of 25.
The Icon Born
Ned Kelly immediately took on legendary folk hero status after his execution. To the poor settlers and laborers, he became a symbol of fighting against the injustices of the establishment. Journalists and authors helped spread Kelly’s outlaw mystique though dime novels and biographies in the late 19th century. Even today, over 140 years later, Ned Kelly remains Australia’s most famous and studied bushranger. Debates continue on whether he should be celebrated or condemned. He has inspired over 50 films, musicals, books and artworks fueling his enduring outlaw mystique across the world. The bullet-ridden armor he wore at Glenrowan stands as one of Australia’s most iconic artifacts.
Technological Innovations of the Kelly Gang
One factor adding to Ned Kelly’s success and infamy was the gang’s progressive use of technology. Ned designed and built the gang’s famous suits of armor using scrap iron plates and rivets. It offered protection from gunfire, giving the illusion of invincibility during their final showdown. The gang accumulated an impressive arsenal of state-of-the-art firearms for the period, demonstrating a surprising grasp of ballistics. Ned’s favorite rifle was the .577 caliberSnider-Enfield that he named “Sluggy”. This along with an array of shotguns, revolvers and ammunition helped the outnumbered gang hold off over 100 police at Glenrowan for hours.
Parallels to America’s Frontier Outlaws
There are clear parallels between Ned Kelly and American frontier outlaws that cemented their places in folklore. Like Jesse James and Billy the Kid, sensationalized news portrayals helped romanticize their daredevil heists and high-octane shootouts with lawmen. Also similar to figures like Joaquin Murieta and Pancho Villa, some Australians still see Kelly as a rebel fighting against social injustices of the time. He defied the wealthy land barons and corrupt authorities to stand up for poor working class settlers, becoming a symbol of anti-establishment culture that still resonates worldwide today.
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