Kelly Gang Police Murders - Stringybark Creek - Infamous Crime Scenes on Waymarking.com

Stringybark Creek is the scene of the "Police murders by the Kelly Gang".

NED KELLY - A NOTORIOUS ICON
Edward 'Ned' Kelly was an Australian bushranger who became a controversial cultural icon. Public opinion is divided - some see him as a folk hero who fought against an unjust system, while others see him as a murderous criminal.
Born in 1854 of Irish descent in Beveridge, Victoria, he had a dislike for the law from an early age. His father died after being in police custody for a few months. Ned Kelly had been charged with assault and robbery by the age of 14. While farming near Greta the Kelly family was often accused of stealing cattle by neighbours.

THE POLICE MURDERS
After being charged with the attempted murder of policeman Constable Fitzpatrick during a disputed incident at his family's home in Greta in 1878, Ned Kelly ran off into the bush with his brother Dan Kelly and two associates, Joe Byrne and Steve Hart.
Four policemen from Mansfield then rode out into the bush with tents and supplies to search for the Kelly Gang, and unknowingly set up camp near the gang at Stringybark Creek. On the 26th October 1878 two of the policemen were surprised and held up by Ned and his brother Dan. Policeman Michael McIntyre surrendered but Thomas Lonigan was shot and killed. The two other policemen were ambushed and shot when they returned to camp later. By the end of the day Constable Thomas Lonigan, Constable Michael Scanlan and Sergeant Michael Kennedy had been fatally wounded, while Constable Thomas McIntyre had managed to escaped and call for help in Mansfield. The Kelly Gang were then proclaimed as outlaws by the Victorian Government, and became Australia's most wanted criminals with a large reward offered for their capture.

THE KELLY OUTBREAK
The gang then went on the run, engaging in a crime rampage known as The Kelly Outbreak. The Kelly Gang was involved in further bank robberies and crimes, including fatally shooting police informant Aaron Sherritt.
After a failed attempt at ambushing a police train, the Kelly Gang fled to Glenrowan where their last stand with police took place during a violent confrontation on the 28th June 1880. At the Glenrowan siege Ned Kelly, wearing his homemade metal armour suit and helmet, was wounded and arrested. The other three gang members were killed. Ned Kelly was found guilty of Constable Lonigan's murder back at Stringybark Creek in 1878. Since he was already sentenced to death for this murder, a trial for the murder of the other 2 policemen was not deemed necessary. Ned Kelly was executed by hanging at the Old Melbourne Gaol in November 1880. He was 25 years old.

SCENE OF THE POLICE MURDERS
The Kelly Tree near the Stringybark Creek picnic area has been designated as the official site marker of the 1878 shootout with Mansfield police. It was originally a gum tree marked by a stray bullet in 1878, but it was cut down by sawmillers for timber in 1908. Another tree was then used to mark the site by landowner Charlie Beasley, but it was ringbarked and did not last. Finally, in 1933, local farmer Tim Brond marked a gum tree by carving the names of the 3 murdered policemen into the trunk. It became a living memorial to the troopers who lost their lives there. In 1985 the carved names were replaced by a metal plaque representing Ned Kelly's armour. Over the last 30 years the tree trunk has grown around the plaque, and has obscured much of the sign.

There is a police memorial at this site in memory of the three murdered policemen.

Date of crime: 10/26/1878 Public access allowed: yes Fee required: no Web site: [Web Link]

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