PREVIEW PREFACE

NED KELLY

The Widow's Son

Stephen A. McCarthy

First published June 2007 by S. A. & R. D. McCarthy

Alligator Creek, Qld. Australia 4816

PO Box 1167, Aitkenvale, Queensland Australia 4814

This book is copyright. Except for private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. Enquiries should be made to the publisher.

Printed by Southwood Press, Marrickville, NSW Australia

National Library of Australia

Cataloguing-in-Publication Entry

McCarthy, Stephen A.

NED KELLY : the widow's son.

1st ed.

Bibliography.

ISBN 9780646475653 (pbk.).

1. Kelly, Ned, 1855-1880. 2. Bushrangers - Victoria- Biography. I. Title

364.155092

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to thank my wife, son, and extended family for their patience over these many years listening to my favourite topic of conversation.

Thanks to my brother Peter for his many ideas, advice and sourcing of reference materials. He also contributed articles for this writing and helped focus my views. We tramped over the Bullock Creek area for nearly ten years either together or with our families.

My wife Renée has always encouraged me to continue my investigations when the effort, at times, seemed pointless. She has edited my original manuscript and transformed it from a poorly-contructed ramble to a story of which I am proud. Without her management, from organising the finished cover to ensuring the details of printing, photographs, etc. were accomplished, I could not have completed my goal.

Stephen A. McCarthy

20 May 2007

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE

CHAPTER 1 The Forest for the Trees

CHAPTER 2 The Bushranger

CHAPTER 3 1876

CHAPTER 4 1877

CHAPTER 5 1878

CHAPTER 7 Outlaws on the Run

CHAPTER 8 Jerilderie Letter

CHAPTER 9 The Bold Kelly Gang

CHAPTER 10 Waiting for a Train

CHAPTER 11 The Battle of Glenrowan

CHAPTER 12 The End of an Era

BIBLIOGRAPHY//RESOURCES

DOCUMENTS OF INTEREST

TABLE OF FIGURES

Figure A Approximate location of prospector's house. Line indicates Bullock Creek behind author.

Figure B Author's drawing of prospector's house as viewed from southeast.

Figure C Site of distilling hut. Bullock Creek in background behind Peter as viewed from the south.

Figure D Distilling hut site looking to the northeast. Line indicates Bullock Creek.

Figure E Author's drawing of distilling hut

Figure F Author's map of Bullock Creek area including location of police murders

Figure G Author's map of Kelly Camp at Bullock Creek.

Figure H Camera facing police camp in vicinity of site where Kennedy was shot.

Figure I Author's map of Kelly Country

Figure J Author's map of Stringybark Creek police camp

Figure K The police set up their camp on the east bank of Stringybark Creek.

The location is recognisable by being the only flat area between one

and two acres in size.

Figure L Author's map of Battle of Glenrowan

PREFACE

One of the major inspirations for my writing this book was a particular

murder trial in the USA. I happened to be there on holidays when a man's wife

went missing. I followed the investigation and resulting trial for about two years,

and was impressed with the way detectives assembled the most plausible scenario

from little bits of forensic evidence. According to detectives, whose job it is to solve

crimes, forensic evidence is far more accurate than eyewitness accounts. Oral history

may not be factual. The truth is determined by examining each piece of evidence in

detail.

Back home in Australia, a few years ago, I awoke about midnight with the

answer to a question that had been on my mind. Why were there contradictions about

Ned Kelly's hut at Bullock Creek, in Northeast Victoria? The answer was exciting. A

serious error had been made. Ned's famous 'fortified hut' was not a renovated prospector's

house, as popularly believed. The Kellys' 'fortified hut', for which I had been looking,

was located elsewhere.

My brother Peter and I had been investigating the information on the beginnings

of the Kelly Gang for about seven years. We concluded the location of their huts had a

significant bearing on the telling of the Kelly story.

This new information had consequences previously unexpected. For example,

we now believe their fortified hut was built entirely by the Kellys. In addition, the place

where Sergeant Kennedy's body is believed to have been found is wrong.

To determine the correct locations of the Kelly sites I have relied on original

information as recorded at the time. There were no surveyed maps of the area in 1878.

There are clues throughout the recorded documents as to when various events took

place. By estimating the time it took to build this other hut, the fences; ring-bark trees, etc.,

in addition to their travels and escapades, we think we've created a more plausible

and complete time line covering the activities of the Kellys.

Ever since I was a teenager, I have been fascinated with the story of Ned Kelly

and his Gang. After reading my first book about the bushrangers, I immediately borrowed

another book from the library to see if the first book was to be believed. From then on,

I have read just about every book and bits of information I could find on the subject and

often discussed them with Peter.

As I approached the age of fifty, I was still unconvinced that the many biographies

and historic accounts I had read were correct. There seemed to be so many discrepancies

and contradictions. As I understand it, Kelly researchers have been trying to write the

definitive biography for over a hundred years. The relatively same quotations, facts, and

photos appear in many books, but much more of the original material had been omitted.

I'll assume it had been left out as it contradicted the accepted storyline. In my opinion,

the resulting interpretations left much to be desired.

A Melbourne journalist's article has often been quoted from, in part, in various

books. Because the accepted location of the fortified hut is wrong, I feel, the journalist's

descriptions had been selectively used to suit the writer of the time. Our research has led

us to believe that he described what he saw without embellishment.

Throughout my life, I have visited many of the better-known historic Kelly sites.

In my mind, there has always been a problem in the logic of the accepted story. Over time,

it became apparent to me that the answer could lay where it all began, at the Kelly Camp

at Bullock Creek. My brother Peter lives in Victoria and has a background as a historian

specialising in gold mining. He agreed to join me. To begin determining the most plausible

history, we needed to locate the exact position of Ned's fortified hut.