Investigating five case studies in Australian history

case study 5
activity five
Putting Ned Kelly on trial
Witness 5
John Kelly, poice officer,
who had played a part in
the hunt for the Kelly gang
“
I met Constable
McIntyre we went into the
Lock up where Kelly was
… McIntyre said ‘Why did
you come near us when you
knew where we were’
He said ‘You would have
soon found me out & ye
would have shot me’ he
continued ‘our horses were
very poor we had bad arms
we had no money & we
wanted to make a rise’
McIntyre said ‘You had the
rifle presented to my chest
and you immediately
turned around and fired at
Lonigan when I had my
hands up’
Prisoner said ‘no Lonigan
was behind a log and was
pointing his revolver at me
when I shot him’
McIntyre said ‘that's all
nonsense He had not his
revolver pointed at you’
“
The site of the Stringybark Creek killings
(Victoria Police Historical Unit)
Dr Samuel Reynolds, who examined Lonigan’s
Witness 6 body after the shooting at Stringybark Creek
“
I am a legally qualified medical practitioner and surgeon
residing at Mansfield … I had first seen the body of Lonigan at
String Bark creek early on the Monday morning of the 28th Oct
— the day before I made the postmortem examination — I first
saw the body lying in its position on the back … I noticed a wound
in the face on Lonigans body — I made the postmortem
examination on the body of Lonigan on the following day at
Mansfield — On examining the body I found four wounds — one
through the left arm and one on the left thigh, and one on the right
temple, and one to the inner side of the right eye-ball, from the
appearance of these wounds I looked upon them as bullet wounds
— The wound on the left arm was simply a hole through the arm
The one on the thigh — the bullet had travelled under the skin &
round the thigh — nearly to the inner side of the thigh The wound
on the right temple I might describe as a graze — The one on the
inner side of the right eyeball, I traced through the bones into the
brain & followed the wound into the brain, and was satisfied as to
the cause of death a few seconds would elapse before death from
such a wound.
“
118 Australian History Mysteries Investigating five case studies in Australian history