FINALE

After Ned's capture, the finale.

After Ned was taken, more police arrived from Beechworth. The police continued to shoot into the Inn until about 3PM. The decision was made to burn the last two outlaws out. It did not seem to matter that there was still an innocent man (Cherry) inside. The task was eagerly taken up by Const Johnston who under the cover of rifle-fire placed straw beside the building and set it alight. Ned's sister Maggie arrived as this was happening and no doubt was horrified with what was taking place.

The inn burns as Fr Gibney heads in to 'save' the souls of Dan & Steve.

Several sympathisers and other bystanders had arrived including a priest named Rev. Gibney. Gibney was recorded as one of the few heroes of the day. Against the wishes of the police he entered the burning building to save the souls of the two outlaws if he could. The fire had taken hold rather quickly, mostly due to the flammable contents of the inside of the Inn such as the calico lining.

Gibney spent considerable time with Ned before embarking on his mission to save Dan Kelly and Steve Hart. As the wounded Ned lay in the railway station being attended to by doctors and questioned by one and all, the Inn was engulfed in flames. (making it impossible for Ned to have appeared, guns blazing from the burning Inn as we often hear) Before it burned down completely Gibney made it to the bodies of Dan and Steve. He noted that they were without their armour and had no obvious wounds, to him they had committed suicide. Before he could do anything more the place started falling in around him and bystanders were at first sure he had perished. Police now ran in and pulled out the fatally wounded Martin Cherry and the stiff corpse that was a slightly singed Joe Byrne. The bodies of Dan and Steve had to be left there until they were raked from the ashes. (note: various reports had at least one of the bodies in the fire still wearing armour, whilst other reports had the armour laying neatly alongside)

The Albury Banner & Wodonga Express. (July 3, 1880)

APPEARANCE OF THE KELLY SISTERS.

Just as they were about to put this newly
conceived plan into operation
(use a cannon, my comments), Mrs Skillion,
sister of the Kellys, dressed in a dark riding
habit trimmed with scarlet, and wearing a jaunty
hat adorned with a conspicuous white feather,
appearance on the scene. Father Gibney earnestly
requested her to go to the hotel and ask her brother
and Hart to surrender. She said that she would
like to see her brother before he died, but she
would sooner see him burned in the house than
ask him to surrender. This, in fact was the pro-
cedure which the police had decided upon in
order to bring the outlaws from their cover. Some
200 people by this time had arrived on the platform.

NEXT : AFTERMATH