Francis Hare

NED WAS FOREVER IN HIS THOUGHTS: SUPERINTENDENT FRANCIS HARE FROM
GLENROWAN TO RUPERTSWOOD (1880-1892)

BY SHARON HOLLINGSWORTH

Ned Kelly played a very large part in the lives and careers of the
players in the Kelly saga. In "A Short Life" Ian Jones has a quote
from the daughter of Edward Living, the bank accountant at the
Jerilderie robbery. She related "how her father often passed time with
retired Sergeant Steele, talking about the Kelly years 'as though it
was terribly important to them'."

It was seemingly terribly important to Superintendent Francis Hare, also.

In the book "Riders of Time" by Mabel Brookes there was the following:

"Mr. Hare often spoke of the last days of the gang. Grandmother said
it appeared as if Ned was forever in his thoughts; and at the tea
table he recounted over and over again the final scenes, as if some
compulsion urged him to speak."

It was that book passage that intrigued me and got me wondering what
happened to Victorian Police Superintendent Francis Augustus Hare
after he was injured at the Siege of Glenrowan and left the scene of
battle and the pages of the history books. I knew he wound up getting
"the lion's share" of the Kelly Reward Fund and that he testified
before the Royal Commission in 1881 and had a book published in 1892 (the year
he also died), but what else happened to him in the ensuing years?

[Francis Augustus Hare in his later years. From C.H. Chomley's "The
True Story of the Kelly Gang of Bushrangers." Courtesy of Greg Young.]

There was not much available out there about him in books once the
Kelly affair was over, but contemporary newspapers did offer a few
clues.
What initially happened is after his wounding he was taken by train to
Benalla where he disembarked and asked the stationmaster to telegraph
Sgt. Steele in Wangaratta and to tell him to proceed to Glenrowan with his
men. After making that request, Hare was feeling faint, so he enlisted
the aid of a passerby to help him get to the telegraph office (a mile away)
so he could alert other police departments in the area. On the way he stopped
in at Dr. John Nicholson's home (this was around 4 AM) and asked him to follow him to
the telegraph office to dress his wound there as he had pressing
business and could not stay long enough to have it done right then.
Hare proceeded to the telegraph office where he sent off telegrams
telling them of what was happening at Glenrowan and asking all the
departments to send reinforcements. Eventually Dr. Nicholson caught up
with him and seeing that the wound was not life-threatening, did a
temporary dressing of it before heading to Glenrowan himself in case
his services were needed. Hare wished to return to action there, also, but the
extent of his injury made that impossible and thus he was taken to
lodgings where he spent the rest of the day in bed. Later, his
cousin, Dr. Charles Ryan, arrived and he and Nicholson properly tended to the
wound. Dr. Ryan had attended to Ned Kelly at Glenrowan along with Dr.
Nicholson in Glenrowan.
Hare, along with Dr. Ryan, took the train to Melbourne on the same train
that the injured Ned Kelly was on. Upon disembarking at the station
Hare was met by a round of cheers by the people assembled there who
had hoped to get a glimpse of Ned. Hare proceeded to Richmond (where the
police depot was) and the next day headed towards Rupertswood Mansion
in Sunbury to stay with the Clarke family (to whom he was related by
marriage). He would get the best of care at Rupertswood, with Dr. Ryan
making frequent house calls at government expense. One reason given
for Hare's removal to Rupertswood was that "At the Richmond depot the
drains have lately been removed, and this has formed an
additional reason why the wounded officer should not remain there."

When Mr. Hare arrived at Rupertswood, William Clarke directed the
Rupertswood Battery (The Sunbury Regiment of the Victoria Horse
Artillery) which was stationed on the estate to be on alert as "some
of the Kelly sympathizers might come to shoot Mr. Hare."

[Rupertswood Mansion, Sunbury. Courtesy of Dave White.]

The following article from the Wanganui Herald describes what steps
were eventually taken to heal the wrist:

"In connection with the Kelly gang extermination, we regret to learn
that Superintendent Hare has suffered very much from the wound he
received in his arm. Lately the symptoms are very unfavourable, the
splints and shattered bones not all having come away, and fears were
entertained that the hand would have to be amputated! A consultation
was held by Drs Youl, Ryan and Fitzgerald, who determined to perform
an operation. The arm was cut open, numerous pieces of bone and
splints were removed, the shattered bones were chiselled smoothly, and
any destroyed bones also removed. All the bones of the arm were found
to be shattered by the rifle ball, which entered on the outside and
passed slanting right through the bones and flesh. Hopes are now
entertained that the hand will not have to be amputated."

This news article from the same paper on another date tells about what
expense and care went in to Hare's wrist:

"It will be remembered that in the encounter with the Kelly gang at
Glenrowan Hotel, Superintendent Hare, of the Victorian police force,
got wounded in the wrist. We have not heard that the Kelly's used
poisoned bullets, but the wound to Mr Hare's wrist seems to have been
of a most mysterious character, seeing that it has cost the Victorian
Government 620 pounds for medical attendance! Dr Ryan, a young
Victorian, who was an army surgeon in the Turko-Russian war, and
therefore was deemed a high authority on wrists wounded by bullets,
got 63 pounds for going to Benalla to look at Mr Hare's wrist, and
252 pounds for two dozen visits of inspection to the wrist at Sunbury. The
wrist and its owner were then removed to Richmond, and Dr Ryan
inspected it 150 times there, and received 157 pounds 10s for his
trouble. Notwithstanding the army experience of Dr Ryan, the wrist
seems to have been too much for him, for Dr Fitzgerald was called in
to assist in treating it, and received 157 pounds 2s 6d.
However, the combined skill of Drs Ryan and Fitzgerald would
appear to have been insufficient for this wonderful limb, for we find
that Dr Youl sent in a bill for 28 pounds 7s for attending it. In
addition to the sum paid to these learned members of the medical
profession, there were other medical charges amounting to 21 pounds
10s 6d."

Despite the wonderful care he was receiving, erysipelas (an acute
streptococcus bacterial infection of the skin)
had set in and it did not heal as quickly as was hoped. (One of the
blacktrackers at the siege, Trooper Jimmy, who was grazed by a bullet,
also went through a bout of erysipelas.)
Hare would suffer great pain and stiffness in his left hand for the rest of his
life.

After staying many months at Rupertswood recuperating, Hare had begun
a campaign to get possession of souvenirs from Glenrowan, namely Ned
Kelly's armour. Many letters were sent back and forth between himself
and Superintendent Sadleir, with Sadleir not wishing the armour to
leave the district, but eventually saying a suit could be temporarily
lent to Hare to show to his friends. It seems that Hare won out in the
end as he got full possession of a suit of the armour as well as Ned
Kelly's revolving rifle. Both of these prizes were presented to the
Clarkes at Rupertswood in late 1881 in appreciation for their care of
him. However, we now know it was not Ned Kelly's armour after all,
it was really Joe Byrne's. How did Hare get so confused? Or did he
give it to the Clarkes knowing full well it was not Ned's but let them
believe that it was? We will never know for sure.

[From Hare's book. Unknown person showing Joe Byrne's armour and Ned's
rifle. Is labelled as Ned Kelly's armour in the book. Courtesy of Dave
White.]

In March of 1881 The Kelly Reward Board started holding meetings to
divide up the 8000 pound reward for the capture of the Kelly Gang. The board
eventually awarded Francis Hare the sum of 800 pounds which was considered
"the lion's share."

[Section of the Kelly Reward Board Distribution List. Source: The
Kelly Outbreak by John McQuilton.]

In the same month the Kelly Reward Board started sitting, the Royal
Commission into the Kelly Outbreak began hearing testimony. Hare would
testify over the course of seven days between March 31 and September 1.
His testimony fills almost 60 pages of the 720 page report.

In the Second Progress Report, the Commissioners had this to say about Hare:

"That Superintendent Hare's services in the police force have been
praiseworthy and creditable, but nothing special has been shown in his
actions that would warrant the Commission in recommending his
retention in the force, more especially when the fact is so patent
that the "strained relations" between himself and Mr. Nicolson have
had such a damaging influence on the effectiveness of the service.
This feeling is not likely to be mitigated after what has transpired
in the evidence taken before the Commission; and we would therefore
recommend that Superintendent Hare be allowed to retire from the
force, as though he had attained the age of 55 years, and that, owing
to the wound he sustained at Glenrowan, he receive an additional
allowance of 100 pounds per annum, under clause 29 of the Police
Statute (No. 476)."

Later on, after a protest on Hare's behalf, a few others things were
said, but this summed it all up:

"It is, however, chiefly in relation to Superintendent Hare's official
report of the 2nd of June 1880 that we, the undersigned Commissioners,
have been led to regard this officer's conduct with suspicion. The
document was manifestly written with the design of crushing Mr.
Nicolson once and for all; to deprive him of all credit for anything
that he had done or suffered in the pursuit, and to brand him as
disloyal to the service and his brother officers. The evidence,
however, discloses that many of the charges contained in the report
were unfounded, the insinuations unjustifiable, and the statements
mere assumptions.

It must be borne in mind too that Mr. Hare's personal quarrel with
Inspector O'Connor led up to the latter officer's unfortunate
complications with Captain Standish; the favoritism exhibited towards
him by the Chief Commissioner was the cause of jealousy and dissension
amongst the officers. And it is only fair to conclude that Superintendent
Hare has been for many years a disturbing element in the force, and
that his withdrawal from the service has become a matter of public necessity.

We have no desire to act unkindly towards Superintendent Hare. We
regret deeply that, in justice to ourselves and in explanation of our
action, we should be compelled thus to refer to matters that otherwise
had better be buried in oblivion. The services rendered, and the
injury sustained by Superintendent Hare have not been lost sight of,
and, while declaring his immediate retirement from the force as
indispensably necessary, the Commissioners have treated him, we
consider, in connection with the recommendation submitted to Your
Excellency, with the greatest possible liberality."

There was a great flurry of activity in the newspapers over this as
many people wrote letters to the editor of The Argus about the
Commission findings and in particular about Hare.

Even though Hare was recommended for retirement from the force, he
would not be unemployed for long, however. As Superintendent Sadleir
said in his book "Recollections of a Victorian Police Officer"
..."Nicolson and Hare were called upon to retire from the police
service.....but they were at the same time appointed to the higher
office of Police Magistrate..He also said "Had Frank Hare been wise
enough, after the capture and destruction of the Kelly Gang at
Glenrowan, to abstain from unjust reflections on Nicolson and others,
he would, no doubt, have been appointed to the post [of Commissioner
of Police] with acclamation. But his mistakes made this impossible,
and Mr. Chomley was appointed in 1881."

The following announcement was in The Victorian Government Gazette of
March 31, 1882
.............................................................................................................................................
The Governor, with the advice of the Executive Council, has been
pleased to appoint

Charles Hope Nicolson, Esq.

Francis Augustus Hare, Esq.

Frederick Leopold Smith, Esq.

George Diehl McCormick, Esq.

to be respectively,

Police Magistrates of Victoria, Wardens of the Goldfields in and for
Victoria and Coroners of Victoria.

F. Stanley Dobson, Solicitor General, Crown Law Office, Melbourne,
28th March 1882
................................................................................................................................................

In January of 1883, two years after leaving the force, Hare was
presented with a "handsomely illuminated address" by the constables of
the Bourke District who had served under him. The presentation was
held at The White Hart Hotel. The address was described as being
"tastefully and artistically illuminated, having a photograph of the
recipient at the top, and coloured scenes, the old police depot at
Richmond, and mounted and foot policemen, around the sides, and a
large view of the Glenrowan Inn across the bottom." The text on it
expressed the appreciation and admiration that the men under him felt
for his years of service as their commanding officer. Mention was made
of Glenrowan and the Kelly hunt, also.

When Hare stood up to thank them he said he "felt more nervous at
meeting so many old friends to say farewell than he did at Glenrowan
when he called on the men to "come on." He continued on with a
prepared, yet impassioned, statement thanking the men who served under
him. He made reference more than once to the Kelly's and at one point
said "I am glad you put in a view of the Glenrowan Hotel, not that I
shall ever require a reminder of that, because I fear my unfortunate
hand will never let me forget, however it is a page in my life I don't
wish to forget."

The constables also presented Mrs. Hare with a gold bracelet embossed
with Glenrowan on the front of it.

Hare kept up a busy schedule as a Stipendiary Police Magistrate, as
evidenced by the following return showing the number of miles travelled
by each PM within a proscribed time, the names of the places visited
and the allowances made therefore to each.

[Magistrates' Expenses List. Courtesy of Greg Young. ]

According to The Public Service Board Return published in an 1885
newspaper Hare's yearly salary as a Police Magistrate was 650 pounds
in addition to the allowances bestowed.

The newspapers of the day are full of accounts of the cases heard by
Hare and there is even an event where an unsuccessful litigant used
threatening language against him. Later in the day, after court had
recessed, the man approached Hare, who was
riding in a buggy with another gentleman, and said "Are you going
shooting? I see you have a gun." To which Hare replied that he was
going to see if there was any game about. The man uttered an obscenity
and said if he had a gun that he would like to shoot Mr. Hare. He was
fined 5 pounds.

The Victorian Government Gazette also says that in 1886 F.A. Hare was
made a Licensing Magistrate and in 1890 he was made Guardian of Minors
and in the same year was made one of the Visiting Justices of Gaols.

Hare still found time to hobnob with Sir William Clarke at
Rupertswood, often going there to hunt rabbits or for other sporting
and coursing events. Rupertswood was where the tradition of "The
Ashes" in cricket was born at Christmas in 1882 when the Clarke's
entertained the visiting English cricket team with a friendly cricket match
with the famous urn (with the physical/literal ashes) being presented
to the English Captain Ivo Bligh. We can only wonder if Hare might have
been in attendance for that game if he was spending Christmas with his relations.
Usually during Hare's stays at Rupertswood his wife chose to remain at
their Hotham Street home in East Melbourne. It was one of the three
three-storey terrace homes that William Clarke had built in 1881 and
named Janet Terrace in honour of his wife (Hare's wife, who was
Janet Clarke's aunt, was also named Janet). Tellingly, it was said
that after Hare's death, the Clarke's offered her a home at
Rupertswood, but she chose to live in East Melbourne sharing a home
with the widow of Sir Charles MacMahon. (MacMahon was at one time a
Police Commissioner in Victoria, a Member of the Legislative Assembly and a
member of the Kelly Reward Board and had died the same year as Hare.)

Mrs. Hare also was involved in charity work in Melbourne. This
appeared in an 1881 newspaper mentioning Mrs. Frank Hare, East
Melbourne among them:

"A bazaar in aid of liquidation of the debt on the Children's Hospital
will be held in Melbourne Town Hall...the following ladies have kindly
consented to hold stalls and will gratefully receive donations of
money or goods from friends of the institution.."

[Hardback version of Last of the Bushrangers. Courtesy of Dave White.]

Hare also took time to write a book, "Last of the Bushrangers: An
Account of the Capture of the Kelly Gang," which detailed his early life
and times in the colony and gave accounts of his police work with most
of the emphasis, of course, being on the Kelly Gang. In the section where
Glenrowan is discussed, his personal account is cut short as he had to leave
early on to have his wound attended to. However, he gives Thomas Curnow's
published account to fill in the gaps and then uses newspaper reports
to flesh it out. The book ends just after the capture of Ned Kelly and the
immediate aftermath. He does not go into any further details of his life
beyond that. It would have been wonderful to read if he would have, as his
early adventures were quite interesting!

[Title page of Last of the Bushrangers. Courtesy of Dave White.]

Advance copies of the book were sent out to newspapers in December of
1891 and the Argus did a big write up of it. It went on sale to the
public in early 1892. There were many editions of it published in
hardback and a few in soft cover. The American edition did not have
the photographs like the earlier volumes sold in the UK and Australia.
In recent years (2006/2008) his book has been reprinted and is currently for
sale, but the full text of "Last of the Bushrangers" can be read
online for free.

As luck would have it, during this research I ran across an unusual
cover for a Hare book that was for sale at an internet site. I had
never seen this particular one before. It had an illustration of the
gang on the cover but they had on masks sort of like the Lone Ranger.
The book itself is old and the back cover and spine have been
replaced, but the cover is original. The seller estimated it to be
from between 1900 and 1920. Brian McDonald, the bushranging book
expert (or would that be the expert on bushranging books?), reckons
that this softcover edition might have been as late as the 1920s or
30s.
I alerted Dave White and he purchased it at a bargain price and has
scanned the cover for this article.

[Unique soft cover version of Hare's book. Courtesy of Dave White.]

After the publication of the book, Hare did not have much longer to
live. He had been suffering from diabetes, as well as other ailments,
and had spent some time in Dr. Fitzgerald's private Melbourne
hospital. He had improved and went back to stay at Rupertswood. His niece,
Lily Snodgrass, had previously been taking care of him when he stayed
there but she had gone to London with Lady Janet Clarke, leaving
Australia in February 1892. Once his condition deteriorated, she was
telegraphed and returned as quickly as possible to be at his side for
his last moments. He had slipped into a coma on the Friday and died
the next day, Saturday, July 9, 1892. He was 61.

Hare's funeral was held at Holy Trinity Church, Kew, and his
brother-in-law, Rev. Evelyn Snodgrass , was one of the officiating
clergy. He was buried in Melbourne General Cemetery.

[Hare's grave. Courtesy of Michael Ball.]

One of the newspapers said that "The death of Mr. Hare has revived an
old discussion as to whether he or another capable and popular police
officer, Mr. Nicolson, actually captured the renowned bushranger,
Power. This discussion has long lain dormant. At one time it excited
the friends of both officers as much as the question as to whether
Shakespeare wrote his own plays excited cultivated English-speaking
people."

It went on to give the particulars of each account, ending with "The
question will probably never be settled to the satisfaction of both
sides; but Mr. Hare will be remembered as an able and devoted servant
of his country."

So it seems that even after his death he and Charles Hope Nicolson were still
feuding!

In 1890 Hare had written an article for a newspaper called "Records of
an Adventurous Life" in which he detailed the Power capture (I have
not personally seen this article). Power, after reading that account,
wrote his own newspaper article entitled "A Desperado's Capture. Told
by Himself " (which I have seen) in which he gleefully refuted Hare's
version of events.

It is also interesting to note that during Hare's stay at
Rupertswood, it is rumoured that he ran across the paroled Harry Power
(who had been doing work for the Clarkes' on their properties) and had
conversations with him.

Hare left an estate worth 4,900 pounds to his wife. They had no
children. Upon her death in 1896 the bulk of the estate was left to
Lily Snodgrass.

I suppose during Hare's eventful life he had fulfilled the dream he
had back in the early 1850s. Hare's cousin, Colonel Butterworth, who
was Governor of Singapore, paid a visit to Australia and offered to
try to get Hare into the Government Service. Hare did not go for that idea and
presented another:

"I said I would prefer a cadetship in the Victorian Police, as I was
anxious to go in pursuit of bushrangers who were overrunning the
colony."

He did just that, joining the force on January 1, 1854.

The last line of his book sums it all up:

The execution of the last of the Kelly gang destroyed the "Last of
the Bushrangers."

NOTES:

The University of Melbourne Archives holds a collection of letters
written to Hare as well as notes and reports. It is called The Francis
Hare Collection. They have supposedly already been transcribed for
future use for online researchers but are not available yet. One must
visit in person to obtain the information for now. A article about
the letters in Overland from 1981 stated that they were found in
a steel box in St. Mark's Anglican Church, Fitzroy two years
previously (making it 1979). Putting two and two together and doing
some checking I realized that Hare's brother-in-law at one point was
vicar of this church, so it would stand to reason he would have the
letters and papers after his sister had passed away.

The Argus had many help wanted ads placed by Mrs. Hare through the
years (at both the Police Depot in Richmond and at Janet Terrace)
seeking "respectable" ladies to cook and do laundry. She would
sometimes advertise the position being for "a gentleman's family" and
at times would state that there were 3 in the family and at another
time she had it as 4 in the family. Hare and Janet married in 1857 but
had no children. Janet was a widow at the time of her marriage to
Hare, so I am wondering did she have children from her previous
marriage? Looking at an online ancestry site it seems that she did
not. But, if so, why would the bulk of Hare's estate go to his niece
upon his wife's death? Perhaps there were other extended family
members staying with them or perhaps they had young wards? I have not
been able to find any further clues. The only other option I can
figure is that she was procuring/screening for others? Imagine the
breach of OpSec (Operational Security) if one were to advertise for
household help listing the name of Hare at the Richmond Police Depot
in 1878-1880 as she did. Then imagine a Kelly sympathizer applying for
the job! No small wonder she said "references required."

SOURCES:

Police Commission - Minutes of Evidence taken before Royal Commission
on the Police Force of Victoria.

Police Commission: Second Progress Report.

Last of the Bushrangers, Francis, Augustus Hare.

Recollections of a Victorian Police Officer, John Sadleir.

Clarke of Rupertswood: The Life and Times of William John Clarke,
Michael Clarke.

Riders of Time, Mabel Brookes.

Ned Kelly: A Short Life, Ian Jones.

Victorian Government Gazette.

Papers consulted:

The Argus. (courtesy National Library of Australia)

Wangunai Herald. (courtesy National Library of New Zealand)

Sydney Mail.

Brisbane Courier.

.................................................................

Special thanks go to Dr. Brian Stevenson for proofreading this article
and offering helpful suggestions and to Greg Young and Michael Ball
for providing photos and graphics. As always, thanks go to Dave White
for providing photos and for hosting all of my articles and basically
giving me carte blanche on his websites (much like Superintendent Hare
was given by the Chief Secretary of Victoria, Mr. Ramsay, during the
Kelly hunt).

First published August 28, 2009........copyright Sharon Hollingsworth
& nedonthenet.com & glenrowan1880.com