DOGS

MEN FIRST, DOGS LAST: CANINES IN THE KELLY STORY

BY SHARON HOLLINGSWORTH

When Wild Wright uttered those simple, yet, unforgettable words "Men
first, dogs last," he was making a derogatory statement about other
people, much like how the term "dog/dogs" were used elsewhere in the
Kelly story. Things like "Scanlon was a flash dog" or "Fire away you
bloody dogs, you can't hurt us!" or allusions to the gang being
"hunted like dogs" illustrate that being a "dog" was not a good thing
in the NE of Victoria in those days. Real dogs, canines, if you will,
did not always fare so well, either, back then.

First mention of dogs in the Kelly story was in 1869 just after the Ah
Fook incident. When Sgt. Whelan and another constable came near the
homestead Ned took off running. According to "A Short Life" when
Whelan chased him "ferocious dogs were set on him [Whelan] as he
passed the homestead."

Dogs were a wonderful "early warning system" for settlers, as were
geese and peacocks. Harry Power trusted in the great observational
skills and territorial instincts of the dogs and peacock on the Quinn
property (he was hiding near enough to hear if a loud racket started).
He didn't reckon on a heavy rainstorm to put a damper of sorts on
things!

In the Royal Commission (hereafter the RC), Constable Duross had this
exchange with the commissioners:

...........................................................................................................................................................
3607. Did you expect to meet the Kellys at Mrs. Byrne's? - We got no
instructions when we went out, except to go and proceed with the other
men and watch with them. I did not know exactly before I went what I
was to watch for. I understood we were to watch for the Kellys.

3608. What time did you return in the morning after watching? -
Sometimes we used to come back because of the dogs; and there was a
flock of geese as bad as the dogs; we could not get there.

3609. You did not know whether you were to watch the dogs or the
geese? - We had no positive instructions.
..........................................................................................................................................................

Jacob Wilson gives this RC testimony about how the dogs were put on
him as they thought he might be one of the police:

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

4480. What was that? - I saw six horses tied up to Tom Lloyd's garden,
and I thought there were more horses, and I went to a cow-shed about a
hundred yards from his dwelling place, and a dog came out and detected
me.

4481. Did they always keep dogs about the place? - Yes, and when the
dog commenced to bark furiously, and a lot of them came out of the
house. I could see that by the candle, and I ran away then.

4482. Were they men or women you saw then? - I do not know. I had not
time to see.

4483. Was this night-time? - Yes, dark. I ran into the next paddock,
and they came after me and “sooled” the dog.

4484. Hunted you with the dog? - Yes, “sooled” the dog after me, and I
crept up into a low cherry-tree and they went past me.

4485. Who? - The lot of them. Dan Kelly and young Tom Lloyd. They were
within ten yards of me on the other side of the fence, and “sooled”
the dog, and called out as if to the police that they would burn the
b--. They thought I was the police, I expect, and was watching the
place.
..........................................................................................................................................................

Superintendent Hare related in the RC about how Ned's sister Maggie
would use dogs to thwart the police trying to watch the homestead:

............................................................................................................................................................
1574. They would be things such as would suit the outlaws? - Yes, in
large quantities; and when a load of things was taken out from
Benalla, we used to send a party of men, at night, to watch Mrs.
Skillion's house; and, whilst watching, they were invariably
discovered by Mrs. Skillion, with her dogs. She used to take a circuit
round, extending about a quarter of a mile, working round to see if
there were any police secreted near the house; and many and many a
night have the police been found by her. That was a frequent
occurrence.
...........................................................................................................................................................

It seems that eventually the police decided to take extreme measures
per more of Superintendent Hare's testimony in the RC:

...........................................................................................................................................................
1369. When Senior-Constable Mays reported to you, you came to the
conclusion that he had acted wisely, as the outlaws had cleared out? -
Yes; and I may say that sympathizer dogs and the dogs of the relations
were a great nuisance to us. The next time I went to this spot, I
appointed a man with a few baits and a bag, and told him to drop a
bait here and there, and let any animal that liked pick it up.

1370. Baits to destroy dogs? - Yes.

1371. Strychnine on a bit of meat? - Yes; but after that many of the
dogs about the place you could not poison if you tried. They always
had muzzles on day and night, and used to come into Benalla with the
muzzles on. I have seen Mrs Skillian and Katey Kelly come into Benalla
with dogs muzzled.

1372. What you want to convey to the Commission is this, that the
Kellys were so supported by sympathizers that actually the dogs were
trained so that, if strange horses came, the dogs would look out for
the tracks and boys follow them up? - Yes, that is it.
..........................................................................................................................................................

In J.J. Kenneally's "The Inner History of the Kelly Gang" the above RC
testimony was given and Kenneally wryly wrote:

"From the above it appears that even the dogs in the Greta district
had no confidence in the police."

Constable Mullane seems to have had a bit more compassion than Hare.
In his RC testimony he said:

...........................................................................................................................................................
13613. Had the Byrnes any dogs? - Yes.

13614. Did not they give alarm? - We poisoned the dogs at one time,
but we considered it unwise because of the Act, and Mrs. Byrne being
aware of the party being about would have done harm.

13615. Suppose you had gone over a wide area, and poisoned the dogs? -
You might be doing an injustice to a man you ought not to injure. A
man might be a friend of ours and have a good dog - I would not like
to come and poison his dog. All that was considered, and it was
considered advisable not to poison the dogs.

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

An event involving dogs happened in Jerilderie not long after the
Kelly holdup. A man went in the Bank of NSW to transact some business
with Mr. Tarleton. Inside the bank were a couple of small dogs and the
man said "These dogs have got me bailed up." Someone standing outside
only heard the "bailed up" part and rushed off to report to the police
that the Kellys were back! The police arrived and saw the mistake and
stayed inside to socialize a while. In the mean time word got out
about the Kellys having returned and 400 people thronged the street in
front of the bank. As a prank the police stayed inside for hours not
letting on about the false alarm.

This little bit about plans to use bloodhounds to catch the gang was
on Dave's "spies" page on this site (originally from the PROV), note
that this man Cooper seems to think that the gang or their
sympathizers would take on the same tactics (i.e. dog poisoning) of
the police!

..........................................................................................................................................................
"John Cooper, was the inventor of the 'Rounderlift' and an ex- journalist.
He had a brilliant idea to catch the gang. The plan was as follows:

Coopers new plans for capturing Bushrangers.

Obtain a dozen Cuban bloodhounds; accustomed to tracking feet.

Keep the dogs in separate places so that all could not be poisoned at
once.

All points of a triangle, (sides four miles or less each) enclosing
the suspected locality place tents (or huts) two men, two dogs to each tent.

Men and dogs from each tent to meet twice a day.

The above would render it impossible for persons to pass to or from
the interior without detection.

When desirable such persons could be tracked and followed to hiding places.

John Cooper, Collingwood PO."
..........................................................................................................................................................

In June of 1879 the very urbane Capt. Standish played against type
(perhaps some sort of public relations ploy) in a photograph at the
police paddock in Benalla. The scene was a mock up of a bush camp,
complete with tent and (borrowed) dog with Standish wearing strapped
trousers.

[Capt. Standish and the borrowed dog at the Benalla Police Paddock]

Despite all the dog poisoning going on, it appears that many of the
police themselves actually loved dogs. Superintendent Hare was a great
fan of the sport of coursing (live hares being chased by greyhounds)
and was a dog owner. He spent a great deal of time at Rupertswood
attending coursing events and hunting rabbits. Once he and
Sub-Inspector O'Connor were seen looking over and discussing a dog at
a Benalla Hotel. Detective Ward had been the recipient of one of
Hare's dog's puppies. In a letter to Hare dated Aug. 7, 1879, Ward
stated that "Your puppies are doing well. The one I took up you would
not know it now it has got so fat." I wonder if that puppy was one of
the dogs Ward was later to be seen with as he went out and about in
Kelly country?

[ a pair of greyhounds.]
In the RC Ward related about going about with several greyhounds:

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

13884. .....I was frightened to go near the cave party for fear,
because everybody had an eye out, and saw if Ward was going down there
must be something up. In fact, I had to take three or four greyhounds
with me anywhere I went, as if for sport, because everywhere Ward was
going there was something up they said.
.........................................................................................................................................................

During Nicolson's testimony for the RC board, he was questioned by
Hare concerning dogs and coursing:

...........................................................................................................................................................
17252. By Mr. Hare (to Mr. Nicolson ) . - My going out coursing was
referred to. Was I not on leave for three or four days? - Yes.

17253. I was on leave at the time? - Yes.

17254. And I had been up there seven months doing work, and was
entitled to leave? - Yes.

17255. Do you think there was any harm my going to the coursing meeting? - No.

17256. Was there any regulation in the force about keeping dogs? - I
am not aware if there was but I thought it was high time there was. I
know a constable in your district, stationed in Melbourne, was
secretary to a coursing club.

17257. Not when he was under me? - You yourself related it to me.

17258. He was not under me. But do you think there is any harm in a
constable or an officer keeping a dog any more than keeping a cat? -
No.

17259. By the Commission (to Mr. Hare ) - There have been enquiries
about the police force several times, and the great charges brought
against them were that they were cock-fighters and rat-pitters and all
such like, and that the force was demoralized through the
superintendents being engaged in those pursuits? - But there is
nothing to show I had been. Surely attending a coursing meeting and
keeping a hound does not make me a courser.
...........................................................................................................................................................

Sgt. Steele's also liked greyhounds. Sadly, one of his was poisoned
just after the Glenrowan affair.

Constable Michael Scanlon was also a dog lover. One report has him as
being "prominent in local hunting circles." Just as he was leaving to
go on the police expedition to Stringybark Creek it was said that he
told a friend of his who was a wardsman at the Mooroopna Base Hospital
"I may never come back, and if so, you can take my dog."

We can imagine that Scanlon's dog mourned the loss of his master just
as Aaron Sherritt's dog did.

Aaron's dog did not bark as Joe and Dan approached Aaron's hut that
night along with Anton Wicks. The dog obviously knew them and
considered them friends, not foes.

Constable Dowling testified in the RC:
....................................................................................................................................................
4239. The bed was under the front window? - Yes; we also heard a dog
barking and making a rush every now and then, as if he was running at
something.

4240. Did the dogs give any alarm before the arrival of the men - Not
that I heard of.

4241. How many dogs were there? - One. At daylight in the morning
Constables Armstrong and Alexander went outside.
..........................................................................................................................................................

Mrs. Barry (Aaron's mother-in-law) testified in the RC:

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

13793. Did they try to set fire to the place when you were outside? - Yes.

13794. We have heard of voices being heard during the night? - Yes, of
course, that has been said; but I did not hear any, and I can hear as
well as anyone. I heard the dog bark a few times during the night. The
dog was crying after I was going in, but that, I think, was the dog
knew something was up. I think it was after Aaron he was crying.
.........................................................................................................................................................

When Ned and Steve entered into Glenrowan it seemed to have set off
the dogs. According to platelayer James Reardon:
........................................................................................................................................................
7607. Did the Kellys use you for any purpose? - Yes, they took me on
Sunday morning from my own place. It was twenty minutes past two when
I left my house - he took me to break the line; he had a man named
Sullivan, a repairer on the line, in charge at the time - that was Ned
Kelly, and then I heard the dogs barking, making a row, and I got up
and dressed myself and and went outside the door, and heard a horse
whinneying down by the railway line, and I went towards where I heard
the horse. I thought it was the horse of a friend, and I went down,
and Sullivan was coming through the railway fence, and I said, “What
is the matter?” and he said, “I am taken prisoner by this man.” Ned
Kelly came up and put a revolver to my cheek and said, “What is your
name?” and I said "Reardon," and he said "I want you to come up and
break the line."
...........................................................................................................................................................

Mrs. Stanistreet, wife of the stationmaster said that "Kelly was again
at her place on Sunday
evening, about 5 o'clock, and Mrs. Jones asked Ned Kelly what he would
have for tea; he laughed, and said, "Oh, there are plenty of fat dogs
about."

One of the dogs that was about was a greyhound owned by Dave Mortimer.
It was her body that was found in the burning inn along with those of
Dan Kelly and Steve Hart.

Constable Johnston testified in the RC:

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

7363. Was there not a dog? - Yes, lying near the bed.

7364. Could you tell what it was? - No. I thought it was a third
person, a human body, at first.

7365. Till you stirred them up with a stick? - Yes....

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

Oddly, I read in George Boxall's "The Story of the Australian
Bushrangers" the following:

"Close beside the kitchen was the body of a dog, which had been
wounded by the attacking party and had crawled between the buildings
to die."

I have never read that anywhere else before, perhaps there is some
confusion regarding the dog found in the inn with Dan and Steve?

I looked through some of the photos taken in Glenrowan just after the
siege and found dogs in a couple of them. There is a dog in a photo of
the burned out inn just to the right of the frame and he is very much
alive and with his master. There is a different dog to the right of
the frame in the photo in front of McDonnell's that has the coffins in
it.

[Dogs in Glenrowan]

In a photo from 1882 taken upon Mrs. Kelly's return from gaol there
are two pets, a lamb and the Kelly cattle dog named "Faith."

[Mrs. Kelly and family with pets.]

One other case of dogs in the Kelly story is where Ned said that
Brooke Smith "reminds me of a poodle dog half clipped in the lion
fashion."

[A scene from the Glenrowan Animated Theatre.]

To close out on an amusing note, the Glenrowan Animated Theatre has
dogs represented in their show (stuffed? mechanical?) and one of them
has taken a dump right there in the Inn! (Everybody's a critic it seems!)

Thanks to: Greg Young for helping with the photos and illustrations
(some of which were sourced from Keith McMenomy's "Ned Kelly: The
Authentic Illustrated Story" and Ian Jones's "A Short Life").

First published: September 22, 2010

For more articles I have written see my View From Abroad page:

http://glenrowan1880.com/view_from_abroad.htm