Sub Inspector Stanhope O'Connor came to Victoria at the request of the Victorian 
police due to the expertise of his Native Trackers. 
These trackers were the 'black devils' that Ned was so fearful of. 
Fearful because they appeared to be the only match for him in the bush.

            O'Connor and his men had not been fully appreciated whilst in Victoria and were 
not fully utilised in the search for the gang. Partly due to jealousy and partly out of fear, 
the trackers were simply not given a chance to prove their worth. Eventually they were 
heading home, ironically they were on the first leg of this return journey when the gang 
broke cover and killed Sherritt. 
O'Connor was in Essendon and the police special, along with the reporters, collected him 
there for the journey north east.

            On the ground at Glenrowan at the start of the fighting the trackers were keen to get 
into the middle of the action. O'Connor had taken his wife and sister-in-law on the train and 
it was said that he was more interested in their safety than capturing the outlaws. 
Much was made of the fact that he was seen keeping his head down within the drains near 
the Inn, rather than be in full view of the gang. Perhaps he was just smarter than the others. 

                                                             It seems from reading the text of the Royal Commission 
that O'Connor was attacked mostly to put the blame of what had happened off others and 
onto him. 

            The trackers would fight valiantly all day long at Glenrowan and then find that when 
the reward was distributed that they would miss out. A deal had been struck to bring them 
to Victoria on the pretence that they would be afforded a fair share in the reward should 
they be responsible for the capture of the outlaws. They certainly did as much as any other 
man that day, if not more. Yet in the end they would be given the lowest amount allocated 
and it appears that they never actually received it anyway. In those days it was not seen as 
a good thing to give money to Aboriginals and the funds were held for their benefit, one 
which never seems to have been forthcoming.

            When one of the trackers was wounded questions of cost were asked before 
treatment was given, yet when Superintendent Hare was wounded great costs were 
borne by the community. 

The names of the five trackers with O'Connor were:

Corporal    Hero

Trooper     Johnny

Trooper     Jimmy

Trooper     Jack

Trooper     Barney

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