P91
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P91..the house and not let the Kelly's escape.  He told Lieutenant O'Connor to get his boys placed, and returned to the platform to get his arm bandaged, as the bullet had gone through his wrist. He came back to us but finding himself getting weak from loss of blood, he decided to return to Benalla for medical aid. I requested him to send forward some ammunition from the van as we had only a few cartridges with us. This he did by Mr. Rawlins who, having procured Mr. Hare's, firearms took a forward position in assisting us. Mr. Melvin of the "Argus" also ran many risks in carrying round ammunition to the police. Mr. O'Connor and the trackers were in front of the hotel, in a drain or water-course, from which position they commanded the front of the house. I placed some of my men on each side of the hotel and taking constable Arthur with me I went round to the back of the Inn. Before going we had heard some woman screaming, but above their screams we could hear some voices challenging us to "come on you ------------ ---- you cannot hurt us." I ordered the men to cease firing and we got out the women and some children.

The blacks were very active in firing and could not be restrained. One of them was wounded upon the temple which may have infuriated him and his example infected the others. Arthur and I advanced from tree to tree taking cover as we went for the outlaws kept up a continuous fusillade, and as the night was bright moonlight we could not proceed without being observed. When we had arrived nearly at the back of the building we found a revolving rifle covered with blood all the cartridges except one being discharged. Close to it we found a heavily padded silk smoking cap, and also discovered that the ground round those articles was bespattered with blood. This would be about 3.30 a.m. We found it difficult to account for those things, as we were of the opinion, unless some person had attempted to leave the hotel immediately the attack commenced, we did not think it possible to get out afterwards, and the amount of firing which was coming from the hotel was also perplexing.

On approaching the back we found several horses saddled and and bridled, tied up to the fence, being unable to get the horses out of the yard without exposing ourselves to certain death we, in order to prevent the escape of the outlaws, shot the horses. It was with reluctance I gave this order, but I recognised that it was of the utmost importance that the outlaws should not escape.

I returned to the front of the building to see what was going on there and saw Mr. Stanistreet, the station-master, who was evidently a man of nerve, walk quietly and without hurry towards our lines, on being challenged he replied "station master" and was passed through. A man named McHugh, carrying Mrs. Jones's wounded boy, without any display of hurry walked through the police lines answering the challenge in a more than satisfactory manner by informing us that there were 30 men in the hotel who were coming out to fight the police at day light. These two men were permitted to pass because their attitude was not threatening, nor did it indicate a desire to escape. The other prisoners in the hotel would have been permitted to pass in a similar manner but when several men rushed out with the evident desire of escaping, we did not know whether they were the Kelly's or not and they were ordered back again.