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Edward (Ned) KellyAustralian outlaw known for daring bank robberies and police murders
Date of Birth: 03.06.1854
Country:  Australia |
Content:
Biography of Edward (Ned) Kelly
Edward (Ned) Kelly was an Australian bushranger, known for daring bank robberies and the murder of police officers. He was executed by hanging for numerous violations of the law. Legends and ballads about Ned Kelly, where he is portrayed as a "noble outlaw," emerged during his lifetime and have become an integral part of Australian folklore. The perception of Ned Kelly in the country is far from unanimous: some Australians consider him a ruthless killer, while others see him as a symbol of resistance against colonial authorities and embodiment of national character.
Early Life
Ned Kelly's father, John (Red) Kelly, was an Irishman who was banished to Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) for stealing two pigs. After serving five years of penal labor, he moved to the province of Victoria and married Ellen Quinn, the daughter of a local farmer, also of Irish descent. Ned was the third child in the family of eight. He received primary education at a local school and was known for his strength and bravery (once saving a drowning boy).
When Ned was about 12 years old, his father was accused of stealing a calf. Although there was no substantial evidence to support the accusation, apart from his bad reputation, John Kelly was fined £25. Unable to pay, he was forced to serve his sentence in prison, where he died on December 27, 1866. The encounter with the injustice and cruelty of the colonial court made a huge impression on Ned Kelly.
Brushes with the Law
In his youth, Ned Kelly was constantly subjected to reprimands for his unruly nature: at 14, he was arrested for 10 days for assaulting a Chinese pig farmer; at 15, he briefly ended up in prison for fighting with a vagrant trader and suspicion of collaborating with the bushranger Harry Power. Already earning a reputation as a "juvenile bushranger," 16-year-old Ned Kelly was sentenced to three years in prison for assaulting a policeman who tried to arrest him for riding a stolen horse (Ned borrowed the horse from someone else and was not guilty of its theft). Meanwhile, Ned's brothers were arrested under similar circumstances. Upon his release, Ned, along with his brothers, mother, and stepfather, Californian George King, began cattle rustling.
The Kelly Gang
Ned Kelly's notoriety began with Constable Alexander Fitzpatrick: on April 15, 1878, he arrived at the station with a gunshot wound and accused almost the entire Kelly family of an armed attack. According to the accused, Fitzpatrick had made advances towards Kate, Ned's younger sister, for which he was beaten; they did not use firearms. Nevertheless, the court sentenced Ellen Kelly and two of her accomplices to imprisonment; Ned was in New South Wales at the time and escaped trial. After the verdict, Ned, along with his brother Dan, went into hiding and formed a new gang. The police continued to hunt them down; on October 25, Ned and Dan ambushed in the forest near Stingybark Creek and, attempting to capture the constables alive, killed two of them. Following this incident, the Parliament of Victoria passed an act declaring Ned Kelly and his accomplices outlaws.
Bank Robberies
After the murder of police officers, Ned Kelly's gang shifted their focus to bank robberies. In 2003, a fictional film titled "Ned Kelly" was released, which was translated into Russian as "The Kelly Gang."
