This week I’m going to start an examination of Professor John McQuilton’s contribution to the Kelly story. McQuilton is best known for “The Kelly Outbreak” a 1979 publication based on his 1977 PhD thesis, subtitled ‘The Geographical Dimension of Social Banditry’. Following its publication well before Molony and Ian Jones were in print, McQuilton became one […]
In part One of this discussion I discussed the claim made by Ned Kelly that he became a criminal because of the treatment that he and his family received at the hands of police. The problem with that claim is that when it was examined by the Royal Commission in 1881 they found no evidence […]
Is this Fitzpatrick in 1894? The story that’s been a central pillar of the Kelly myths and legends is that Fitzpatrick was a disgraceful womaniser, a liar and a drunk who framed the Kellys and caused the entire Kelly outbreak. Because of his disgraceful behaviour, he was sacked from the force and eventually he […]
Two farmers , a builder, a carpenter a contractor and a blacksmith : six of the two hundred citizens of Lancefield who signed up in support of Constable Fitzpatrick and against the blackening of his name and reputation by police hierarchy determined to blame him for the Outbreak. In the last few posts I’ve been […]
This is the part of Fitzpatricks death certificate that shows what he died from : “Sarcoma of Liver invading stomach, disseminated. Ascites. Constriction and adherence of appendix (appendicectomy) Cardiac exhaustion. ” Note : nothing about cirrhosis! Last week I showed that the Kelly legend claim that Constable Fitzpatrick was a drunk is wrong; its not […]
A Still from the 1906 Kelly Movie: Constable Fitzpatrick is shot in the wrist In the first two parts of this investigation of the Kelly claims about Constable Alexander Fitzpatrick, I described the novel and cruel conspiracy theory proposed by Alan Crichton to explain how it was that Fitzpatrick could have ever become so important […]
Last week I described Alan Crichton’s Fitzpatrick Conspiracy theory, and pointed out what it would mean for the traditional Kelly mythology if it was accepted. Crichton’s theory is that the Fitzpatrick incident was a plot devised by Brooke-smith and Whelan with the aim of getting at Mrs Kelly. According to Crichton, Ellen Kelly was the […]
In April next year ( 2019 ) there will be some sort of a Kelly convention at Chiltern, not far from Beechworth, a fund raiser for the Chiltern Athenaeum. One of the speakers has already announced what his topic will be: Constable Alexander Fitzpatrick: “I’ll be doing a presentation on this bloke at the Kelly […]
Ten days before he was hanged Ned Kelly claimed that ill treatment and persecution of his family by Police were what drove him to behave as he did. He wrote : “If my lips teach the public that men are made mad by bad treatment, and if the Police are taught that they may exasperate […]
Beechworth Street and Gaol, 19th century According to the innumerable descendants of the Kelly family and the Kelly gang members, their supporters and most of the authors of books, songs plays and films about Ned Kelly, he was a ‘Police made’ criminal. By this it is meant that Ned Kelly was an honest man who […]