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Eyewitness letter to Ned Kelly’s capture donated to State Library after 133 years

Media release

This is an archived media release. Links were correct at the time of publication, but may have changed or expired.

Wednesday 09 October 2013


After 133 years, a letter containing an eyewitness account of the dramatic capture of Ned Kelly during the 1880 siege at Glenrowan has been donated to the State Library of Victoria by the descendants of its author – Scotsman, Donald Gray Sutherland.

The letter addressed to Sutherland’s family on 8 July 1880 proclaims ‘… the Kelly’s are annihilated. The gang is completely destroyed…’. It continues describing Kelly’s famous armour and the gunshot wounds that finally brought him down.

‘He was wounded in 5 or 6 places, only in the arms and legs – His body and head being encased in armour made from the moule (sic) boards of a lot of ploughs. Now the farmers about here, have been getting their moule boards taken off their ploughs at night for a long time but who ever dreamed it was the Kellys and that they would be used for such a purpose. Ned’s armour alone weighed 97 pounds. The police thought he was a fiend seeing their rifle bullets mere sliding off him like hail. They were firing into him at about 10 yards in the grim light of the morning without the slightest effect. The force of the rifle bullets made him stagger when hit but it was only when they got him in the legs and arms that he reluctantly fell exclaiming as he did so I am done I am done.’

Sutherland enclosed a lock of hair from Kelly’s horse with the letter, noting in the postscript, ‘The hair enclosed is from the tail of Ned Kelly the famous murderer and bushranger’s mare. His favourite mare who followed him all around the trees during the firing. He said he wouldn’t care for himself if he thought his mare safe.’

Sue Roberts, CEO and State Librarian described the donation of the letter as extremely generous and a significant addition to the Kelly story.

‘This letter is a very personal account of events that have become part of Australia’s folklore. We are delighted that Mr Sutherland’s family chose the State Library of Victoria as caretaker for this remarkable document. It will join Ned’s armour, Jerilderie Letter and other important items in our Kelly collection – one of the largest and most significant in the world.’

The letter will be on display in the State Library’s Changing Face of Victoria exhibition from Monday. [Update: The original letter is no longer on display.] It is also available online with a full transcript via the State Library website.

A new Ned Kelly app developed by the State Library explores the compelling details of Kelly’s life. With more than 60 pages of content and images of fascinating historical items including his armour, photos, letters and more, the State Library’s unique collection of Kelly material comes to life. It is free to download from iTunes and Google Play now.

About Donald Sutherland
Sutherland sailed to Australia in 1876 when he was 24. He worked at the Bank of Victoria in Oxley, eight miles from Glenrowan. He moved from Victoria to NSW and was married for a short time before his death at age 36. He is buried in the Waverly cemetery in Bronte, NSW.