- Agency:Victorian Railways
THE STATIONMASTER'S STATEMENT.
John Stanisfcreet, the stationmaster at Glenrowan, states : — " About 3 o'clock on Sunday morning a knock came to my door. I live at the gatehouse, within a hundred
yards of the station, on the Melbourne side, I jumped out of bed, and thinking it was someone wishing to get through the gates in a hurry, I proceeded to dress, and after getting half my clothes on I went to the
door. Just as I arrived at the door it was burst in. Previous to that there was some impertinent talk outside to get me to open quickly. When the door was burst in I asked, 'Who are you; what is this for?' The answer was, ' I am Ned Kelly.' I saw a man clad in an overcoat, who walked in with me to my bedroom. Mrs. Stanistreet and the children were there in bed. There wero two little girls and one infant. Ned Kelly said to me. ' You have to come with me find take up the rails.' I replied, ' Y/aifc until I dress, and I completed my dress and followed him out of the house on to the railway line. .1 found seven or eight men standing at the gate loo king over the line near Mrs. Jones's Glenrowan inn. Ned Kelly, speaking to me said, ' Now yoii direct those men how to raise some of the rails, as we expect a special train < very soon.' I objected, saying ' I know nothing about lifting rails off the line. Thg only persons that understand it are the repairers, and they live outside and on the line.' Ned went on alone to Reardon, the platelayer's house, which stands about a quarter of a mile along the line southward. I and the other men were left in charge of Steve Hart. Ned Kelly went on to Reardon's house. Steve Hart gave me a prod with his gun in the side, and said, ' You get the tools out that are necessary to raise those, tails.' I replied, ' I have not the key of the cljest.' He said, ' We'll break the lock,' and he got one of the men to do so. They took all the tools out of the chest, which lay in a back shed or tool-house between the station and the crossing. Soon afterwards Ned and two of the repairers, Reardon and Sullivan, arrived. Ned, accompanied by these two men, proceeded down the line towards Wangaratta. We stood with Hart in the cold at the hut for about two hours. At last Ned Kelly and the repairer returned. Ned inquired about the signalling on the line — how I stopped trains with tlie signal lamps. I told him white is right and red wrong, and green generally ' come along.' He then said, ' There is a I special train coming, and you will give no : signal.' Then, speaking to Hart, he said, j ' Watch his countenance, and if he gives any signal shoot him.' He marched us into, my house, and left us under the charge of Steve Hart. Subsequently other persons were made prisoners, and lodged in my house to the number of about seventeen. They were the Reardon family, the Ryan family, Tom. Cameron, son of a gatekeeper on the line, and others whom I don't remember. We were locked up all day on Sunday, but we were allowed out under surveillance. The women were allowed to go to Jones's hotel about dark. All the men but myself and family went to the hotel soon afterwards. Steve Hart remained with us all night. During the night Dan Kelly relieved Hart, and he was afterwards relieved by Byrne, j Just before the special train arrived this
morning, I was ordered by Hart, who was on and off duty throughout the night, to follow him over to Jones's, and not to signal the train. I went into the back kitchen, and found there Mrs. Jones with her daughter, about fourteen, and two younger children. There was also a man there named Neil M'Kean. By this time the train had arrived, and firing was going on furiously, and we all took shelter about the chimney. The house is a mere shell of a structure, j The gang disappeared from me when | the firing commenced. A bullet passed right i through the kitchen, and grazed the temple ; of Jane Jones, aged fourteen, daughter of the j landlord. She exclaimed, " I am shot," and i as she turned to me I saw her head bleeding, and told her it was nothing serious. Poor Mrs. Jones commenced to cry bitterly. I left ! the kitchen and went into the back yard, and passed the gang there. They were standing together at the kitchen chimney. I cannot say whether there were three or four of them. One of them said, " If you go out you will be shot." I walked straight to my house. | Firing was going on, but I was uninjured. Of course, I was challenged as I passed through. I omitted to state that on Sunday night Steve Hart demanded my revolver from me, and I had to give it up."
Weekly Times Saturday 3 July 1880, page 19
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- A GLENROWAN STATION-MASTER.
AN INCIDENT OF THE KELLY GANG. Mr. John Stanistreet died at his resi-dence, Echuca street, Quarry Hill, on Monday morning. About five weeks ago he was taken ill with jaundice, and despite the constant attention of Dr. Gaffney, dropsy supervened. He was of a very genial disposition, and during his short residence here made a large number of friends. He was a native of Cork, and came to Victoria about 33 years ago. After being in the colony three or four years he got an appointment on the rail-ways as stationmaster at Glenrowan. Whilst there he passed the most exciting periods of his life. He was there at the capture of the Kelly gang in June, 1880. The Kelly's, who were in danger of arrest after they stuck up Glenrowan, tried to coerce him to instruct the platelayers to take up part of the line, so as to wreck the train, which was carrying policemen sent out specially to arrest the gang. He, however, refused, saying that that was not what he was there for. Even when Ned Kelly threatened to shoot him he still refused. Later on the gang, having themselves taken up part of the line, tried to make him show a white light (which siguifies "no danger") to the driver of the incoming train so as to lure the police and others on to destruction. Mr. Stani-street, however, would not do so. Ned Kelly then stood him up and threatened to shoot him. But it was to no effect. The ruffians were impressed by his great courage, and did not attempt to carry their threat into effect. Ned Kelly said "There's too much pluck in him, I don't think a bullet was ever made f or him. " Stanistreet was afterwards with most of the residents of the little township locked up in one of the hotels, so that he should not interfere with the gang's designs in wrecking the train. Six months after the destruction of the gang he was promoted to the charge of the Morwell Station, Gippsland. Two years later he was transferred to the Derby Railway Station, which he man-aged until pensioned off four years ago. He then came to Bendigo, and resided at Quarry Hill ever since. He was a very active member of the Calvin-street Methodist Church. He was 69 years of age, and leaves a widow and grown up family of six sons and two daughters. Deceased's father, Dr. Rich-ard Stanistreet, died at Cork a short time ago at the age of more than 90 years. In accordance with his dying wish and his being opposed to ostentatious costly funerals, the coffin containing his corpse was carried by his sons to the Bendigo Cemetery and buried privately. The Rev. J. A. Westacott read the burial service. A large number of wreaths and floral tri-butes were sent bv sympathizing neighbors and friends in Melbourne.—"Indepen-dent."
Ovens and Murray Advertiser (Beechworth, Vic. : 1855 - 1918)
Sat 5 Dec 1896
Page 9
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1827 - 1896 (69 years) Has no ancestors but 35 descendants in this family tree.
