10 February 1879

The Kelly Gang raid the Jerilderie Bank in New South Wales and a letter, now known as the Jerilderie letter is handed to Edwin Living.

The Gang on February 8th 1879 were now in Jerilderie, more so they were actually within the local constabulary having taken Constables Richards and Devine at gunpoint and ushered them inside the building with the Kelly gang of Ned, Dan, Steve Hart and Joe Byrne with them, they were assured that no harm would come upon them as long as they followed the gang's instructions. The town's telegraph communications were cut to ensure no early alarm could be raised once the gang robbed the bank.

Dan locked the policeman up in the cells and the Gang dressed up in their uniforms the following day for a walk through Jerilderie. The Monday afternoon Ned and Joe robbed the bank of £690 whilst Hart and Dan watched balefully over the Jerilderie captives next door. Most of the town had been ushered into the Jerilderie Royal Hotel where Ned had introduced himself to the awed locals. The safe however required two keys in order for it to be opened and the teller only had one. The second was in the possession of John Tarleton, the manager, and he was enjoying a bath when Ned came to call. He was encouraged to dress and hand over the key, which he did, and Ned then helped himself to £1,450 of the banks money.

The bank tellers and manager were escorted at gunpoint to the Royal Hotel where a good portion of the town folk were being held by Dan and Steve. They were given a speech by Ned regarding the persecution his family had received at the hands of the landed gentry and police and then made off with the booty warning anyone whom left the hotel before dusk would be shot. The gang disappeared for almost a year and a half.

The Government of New South Wales alarmed at the recent robbery offered a reward of £3,000 whilst the banks offered an additional £1,000, this added to the now doubled reward offered by the Government of Victoria of £4,000 meant that the healthy sum of £8,000, an enormous amount of money was on the heads of the gang. Needless to say stories of the gang visiting various towns and outposts circled, some to confuse the police issued by Kelly sympathisers and some of the tales just idle gossip taken as the truth. The police could not trace the gang who were now in hiding and plotting the final showdown, even to the gang, an inevitability. They stole plough mould boards from the local farms to make armour to defend themselves with.

8 February 1879
Kelly Gang bail up Jerilderie Police Station in New South Wales.

10 February 1879
The Kelly Gang raid the Jerilderie Bank in New South Wales and a letter, now known as the Jerilderie letter is handed to Edwin Living.

1. Royal Mail Hotel

2. Bank of New South Wales and site of the bank robbery

3. New Colony Inn

4. The Telegraph Office

5. Site of 1879 Police Station

The Ned Kelly Trail - Jerilderie

The Ned Kelly Trail Optional Stop

Jerilderie, the only town in New South Wales on the Ned Kelly Trail.

This is where the Kelly Gang robbed the bank in February 1879.

The Jerilderie Letter, composed by Ned and Joe Byrne was given to Edwin Living who showed it to the police after the Jerilderie Bank Robbery.

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