1878: Shoot on Sight: the Extraordinary Law That Outlawed Ned Kelly
Just four days after three police officers were shot dead at Stringybark Creek, the Victorian government introduced the Felons Apprehension Bill on 30 October 1878, paving the way for extraordinary powers that would allow Ned Kelly and his gang to be declared outlaws.
Once Ned and his brother Dan were formally declared outlaws, they could legally be shot on sight by police or any member of the public, without first standing trial. The legislation also threatened severe penalties for anyone knowingly sheltering or assisting the fugitives.
The crackdown extended beyond the outlaws themselves. Police arrested suspected Kelly sympathisers, with around twenty men detained for months as authorities attempted to break the gang’s network of support. The heavy-handed campaign fuelled resentment among sections of the local population, strengthening sympathy for the very men the government was determined to capture.
Even after the gang robbed banks at Euroa and Jerilderie, prompting Victoria and New South Wales to offer a combined reward of £8,000 in February 1879, the outlaws remained at large. It took another sixteen months, and the bloody siege at Glenrowan in June 1880, before Ned Kelly, wearing his homemade iron armour, was finally captured.
