*NED THE APPRENTICE BUSHRANGER. 1870.
At 15 Ned was 'apprenticed' to a bushranger known
as Harry Power
(Henry Johnston). Harry had escaped from Pentridge prison whilst on
a work party outside the prison grounds. Whilst in gaol he met the
Lloyds
and after his escape headed up to the North- East of Victoria where the
Lloyds could provide a safe haven.
Ned's role with Harry as he robbed travelers was
primarily to hold the
horse's reins during armed holdups, invariably turning his face away so
as not to be recognised.
Harry passed onto Ned many techniques of
bushranging and it seems
his tutorage of how to hide and survive in the bush was well learned by
young Ned.
Ned was spotted assisting Harry, however due to
problems with identification
he was never convicted. The newspapers reported Ned as being an
accomplice of Harry's and it was by sheer luck that Ned was never
convicted.
On the 12th of May, Ned was tried on 2 charges of highway robbery, he
was
acquitted after being held for 2 months.
POWER'S SUPPOSED MATE- If any speculative
lawyer, with an eye to business, is in the neighbor-
|hood of Kyneton, be may possibly find room for
the exercise of his abilities, and turn the tables on
the police authorities. By a telegram from Kyneton
we find that after the repeated remands of Kelly,
the magistrates have discharged him, and the
police have no evidence to offer in justification
of his arrest.
www.nedonthenet.com