NED ON A 'BORROWED' HORSE Apr/May 1871.

Police brutality at its very worst.

 
Isaiah 'Wild' Wright of Mansfield was in the habit of 'borrowing' horses. 
(Wright was married to one of Ned's cousins) 
He seems to have looked after them well, fed and watered them and 
managed to get away with this for some time. 
A chestnut mare Wright had borrowed from George Newland, the Post-
Master of Mansfield, had strayed from him near Ned's house and Ned 
(who had been out of prison for just three weeks) was asked by Wright
if he could borrow one of Ned's horses and that in turn Ned could ride 
the missing horse. Ned subsequently found it and rode the horse along the
streets of Wangaratta, a move which would add weight to Ned's story that
he did not realise it was stolen. (although one wonders how he could not
question why Wright had the post master's horse in the first place.)

A very large policeman by the name of Hall saw Ned on this horse, 
which he recognised as being reported stolen. He was afraid of young Ned
and tried to get him to come into the station (in Greta) pretending that he 
needed him to sign some documents. Ned was cautious and rode rather 
than walked and asked Hall to bring the papers out.

 Quickly Hall grabbed Ned by the collar and pulled him to the ground.
The horse bolted and Ned started off after it, but Hall pulled out his pistol
and called for Ned to halt. Ned stopped and as he turned around Hall pulled 
the trigger. Three times it misfired and Hall had to be content to use the butt 
on Ned's skull. 

 Hall hit Ned so hard that he required many stitches.
The authorities tried to charge Ned with stealing the horse, unfortunately 
for them he was in Beechworth gaol at that time of the theft and therefore 
they had to settle for a charge of possession. Ned received a longer 
sentence than Wright who stole the horse in the first place (how this could 
happen is a mystery to me). The punishment was to be three years for Ned.

that the man who actually stole the horse got a shorter sentence than Ned.