Edward „Ned“ Kelly (December 1854 – November 1880) is an Australian national hero and the most famous bush ranger in down under known for making the life of colonialists who sided with the British hell.
As a son of Irish immigrants, young Ned has always been considered a daredevil. As a young lad, he saved a boy from drowning, risking his own life. For this heroic act, he received a sash in honor of his heroism. Ned grew up poor, which led him to a life of an outcast and criminal. He was convicted of alleged cattle theft several times and sentenced to forced labor. When he was set free, he was soon convicted of attempted murder, when a policeman tried to assault his mother. When the police came to arrest him, he shot three policemen.
Now finally reduced to a mere outlaw, he began robbing banks. However, he always spared civilians. In addition, he wrote letters to the public in which he condemned the injustice that particularly Irish citizens had to endure. Furthermore, there were rumors of Kelly planning a revolt, not only in Australia. From the money he stole, he built a bulletproof amour which became his signature attribute. Now, even the military was searching for him. But for a long time, nobody was able to bring the British Crown Kelly so hated his head. Kelly was known for killing every colonist that was loyal to the British.
1880, the criminal however was detained and brought to trial. Kelly who couldn’t afford a lawyer was found guilty by the jury only 20 minutes after the beginning of the trial. The outlaw who had been silent the entire trial stood up after the verdict and gave a short speech in which he denounced the extent of corruption and the abuse of power through officials. He couldn’t contain his anger, after the judge sentenced him to death. Kelly said to the judge that they will meet again soon. When he stood before the gallows, his last words were: “Ah well, I suppose it has come to this … Such is Life”. His remains were thrown into a mass grave. Just like Kelly said, the judge died shortly after, only 12 days after Kelly’s execution.
