Jerilderie Letter Jerilderie Letter

a murderer regarding Kennedy, Scanlan and Lonigan it is that mis-placed poodle he gets as much pay as a dozen good troopers, if there is any good in them, & what does he do for it he cannot look behind him without turning his whole frame it takes three or four police to keep sentry while he sleeps in Wangaratta, for fear of body snatchers do they think he is a superior animal to the men that has to guard him if so why not send the men that gets big pay and reconed superior to the common police after me & you shall soon save the country of high salaries to men that is fit for nothing else but getting better men than him self shot and sending orphan children to the industrial school to make prostitutes & cads of them for the Detectives & other evil disposed persons send the high paid and men that received big salaries for years in a gang by themselves after me. As it makes no difference to them but it will give them a chance of showing whether they are worth more pay than a common trooper or not and I think the Public will soon find they are only in the road of good men and obtaining money under false pretences, I do not call McIntyre a coward for I reckon he is as game a man as wears the jacket as he had the presence of mind to know his position, directly as he was spoken to, and only foolishness to disobey, it was cowardice that made Lonigan and the others fight it is only foolhardiness to disobey an outlaw as any Police-man or other man who do not throw up their arms directly as I call on them knows the consequence which is a speedy dispatch to Kingdom Come, I wish those men who joined the stock protection society to with-draw their money and give it & as much more to the widows & orphans & poor of Greta district where I spent & will again spend many a happy day fearless free & bold as it only aids the police to procure false witnesses & go whacks with men to steal horses & lag innocent men it would suit them far better to subscribe a sum and give it to the poor of their district & there is no fear of anyone stealing their property for no man could steal their horses without the knowledge of the poor if any man was mean enough to steal their property the poor would rise out to a man & find them if they were on the face of the earth it will always pay a rich man to be liberal with the poor & make as little enemies as he can as he shall find if the poor is on his side he shall loose nothing by it, If they depend in the police they shall be drove to destruction, As they can not and will not protect them if duffing & bushranging were abolished the police would have to cadge for their living I speak from experience as I have sold horses & cattle innumerable & yet eight head of the culls is all ever was found I never was interfered with whilst I kept up this successful trade. I give fair warning to all those who has reason to fear me to sell out & give £10 out of every hundred towards the widow & orphan fund and do not attempt to reside in Victoria but as short a time as possible after reading