Ned Kelly

First Conviction

There is, most historians believe, ample evidence that — deservedly or not — Ned Kelly soon became a favorite target for local police, and in October 1870, less than five months after his release from jail, they found a charge for which they could convict him.

Old Melbourne Gaol

Considering his later exploits, it was an almost ludicrous allegation. According to most accounts, young Kelly had found himself in a in the middle of a dispute over a horse with a neighbor, a childless merchant.

It was a minor disagreement, but, as is so often the case, it escalated, and at one point, either Kelly or his friends, decided to mock the childless merchant by sending a pair of calf testicles to the man's barren wife. They also sent along written instructions indicating; "if followed, it would increase the population so much needed in a new country."

The merchant was not amused. He confronted young Ned Kelly. A fistfight ensued and when the merchant got the worst of it, he reported the matter to the police.

Clearly, Ned Kelly's exuberance had gotten the best of him and the authorities, by all accounts, did not see the incident as simple prank. Kelly was convicted of assault and sending an obscene message. He served six month in jail.

Ned Kelly, younger

By the time he was released, most historians agree, his neighbor's suspicions about him had subsided. The police however, remained fascinated by the young man, and by his family.