Captain Long Story, US Cavalry Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 The headless remains of Australia's most famous outlaw have officially been identified.DNA tests confirmed that a set of bones discovered buried at a former prison in Melbourne are what's left of Ned Kelly, a notorious criminal whose gang robbed banks and killed several police officers in the late 1800s, officials said Thursday. Scientists used DNA from one of Kelly's surviving relatives to confirm the identity of the remains. "To think a group of scientists could identify the body of a man who was executed more than 130 years ago, moved and buried in a haphazard fashion among 33 other prisoners, most of whom are not identified, is amazing," Victoria Attorney General Robert Clark said in a statement. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2011/09/01/2011-09-01_ned_kelly_bones_confirmed_as_famous_australian_outlaw_thanks_to_dna.html#ixzz1WpImL7Bj Looks like Ned's ghost is getting in one last act of revenge, tho. SYDNEY (AP) — Australian police say they are investigating a suspicious fire at a mansion once owned by the judge who sentenced Australia's most notorious criminal, Ned Kelly, to death.Friday's announcement by police comes one day after officials said they had finally identified the headless remains of Kelly, who was hanged in 1880 after leading a gang of bank robbers in Australia's southern Victoria state. Victoria police said in a statement that Saturday's blaze at the historic home in the state capital of Melbourne appears to have been deliberately lit. The house was being renovated, and police say they believe vandals squatting at the home set the fire and may have stolen copper wire from the house. The mansion was once owned by judge Sir Redmond Barry, who ordered Kelly's execution. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ijckneGv9kQEZN3cVn4t-r16TM_g?docId=f866d8d5cebe4e1bb2ab09470563e3fe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Ned Kelly lived during a time in our Australian history when the usual (but not always) difference between the good guys and the bad guys was the uniform that one side was issued with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Plasters, SASS#60943 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 and why is the head missing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062 Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 ..... probably for "frenology"(sp?) : the study of bumps on heads and such, .... which was a very popular pass-time of that age ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Long Story, US Cavalry Posted September 3, 2011 Author Share Posted September 3, 2011 Harry Lee was the contractor who was commissioned to work on the Old Melbourne Gaol site in 1929, demolishing a section to make way for part of what is today RMIT.The story passed down to Franklin is that Harry was deeply concerned at the prospect of digging up bodies in the prison yard, Ned Kelly among them, but was assured that there would be little left to find. Nonetheless an expectant crowd gathered on the site when he moved his diggers in. When coffins and bones were unearthed, boys swarmed on the site and sped off with souvenirs. Harry quickly grabbed the skull turned up where a marker indicated Kelly's grave, taking it home for safekeeping. Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/a-jigsaw-of-clues-finally-solves-the-ned-kelly-puzzle-20110902-1jqdf.html#ixzz1Wv1Z0MhW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062 Posted September 4, 2011 Share Posted September 4, 2011 Believe it or not, this was on tv last night http://www.sbs.com.au/documentary/program/nedshead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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