Paper no.19, 8 June 1880

Confidential / Police Department, / Chief Commissioner’s Office, / Melbourne, 8 June 1880 / / My dear Frank / / I have just seen Mr Ramsay who approves of Chomley going up at once to Brisbane to bring down 5 black trackers, as Moses will I suppose remain with us. / / I have telegraphed to … apprising him & to ask him to select men for us. / / Chomley whom I have also seen this day will … overland probably on Monday by early train & remain with you at Benalla to confer; he will then go off by the evening train. Chomley seems to enjoy the idea of the trip. / / I got your note of Monday all right. of course I was well aware that yr predecessor was not ½ as wise as he thinks himself. / / He is off in a day or two to inspect the Wimmera & Western District. / / Very sincerely / F C Standish /

This is part of the digitized version of the Francis Hare Correspondence held in the University of Melbourne Archives. It consists of 54 letters and documents, of which this is one, from 1859-87 and received by or relating to Superintendent Francis Hare, one of the members of the Victoria police force involved in the pursuit and capture of the Kelly Gang. The collection complements Hare’s published memoir, The Last of the Bushrangers (London, 1892) and includes letters by some of the key figures of the Kelly story including the Police Commissioner Frederick Standish, Superintendents Charles Hope Nicolson and John Sadleir, Detective M Ward and John Sherritt, as well as items by Hare himself.