When Joe Byrne Steals Your Watch It Is A Red-Letter Day Worth Remembering! [Sharon Hollingsworth]

Even after eight-plus years of studying the Kellys I am always finding out something new. For instance, I have learned that if Joe Byrne steals your watch that it is indeed a red-letter day in one's life!

In December 1878 when the gang bailed up Younghusband's station prior to holding up the Euroa bank, they made prisoners of four kangaroo hunters that were very close to the property. Two of the men were local farmers and two others were men down from Melbourne who worked for the Government Printing Office, Henry Dudley and Robert McDougall (wonder if they helped with the binding on the RC in later years?). They were described in "A Short Life" as being 'two elderly gentlemen,' and McDougall was termed an 'ancient Scotchman' in "The Fatal Friendship" but, actually, McDougall was only 23 years old at the time and Dudley was 46.

Some interesting and comical exchanges took place wherein the hunters mistook Ned and Joe as constables due to them possessing handcuffs, and, playing along, Ned accused them of stealing the spring cart they were riding in and of actually being the Kelly Gang! They were later clued in to the ruse. Their weapons were taken and one of those would become Ned's favourite rifle which he named 'Betty.' Dan Kelly patted down McDougall (who had a bulge in his pocket due to a Meerschaum pipe) and thinking the pipe was a concealed weapon not turned over he pointed his gun at him. There was a bit of a set-to between the two and Ned Kelly stepped in to break it up. Ned confiscated the pipe, remarking "that's a beauty" and McDougall never saw it again.

During the time he and the others were being held in the stockroom at Younghusband's, McDougall saw well over a dozen axes that were left in there and suggested that everyone grab one and start chopping their way out. Others did not wish to go along with it as they feared being shot.

Now we get to the watch..McDougall said in an interview with the Burra Record on July 19, 1933,  that Joe Byrne asked him for the loan of his watch which he was compelled to hand over.

McDougall later said to Ned Kelly:

"What about my watch? It was a present from my mother and I value it as a keepsake from her."

Ned, softened by hearing about a man's mother, grabbed the watch from Joe and threw it at McDougall. Ned then went up to Mr. Scott and said "Give me your watch, we must know the time."

The reporter in 1933 saw the actual watch which McDougall was obviously very proud of:

Mr. McDougall then produced a silver hunting lever watch with the following inscription engraved on the inside of the case:

This watch was taken from Robert McDougall by Joe Byrne on the 9th December, 1878, and returned by Ned Kelly to Robert McDougall, December 10th, 1878.

Mr. McDougall also showed off the two supoenas he received to testify at both of Ned's trials (Beechworth/Melbourne) which he had kept all those years.

The question I am sure everyone wants to know is where are these heirlooms now?  I wish I knew!

Note: in Hare's "Last of the Bushrangers" he has it as Ned Kelly asking for McDougall's watch and returning it after saying it was a keepsake of his dead mother, then has Kelly taking Mr. McCauley's watch and Joe taking Mr. Scott's.

 Also note that Corfield says that "The surname is variously spelt McDougall and MacDougall in newspaper accounts and birth, marriage and death records. It is spelt MacDougall on the gravestone and also in the death notices in the Argus."

I went with McDougall for this blog post just to be consistent with the newspaper account I quoted from. Also, I do wonder if that was the spelling on the watch the reporter saw? Or was it just read to him?