The Jerilderie Letter is a handwritten document that was dictated by Australian bushranger and outlaw Ned Kelly to fellow gang member Joe Byrne in 1879. It is named after the town of Jerilderie, New South Wales, where the Kelly gang carried out an armed robbery in February 1879, during which Kelly tried to have his document published as a pamphlet. It is one of only two original Kelly letters known to have survived.[1]
Described as a manifesto, the letter is a 56-page document of approximately 8,000 words. In it, Kelly aims to justify his actions, including the murder of three policemen in October 1878 at Stringybark Creek. He describes cases of alleged police corruption and calls for justice for poor rural families. It is a longer and more detailed version of the Cameron Letter which Kelly sent to a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly and the police in December 1878.
Two copies were made of Ned Kelly's letter, one by publican John Hanlon and one by a government clerk. Only summaries of its contents were published in the press during Kelly's lifetime; it was not published in full until 1930. The original and both handwritten copies have survived.
- ^ "State Library of Victoria: Treasurers and Curios – Jerilderie Letter". Archived from the original on 10 June 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2012.