At age fourteen, Ned rescued a boy from drowning—an act rarely mentioned in outlaw narratives. But his first serious legal trouble came at sixteen. In 1870, he was arrested for associating with the notorious bushranger Harry Power, whom he had briefly served as a horse-holder. Though Kelly likely acted as a lookout, he was acquitted due to lack of evidence. However, police harassment intensified.
At eighteen, Kelly was working as a horse-breaker and wood-splitter, trying to support his mother and siblings. The incident that sealed his fate occurred on April 15, 1873. Constable Alexander Fitzpatrick arrived at the Kelly homestead to arrest Ned’s brother, Dan, for horse-stealing. According to police reports, Fitzpatrick claimed that Ned shot at him. According to the Kellys, the drunk constable assaulted Ned’s sister, Kate, and Mrs. Kelly struck him with a fire shovel. teen kelly
The truth likely lies somewhere in between, but the outcome was catastrophic. Warrants were issued for attempted murder. Ned, now nineteen, did not surrender. Instead, he fled into the bush with Dan. The reward for his capture—£100—was posted. The teenager who had once saved a drowning boy was now officially a fugitive. At age fourteen, Ned rescued a boy from