# Ned Kelly's last words **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 13, 2004, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ned-kellys-last-words/279579 "2004-12-13T11:22:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![oh\_s](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b38774/32.png) [@oh\_s](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oh_s)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ned-kellys-last-words/279579/1 "2004-12-13T11:22:27Z")
Does anyone know for sure whether Ned Kelly really said “Such is life” just before he was hung? While I’m at it, what about Mad Dog Morgan. Is it true that the governor of Victoria had his scrotum turned into a tobacco pouch? ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ned-kellys-last-words/279579/2 "2004-12-13T13:25:44Z")
> [@oh&s](#): > > Does anyone know for sure whether Ned Kelly really said “Such is life” just before he was hung? While I’m at it, what about Mad Dog Morgan. Is it true that the governor of Victoria had his scrotum turned into a tobacco pouch? Who was Ned Kelly or Mad Dog Morgan and why should I or anyone else care? ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ned-kellys-last-words/279579/3 "2004-12-13T13:59:56Z")
> [@spingears](#): > > Who was Ned Kelly or Mad Dog Morgan and why should I or anyone else care? I might say the same about Al Capone. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ned-kellys-last-words/279579/4 "2004-12-13T14:01:14Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > I might say the same about Al Capone. Or Davy Crockett ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ned-kellys-last-words/279579/5 "2004-12-13T14:08:08Z")
> [@spingears](#): > > Who was Ned Kelly or Mad Dog Morgan and why should I or anyone else care? Ignorance, begone! [Ned Kelly](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ned_Kelly) (he makes a pretty good steak, too…) [Mad Dog Morgan](http://www.dinkumaussies.com/BUSHRANGERS%2FDaniel%20Morgan%20-%20Mad%20Dog%20Morgan.htm) FWIW, Wikipedia agrees about the last words. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ned-kellys-last-words/279579/6 "2004-12-13T16:23:48Z")
> [@spingears](#): > > Who was Ned Kelly or Mad Dog Morgan and why should I or anyone else care? **spingears** , this is the second time in a week you have been rude to the OP in GQ. Do not make this a trend. If you take exception to an OP’s question, report the post instead. Repeated offense could lead to a banning. You have been warned. - **xash** General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ned-kellys-last-words/279579/7 "2004-12-13T16:41:00Z")
> [@spingears](#): > > Who was Ned Kelly or Mad Dog Morgan and why should I or anyone else care? From: [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0277941/](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0277941/) > [@](#): > > “Ned Kelly” is a straight-forward re-telling of the legendary Australian who has a powerful symbolism as both an outlaw and a revolutionary. There have been several books and movies about the Ned Kelly gang. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ned-kellys-last-words/279579/8 "2004-12-13T16:45:15Z")
> [@vetbridge](#): > > There have been several books and movies about the Ned Kelly gang. The most definitive being Yahoo Serious’ "Reckless Kelly’. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ned-kellys-last-words/279579/9 "2004-12-13T16:52:08Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > The most definitive being Yahoo Serious’ "Reckless Kelly’. 😉 Yes – if you take his _Young Einstein_ as being the definitive film biography of Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, etc. (Though it does have some wonderful moments). ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ned-kellys-last-words/279579/10 "2004-12-13T17:05:11Z")
> [@oh&s](#): > > Does anyone know for sure whether Ned Kelly really said “Such is life” just before he was hung? While I’m at it, what about Mad Dog Morgan. Is it true that the governor of Victoria had his scrotum turned into a tobacco pouch? Ah, point of clarification. Pictures are hung while people are hanged. Unless, of course, you have a picture of Ned Kelly’s hanging adoring your wall, in which case you do have a well hung Ned Kelly. 😃 > [@](#): > > Ned and his gang held up the Glenrowan Inn on Monday 24th June, 1880. They tried to derail a police train but a school teacher warned the people on the train and the train was stopped before it got to the broken tracks. Ned’s gang were ambushed. Ned was shot 42 times. He only wore his armour for the final battle with the police. > > Ned was hung in Melbourne gaol on November 11th 1880. Steve Hart and Dan Kelly suicided and Joe Byrne was shot. Ned’s last words were “Such is life.” His mother’s last words to Ned were “Mind you die like a Kelly, Ned!” > > By Jan Ballhaus, year 5. > [@](#): > > Dan died in Northeastern Victoria. He was shot and killed by a stationhand, John Quinlan. He was shot and killed while walking out of Mr MacPherson’s house after holding up the homestead occupants for twelve hours. > > After he was killed, he was propped up and photographs were taken of him for souvenier postcards. They chopped off his head for scientists to study, and one of the troopers kept his beard for a tobacco pouch. > > By Stacey Buck and Melissah Smith, year 6. Source: [http://www.herbertonss.qld.edu.au/landofoz/bushrangers/bushranger.html](http://www.herbertonss.qld.edu.au/landofoz/bushrangers/bushranger.html) Are you going to doubt the wisdom of children? ---
**Author:** ![GawnFishin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@GawnFishin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GawnFishin)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ned-kellys-last-words/279579/11 "2004-12-13T22:58:15Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Yes – if you take his _Young Einstein_ as being the definitive film biography of Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, etc. (Though it does have some wonderful moments). I recall an interview with Yahoo Serious where he says something like “Why let the truth stand in the way of a good story.” He also mentioned what fun he had trying to get a bank to lend him money to make the “Young Einstein” movie. Walks into bank and says "Hi I’m Yahoo Serious and I need $10,000,000 to make a movie. I believe he has since refused to have anything to do with said bank, his reason “Who in their right mind would deal with a bank that would loan so much money to someone named Yahoo Serious so he could make a movie.”