On 14 November 1878, the day before the members of the Kelly Gang were outlawed, a Victorian parliamentarian criticised the progress of the police hunt for the gang. In response to Donald Cameron’s criticism, Victorian Premier Graham Berry promised a 'searching enquiry' if sufficient evidence was provided. Kelly and Byrne read about this exchange in the newspapers and may have mistaken it as an opportunity to tell their side of the story. Kelly dictated a long letter to Byrne with the intention of sending it to Cameron.