Kelly's first brush with the law occurred in mid-October 1869 over an altercation between him and a Chinese pig and fowl dealer from Morses Creek named Ah Fook. According to Fook, as he passed the Kelly family home, Ned brandished a long stick and declared himself a bushranger before robbing him of 10 shillings. Fook then travelled to Benalla to give his account of what happened to Sergeant James Whelan, who was, according to fellow officers, "a perfect encyclopedia of knowledge" about the Kellys and their criminal activities. The next morning, Whelan chased down Kelly in the bush outside Greta and took him to Benalla, where he testified in court the next day that Fook abused his sister Annie for giving him creek water, not rain water, when, as a traveller, he requested a drink. Then, the story went, Fook beat Ned with a stick after he came to his sister's defence. Annie and two family-related witnesses corroborated Ned's story. Given that no other witnesses came forward, the charge was dismissed on 26 October and Kelly was released.