At about midnight on 8 February, the gang surrounded the Jerilderie Police Station. Ned rode to the front and shouted for the policemen to come out, claiming there was a drunken brawl at Davidson's Hotel. Constables George Devine and Henry Richards emerged and asked the stranger for more information. Once Ned established there were no other policemen inside, the gang held them up and locked them in a cell. Mary, Devine's wife, and their children were kept hostage inside the house as Ned stole all the firearms and ammunition. After this, he let them return to sleep, and with the rest of the gang stayed in the dining room until morning.