J. Dillon
05-16-2007, 05:35 PM
Might be better then all the sniping around here;)
Secrets of the dead
The voyage of the Catalpa was a covert rescue mission to facilitate the escape of six Irish political prisoners.
From 1865 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1865) to 1867 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1867) British authorities rounded up supporters of the Irish Republican (Fenian) Brotherhood (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Republican_Brotherhood), an Irish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland) independence movement, and transported (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penal_transportation) sixty-two of them to the penal colony of Western Australia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Australia). Among them was John Boyle O'Reilly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boyle_O%27Reilly), later to become the editor of the Boston newspaper The Pilot. They were sent on the convict ship (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convict_ship) Hougoumont (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hougoumont_%28ship%29) and landed at Fremantle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fremantle%2C_Western_Australia) in January 1868 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1868), after which they were moved to the Convict Establishment (now Fremantle Prison (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fremantle_Prison)).
Two years later in 1869 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1869) O'Reilly escaped on the whaling ship Gazelle with the aid of third mate whaler (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling) Henry Hathaway and ended up in Boston (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston%2C_Massachusetts), where he became editor of The Pilot. In 1871 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1871) another fenian John Devoy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Devoy) was amnestied in England, among others, on condition that he settle outside Ireland, and he sailed to New York City (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York%2C_New_York). He also became a newspaperman, for the New York Herald (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Herald). He joined the Clan na Gael (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_na_Gael), an organization that supported armed insurrection in Ireland.
In 1869 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1869) pardons had been issued to many of the imprisoned Fenians. Another round of pardons were issued in 1871 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1871), after which only a small group of military Fenians remained in Western Australia's penal system. In 1873 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1873), Devoy received a smuggled letter from imprisoned Fenian James Wilson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Wilson_%28Irish_Nationalist%29), who was among those the British dared not release. He asked them to aid the escape of the remaining Fenian prisoners. Devoy discussed the matter with John Boyle O'Reilly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boyle_O%27Reilly) and Thomas McCarthy Fennell (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_McCarthy_Fennell), and Fennell suggested that a ship be purchased, laden with a legitimate cargo, and sailed to Western Australia, where it would not be expected to arouse suspicion. The Fenian prisoners would then be rescued by stealth rather than force of arms. Devoy approached the 1874 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1874) convention of the Clan na Gael and got the Clan to agree to fund a rescue of the men. He then approached whaling (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling) agent John T. Richardson who told them to contact his son-in-law, whaling captain George Smith Anthony (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Smith_Anthony&action=edit), who agreed to help.
Jame Reynolds, a member of the Clan and on the committee to rescue the prisoners, bought under his name for the Clan a three-masted whaling bark (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barque) Catalpa for $5,200 and George Anthony recruited 22 sailors (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailor). On April 29 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_29), 1875 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1875) Catalpa sailed from New Bedford, Massachusetts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Bedford%2C_Massachusetts). At first, most of the crew was unaware of their real mission. Anthony noticed too late that the ship's marine chronometer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_chronometer) was broken, so he had to rely on his own skills for navigation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navigation). First they sailed to Faial Island (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faial_Island) in Azores (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azores), where they off-loaded 210 barrels of sperm whale oil (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_oil). Unfortunately much of the crew deserted the ship and they had to leave three sick men behind. Anthony recruited native crew members and set sail for Western Australia.
At the same time, two Fenian agents, John Breslin and Tom Desmond, had arrived in Western Australia in September. Breslin masqueraded as an American businessman "James Collins", with suitable letter of introduction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_of_introduction), and got acquainted with Sir William Cleaver Robinson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Robinson_%28Australian_governor%29), Governor of Western Australia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_Western_Australia). Robinson took Breslin on a tour of the Convict Establishment (now Fremantle Prison). Desmond took a job as a wheelwright (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheelwright) and recruited five local Irishmen who were to cut the telegraph (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telegraph) lines on the day of escape.
Catalpa fell behind the intended schedule due to a serious storm, in which she lost her foremast. She dropped anchor off Bunbury (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunbury%2C_Western_Australia) on March 27 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_27), 1876 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1876). Anthony and Breslin met. The pair traveled north to Fremantle to prepare for the rescue.
Secrets of the dead
The voyage of the Catalpa was a covert rescue mission to facilitate the escape of six Irish political prisoners.
From 1865 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1865) to 1867 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1867) British authorities rounded up supporters of the Irish Republican (Fenian) Brotherhood (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Republican_Brotherhood), an Irish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland) independence movement, and transported (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penal_transportation) sixty-two of them to the penal colony of Western Australia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Australia). Among them was John Boyle O'Reilly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boyle_O%27Reilly), later to become the editor of the Boston newspaper The Pilot. They were sent on the convict ship (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convict_ship) Hougoumont (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hougoumont_%28ship%29) and landed at Fremantle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fremantle%2C_Western_Australia) in January 1868 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1868), after which they were moved to the Convict Establishment (now Fremantle Prison (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fremantle_Prison)).
Two years later in 1869 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1869) O'Reilly escaped on the whaling ship Gazelle with the aid of third mate whaler (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling) Henry Hathaway and ended up in Boston (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston%2C_Massachusetts), where he became editor of The Pilot. In 1871 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1871) another fenian John Devoy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Devoy) was amnestied in England, among others, on condition that he settle outside Ireland, and he sailed to New York City (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York%2C_New_York). He also became a newspaperman, for the New York Herald (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Herald). He joined the Clan na Gael (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_na_Gael), an organization that supported armed insurrection in Ireland.
In 1869 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1869) pardons had been issued to many of the imprisoned Fenians. Another round of pardons were issued in 1871 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1871), after which only a small group of military Fenians remained in Western Australia's penal system. In 1873 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1873), Devoy received a smuggled letter from imprisoned Fenian James Wilson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Wilson_%28Irish_Nationalist%29), who was among those the British dared not release. He asked them to aid the escape of the remaining Fenian prisoners. Devoy discussed the matter with John Boyle O'Reilly (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boyle_O%27Reilly) and Thomas McCarthy Fennell (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_McCarthy_Fennell), and Fennell suggested that a ship be purchased, laden with a legitimate cargo, and sailed to Western Australia, where it would not be expected to arouse suspicion. The Fenian prisoners would then be rescued by stealth rather than force of arms. Devoy approached the 1874 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1874) convention of the Clan na Gael and got the Clan to agree to fund a rescue of the men. He then approached whaling (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling) agent John T. Richardson who told them to contact his son-in-law, whaling captain George Smith Anthony (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Smith_Anthony&action=edit), who agreed to help.
Jame Reynolds, a member of the Clan and on the committee to rescue the prisoners, bought under his name for the Clan a three-masted whaling bark (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barque) Catalpa for $5,200 and George Anthony recruited 22 sailors (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailor). On April 29 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_29), 1875 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1875) Catalpa sailed from New Bedford, Massachusetts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Bedford%2C_Massachusetts). At first, most of the crew was unaware of their real mission. Anthony noticed too late that the ship's marine chronometer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_chronometer) was broken, so he had to rely on his own skills for navigation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navigation). First they sailed to Faial Island (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faial_Island) in Azores (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azores), where they off-loaded 210 barrels of sperm whale oil (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_oil). Unfortunately much of the crew deserted the ship and they had to leave three sick men behind. Anthony recruited native crew members and set sail for Western Australia.
At the same time, two Fenian agents, John Breslin and Tom Desmond, had arrived in Western Australia in September. Breslin masqueraded as an American businessman "James Collins", with suitable letter of introduction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_of_introduction), and got acquainted with Sir William Cleaver Robinson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Robinson_%28Australian_governor%29), Governor of Western Australia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_Western_Australia). Robinson took Breslin on a tour of the Convict Establishment (now Fremantle Prison). Desmond took a job as a wheelwright (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheelwright) and recruited five local Irishmen who were to cut the telegraph (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telegraph) lines on the day of escape.
Catalpa fell behind the intended schedule due to a serious storm, in which she lost her foremast. She dropped anchor off Bunbury (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunbury%2C_Western_Australia) on March 27 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_27), 1876 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1876). Anthony and Breslin met. The pair traveled north to Fremantle to prepare for the rescue.