Catalpa rescue

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The Catalpa in dock. Note whale oil barrels in the foreground

The Catalpa rescue was the escape, in 1876, of six Fenian prisoners from what was then the British penal colony of Western Australia.

[edit] Fenians and plans to escape

From 1865 to 1867 British authorities rounded up supporters of the Irish Republican (Fenian) Brotherhood, an Irish independence movement, and transported sixty-two of them to the penal colony of Western Australia. Among them was John Boyle O'Reilly, later to become the editor of the Boston newspaper The Pilot. They were sent on the convict ship Hougoumont and landed at Fremantle in January 1868, after which they were moved to the Convict Establishment (now Fremantle Prison).

Two years later in 1869 O'Reilly escaped on the whaling ship Gazelle with the aid of third mate whaler Henry Hathaway and ended up in Boston, where he became editor of The Pilot. In 1871 another fenian John Devoy was amnestied in England, among others, on condition that he settle outside Ireland, and he sailed to New York City. He also became a newspaperman, for the New York Herald. He joined the Clan na Gael, an organization that supported armed insurrection in Ireland.

In 1869 pardons had been issued to many of the imprisoned Fenians. Another round of pardons were issued in 1871, after which only a small group of military Fenians remained in Western Australia's penal system. In 1873, Devoy received a smuggled letter from imprisoned Fenian James Wilson, 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 and 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 convention of the Clan na Gael and got the Clan to agree to fund a rescue of the men. He then approached whaling agent John T. Richardson who told them to contact his son-in-law, whaling captain George Smith Anthony, 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 Catalpa for $5,200 and George Anthony recruited 22 sailors. On April 29, 1875 Catalpa sailed from New Bedford, Massachusetts. At first, most of the crew was unaware of their real mission. Anthony noticed too late that the ship's chronometer was broken, so he had to rely on his own skills for navigation. First they sailed to Faial Island in Azores, where they off-loaded 210 barrels of sperm 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, and got acquainted with Sir William Cleaver Robinson, Governor of Western Australia. Robinson took Breslin on a tour of the Convict Establishment (now Fremantle Prison). Desmond took a job as a wheelwright and recruited five local Irishmen who were to cut the 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 on March 27, 1876. Anthony and Breslin met. The pair traveled north to Fremantle to prepare for the rescue.

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[edit] Escape and pursuit

The first intended day for escape was April 6, but the appearance of HMS Convict and other Royal Navy ships and customs officers quickly led to a postponement. The escape was rearranged for April 17, when most of the Convict Establishment garrison was watching the Royal Perth Yacht Club regatta.

Catalpa dropped anchor in international waters off Rockingham and dispatched a whaleboat to the shore. At 8.30 am Six Fenians who were working in work parties outside the prison walls, absconded - Thomas Darragh, Martin Hogan, Michael Harrington, Thomas Hassett, Robert Cranston and James Wilson – were met by Breslin and Desmond and picked up in carriages. The men raced 50 km south to Rockingham where Anthony awaited on the beach with a rowboat. They were half a mile (800 metres) off shore when the escape was detected and local witnesses raised the alarm.

The rowboat faced difficulties on its return back to the “Catalpa” due to a storm that lasted till dawn on April 18 They reached the ship the next morning; however soon after, the steamship SS Georgette came alongside the whaler, demanding the surrender of the prisoners and fired a warning shot with its 12 pounder (5 kg) cannon. Ignoring the demand to surrender, Anthony pointed at the US flag, informed the Georgette that an attack on the Catalpa would be considered an act of war on the USA, and proceeded westward. Georgette pursued until it was low on fuel and turned away. Catalpa slipped into the Indian Ocean.

[edit] Aftermath

Due to cut telegraph cables, news of the escape did not reach London until June. At the same time, the Catalpa did its best to avoid Royal Navy ships on its way back to the USA. O'Reilly received the news of the escape on June 7 and released the news to the press. The news sparked celebrations in the United States and Ireland and anger in Britain and Australia (although there was also sympathy for the cause within the Australian population). A purge of prison officials in Fremantle followed. The Catalpa returned to New York harbor on August 19, 1876.

George Smith Anthony could no longer sail in international waters because the Royal Navy could have arrested him on sight. With the help of a journalist, Z. W. Pease, he published an account of his journey, The Catalpa Expedition, in 1897.

Catalpa Memorial.

[edit] Memorials

On 9 September 2005 a memorial was unveiled in Rockingham to commemorate the escape. The memorial, a large statue of six wild geese, was created by Western Australian artists Charlie Smith and Joan Walsh Smith. The geese refer to the phrase "The Wild Geese", which was a name given to Irish soldiers who served in European armies after being exiled from Ireland. The Fenians transported to Western Australia adopted the phrase for themselves during their voyage to Western Australia on board the Hougoumont, even publishing a shipboard newspaper entitled The Wild Goose.

[edit] Exhibition

From 22nd September 2006 to December 3rd 2006 an exhibition, called "Escape: Fremantle to Freedom," opened at Fremantle Prison displaying many artifacts relating to the Catalpa rescue. Over 20,000 visitors passed through. There was no cost to enter the exhibit, which used modern touchscreen systems to allow reading of many books, journals, and diaries on display for the first time. After three months at Fremantle, the exhibition is scheduled to travel around museums throughout Australia.

John Boyle O'Reilly	James Wilson	Michael Harrington	Robert Cranston
Thomas Darragh	Thomas Hassett	Martin Hogan

[edit] In song

[edit] Catalpa escape in the arts

• Musician and local historian Brendan Woods authored a Theater Production about the breakout titled The Catalpa Directed by Gerry Atkinson with a cast of 22. On the 15 November 2006 The Catalpa play premiered at Fremantle Town Hall the play ran until 25th November. The play was based on the diarys of Denis Cashman, with the the poetry of John Boyle O'Reilly set to music and dance suported by a five part Musical ensemble, The show sold out on three of its four night run.
• Irish rebel music band The Wolfe Tones recorded a song about the Catalpa incident called "The Fenians' Escape".
• The Real McKenzies, a Celtic punk band from British Columbia, Canada, included their rendition of the song "The Catalpa" on the 2005 Fat Wreck Chords EP "10,000 Shots."
• Donal O'Kelly's one man play The Catalpa was an international success, winning a Scotsman Fringe First Award at the 1996 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Critic's Prize at the Melbourne International Festival in 1997.
• Western Australian Folk music Band, The Settlers released an album in 1979 that included the song 'catalpa'

[edit] Further reading

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

The Perth Gazette/21 April 1876

• John Devoy - John Devoy's Catalpa Expedition (ISBN 0-8147-2748-4)
• John Devoy - Recollections of an Irish Rebel
• Laubenstein, William J - "The Emerald Whaler" London : Deutsch, 1961.
• Seán O'Luing - "Fremantle Mission"
• Peter F. Stevens - The Voyage of the Catalpa (ISBN 1-84212-651-2)
• Z.W. Pease - The Catalpa Expedition (ISBN 0-85905-308-3)
• View the Memorial Launch Video

[edit] References

The Perth Town Hall, which was built with convict labour, incorporates a number of convict motifs, including windows in the shape of the broad arrow.

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Category:Convictism in Western Australia