The story of how a Fenian captain from Massachusetts defied the odds and rescued six Irish political convicts from a prison on the very edge of the world.
Have you heard the one about the noble whale ship and commander, who came to Western Australia, then took six poor Fenians away? Those are often among the opening lines of one of Australia's most popular folk songs, The Catalpa — the story of one of the country's most daring and successful prison breaks, 150 years ago.
Self-professed Catalpa historian and Fremantle local Margo O'Byrne became enamoured by the story in the 1990s. Since then, it has become almost an obsession of hers to share the story of those six Irishmen, so far from home and left to rot at the very edges of the British Empire."The more I've delved into it, the more I realised that hardly anyone knew this story."The name Fenian comes from ancient tales in Irish culture, after the band of warriors, Fianna, led by the hero Fionn macCumhaill . By the 1860s, anti-British sentiment had spread through the Irish population, strengthened by their horrific experiences during the Great Famine in the previous decade. During the Great Famine, many Irish people were evicted from their homes by landlords after potato blight destroyed their crops."They grew up seeing kids around them die; they saw their parents being thrown out of their tenancy. "So, in the 1860s, they were uniting to try and have a united Ireland and an Ireland that was self-governed." After the failed Fenian uprising of 1867, 62 Irish rebels were transported from their homeland to Fremantle Prison, on what would be the last convict ship sent to Western Australia, the Hougoumont. While the majority were released in the following years, the military-trained Fenians, who had served in the British army, were kept under lock and key, with no word on whether they would ever taste freedom again.By 1874, Wilson had been in Fremantle Prison for six years,He was able to send a letter to John Devoy, one of the leaders of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, about the plight of the remaining Fenians. Devoy was one of the lucky ones to have already been released from an English prison and was living in the United States, where he continued his work to further the Fenian movement."We ask you aid us with your tongue and pen, with brain and intellect … our faith in you is unbound."Peter Murphy's book Fremantle to Freedom recounts the details of the 10-year plot to free Fenians locked in Fremantle Prison.Moved by the desperate plea of their countrymen, Devoy, alongside John Boyle O'Reilly, who had himself escaped Fremantle Prison in 1869, set to work on a plan.The Catalpa ship was chosen and purchased for $US5,500 — roughly $US165,100 today. A humble vessel, but sturdy enough to survive iceberg-filled waters and the year-long whaling expedition the crew used as its cover story. The Catalpa left New Bedford on April 29, 1875, and wouldn't arrive in the port town of Bunbury until March 28, 1876.When Bunbury historian Peter Murphy discovered the Catalpa's crew used his hometown as a checkpoint for its espionage, he thought it was "like something out of Hollywood". "A whaling boat cruised into Koombana Bay and aboard were supposedly whale fishermen — but really, they were in disguise," Mr Murphy said. " moored out here in the bay, and he walked into town … and from there he basically sent some cryptic telegrams to the spies in Fremantle. "The Catalpa then slips out of Koombana Bay, sails up the coast, and parks in Rockingham's Mangles Bay, and then they let go of a rowboat … and waited on the beach." Captain Anthony had anchored the Catalpa in international waters about three nautical miles off the coast of Rockingham, about 30 kilometres south of the prison.On the morning of Easter Monday, April 17, the annual Perth Regatta was held, one of the biggest drawcards on the social calendar.The moment had come. The telegraph wires had been cut. After eight years at the prison, the Fenians were trusted enough for temporary leave on odd jobs around town. They raced south to Rockingham on horseback to where Captain Anthony waited on the beach with a small whaling boat and a hand-picked crew. Sixteen men piled into the boat that was supposed to only hold six, making it lie low along the water line. That's when their luck wavered. The weather turned sour, a squall swept through and broke the boat's only mast.Authorities managed to commandeer the mail steamer Georgette, where they tried to intercept the Catalpa multiple times without success.The authorities fired a 12-pounder from the Georgette's only cannon and demanded that they surrender and hand over the prisoners.According to Ms O'Byrne, Captain Anthony then made the decision to fly the flag of the United States and declared that to fire on the Catalpa would be a declaration of war against the United States. With that, he turned the copper sheathed Catalpa towards the Georgette, passing within mere feet of its bow, and the Fenians crossed into international waters.As the events of the audacious rescue reach the sesquicentennial anniversary, Ms O'Byrne said it was the story that kept on giving. Even now, 150 years on, new elements of the story are uncovered by the many researchers, descendants, historians and authors who return to the well.This year has seen renewed interest in the story with several books, podcasts, theatre productions and events held from Fremantle to Bunbury to commemorate the escape.Mr Murphy said that at its core, the story of the Catalpa and the flight of the Fenians was about hope.
Catalpa Prison Break Fremantle Prison Break Irish Prison Break Perth Prison Break Prison Escape Perth Fremantle Prison Escape Irish History Perth Bunbury Prison Break Catalpa History 150 Years Catalpa Catalpa Folk Music Margo O'byrne Peter Murphy The Catalpa
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