Catalpa rescue

thumb|The Catalpa under sail with escapees approaching in whaleboat

The Catalpa rescue was the escape, on 17–19 April 1876, of six Irish Fenian prisoners from the Convict Establishment (now Fremantle Prison), a British penal colony in Western Australia. They were taken on the convict ship Hougoumont to Fremantle, Western Australia, arriving 9 January 1868. In 1869, pardons had been issued to many of the imprisoned Fenians. Another round of pardons was issued in 1871, after which only a small group of "military" Fenians remained in Western Australia's penal system.

In 1874, prisoner James Wilson secretly sent a letter to New York City journalist John Devoy, who worked to organize a rescue. Using donations collected by Devoy from Irish-Americans, Fremantle escapee John Boyle O'Reilly, then living in Boston, purchased a merchant ship, Catalpa, and sailed her to international waters off Rockingham, Western Australia. On 17 April 1876 at 8:30 am, Wilson and five other Fenians working outside the prison walls, Thomas Darragh, Martin Hogan, Michael Harrington, Thomas Hassett, and Robert Cranston, boarded a whaleboat O'Reilly had dispatched, were taken aboard Catalpa, and escaped to New York.

Fenians and plans to escape

thumb|upright|John Devoy

thumb|upright|The main cellblock of [[Fremantle Prison]]

Between 1865 and 1867, the Dublin Castle administration arrested supporters of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, a secret society dedicated to Irish independence, and transported 62 of them to the British penal colony of Western Australia. They were convicted of crimes ranging from treason-felony to outright rebellion. Sixteen were soldiers who were court-martialled for failing to report or stop the treason and mutinous acts of the others. 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, arriving at Fremantle on 9 January 1868, at the Convict Establishment (now Fremantle Prison).

In 1869, O'Reilly escaped on the whaling ship Gazelle in Bunbury with assistance of the local Catholic priest, Father Patrick McCabe, and settled in Boston. Soon after his arrival, O'Reilly found work with The Pilot newspaper and eventually became editor. In 1871, another Fenian, John Devoy, was granted amnesty in England on condition that he settle outside Ireland. He sailed to New York City and 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 1874, Devoy received a smuggled letter from imprisoned Fenian James Wilson, who was among those the British had not released.

thumb|upright|Captain George Anthony, circa 1897

Devoy discussed the matter with 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.

Catalpa

thumb|270px|right|Catalpa in dock. Note whale-oil barrels in the foreground

In 1875, the Clan's committee purchased (in the name of their member James Reynolds) three-masted merchant bark Catalpa for $5,500 ($ in dollars). She measured 202.05 tons and was 90 feet long, 25 feet in breadth and 12.2 feet deep. She had earlier been a whaleship, sailing out of New Bedford, but had been converted to merchant service with an open hold. Under Captain Anthony's direction, Catalpa was carefully restored to the fitting and rigging of a whaleship "ostensibly for a voyage of eighteen months or two years in the North and South Atlantic". Breslin, as Collins, lodged in the Emerald Isle Hotel in Fremantle, while Thomas Desmond took a job as a wheelwright and recruited five local Irishmen who were to cut the telegraph lines connecting Perth to Albany on the day of escape (there was no link to the eastern colonies of Australia until 1877). Breslin became acquainted with Sir William Cleaver Robinson, the Governor of Western Australia. Robinson took Breslin on a tour of the Convict Establishment (now Fremantle Prison) where he secretly informed the prisoners that an escape was due. While staying at the hotel, Breslin engaged in a love affair with 22-year-old chamber maid, Mary Tondut. She became pregnant and Anthony paid for her to go to Sydney but never saw her again. In December 1876, Tondut gave birth to Breslin's only child, John Joseph Tondut.

Rescue preparations

Catalpa fell behind the intended schedule owing to weather conditions. After 11 months at sea, she dropped anchor off Bunbury on 28 March 1876. Anthony and Breslin met and began to prepare for the rescue. and were surprised to find the Royal Navy gunboat HMS Conflict in port, necessitating postponement of their plan.

Escape and pursuit

Catalpa dropped anchor in international waters off Rockingham and dispatched a whaleboat to 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. They were met by Breslin and Desmond and picked up in horse traps. According to Anthony, a seventh Fenian, James Kiely, was intentionally left behind because during his trial he had offered to divulge the names of comrades in an effort to obtain a reduced sentence for himself. The men raced south to Rockingham pier where Anthony awaited them with the whaleboat. A local named James Bell he had spoken to earlier saw the men and quickly alerted the authorities.

As the whaleboat again made for the ship, a police cutter with 30 to 40 armed men was spotted. The two boats raced to reach the Catalpa first, with the whaleboat winning, and the men climbing aboard as the police cutter passed by. The cutter turned, lingered briefly beside Catalpa, and then headed to shore. 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). Catalpa returned to New York on 19 August 1876. On the other hand, it did not cause any diplomatic issues between the U.S. and the U.K., and the governor of Western Australia was glad to that the Fenians had "become the problem of some other nation".

George Smith Anthony remained in New Bedford with his wife and children, never returning to sea. He was appointed New Bedford Port Inspector in 1886. With the help of a journalist, Z. W. Pease, he published an account of his journey, The Catalpa Expedition, in 1897. He died in 1913.

Thomas Desmond went on to become Sheriff of San Francisco from 1880 to 1881

John Breslin returned as a hero. He continued contact with the Clan na Gael and Devoy, and died in 1887.

Catalpa was presented to Captain Anthony, John Richardson and Henry Hathaway in lieu of payment.

Mythologising

The story of Catalpa escape grew more dramatic in each retelling. After the first mate declined to allow the police to board the ship, he wrote in the ship's log:

In 1976 a memorial stone was erected in New Bedford, Massachusetts, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the rescue. New Bedford was the home port of Catalpa.

Exhibition

From 22 September 2006 to 3 December 2006 an exhibition, called "Escape: Fremantle to Freedom," opened at Fremantle Prison displaying many artefacts relating to the Catalpa rescue. The exhibition received over 20,000 visitors.

The National Museum of Ireland put on an exhibition in Collins Barracks between the 18th to 19th of April 2026 called "Catalpa 150; The Catalpa Fenian Rescue, 17th to 19th April 1876" to commemorate the 150 year anniversary of the rescue. The exhibition displayed the U.S. flag that was raised during the stand-off between the Catalpa and the Georgette.

File:MartinHoganConvict.jpg|Martin Hogan (1833–1901)

File:ThomasHassettConvict.jpg|Thomas Hassett (1841–1893)

File:James Wilson.jpg|James Wilson (1836–1921)

File:MichaelHarrington.jpg|Michael Harrington (1825–1886)

File:Thomas Darragh.jpg|Thomas Darragh (1834–1912)

File:RobertCranstonConvict.jpg|Robert Cranston (1842–1914)

File:John Boyle O'Reilly.jpg|John Boyle O'Reilly (1844–1890)

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In popular culture

Musician and local historian Brendan Woods authored a theatrical production about the breakout titled The Catalpa directed by Gerry Atkinson with a cast of 22. On 15 November 2006 The Catalpa premiered at the Fremantle Town Hall and ran until 25 November. The play was based on the diaries of Denis Cashman, with the poetry of John Boyle O'Reilly set to music and dance supported 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 album "10,000 Shots".
Donal O'Kelly's one man play Catalpa was an international success, winning a Scotsman Fringe First Award at the 1996 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Critic's Prize at the Melbourne International Festival in 1997.
Western Australian folk music band, The Settlers released the album Bound For Western Australia in 1978 that included the song The Catalpa
Australian folk band, The Bushwackers featured the song The Catalpa on the album Beneath the Southern Cross.
An Australian Broadcasting Corporation production, The Catalpa Rescue, was shown on ABC Television on 25 October 2007.
Fenian Park, Catalpa Park and O'Reilly Park, in Glen Iris, Bunbury.
In 2021 a new GAA team was founded in the Rockingham Area to compete in the GAAWA competitions called Na Fianna Catalpa

References

Video and media

Irish Escape Documentary produced by the PBS Series Secrets of the Dead