Launching Catalpa

On April 29, 1875, Catalpa sailed from New Bedford, Massachusetts. On board was John Devoy, mastermind behind a plot to rescue a group of Irish freedom fighters from Fremantle Prison in Western Australia. A safe distance out, the ship weighed anchor and waited for morning to sail. That evening, Devoy dined with Captain George Smith Anthony aboard Catalpa - they had hard tack, salt beef and cheese. It is easy to imagine how pregnant that meal must have been with the hopes and fears of a decade of disappointment and loss. Devoy was wracked with guilt over the prosecution and sentences handed down to his brothers in arms. Anthony knew he was being trusted with Devoy’s own burden.

That evening, Devoy rowed back to New Bedford, watching Catalpa grow fainter in the evening gloom, and hoping beyond all hopes that his trust in Anthony was well-placed.

Voice from the Tomb

"Dear Friend, remember this is a voice from the tomb. For is not this a living tomb? In the tomb it is only a man’s body that is good for worms, but in the living tomb the canker worm of care enters the very soul. Think that we have been nearly nine years in this living tomb since our first arrest and that it is impossible for mind or body to withstand the continual strain that is upon them. One or the other must give way. It is in this sad strait that I now, in the name of my comrades and myself, ask you to aid us in the manner pointed out… We ask you to aid us with your tongue and pen, with your brain and intellect, with your ability and influence, and God will bless your efforts, and we will repay you with all the gratitude of our natures… our faith in you is unbound. We think if you forsake us, then we are friendless indeed."

James Wilson

The Dog That Didn't Bark

In 1865, in a safehouse in Sandymount in Dublin, James Stephens answered the front door to a couple of police officers in the pre-dawn light. They asked if a Jerome Power resided at the residence, or one James Stephens. Stephens, still in his nightgown apologized that nobody by that name could be found at the address and wished them good luck on their search. Just then, Police Superintendent Ryan, the top enforcer of British law in Ireland stepped out from behind the hedge and identified Stephens. Immediately, Stephens slammed the door in their face, but they were prepared. Police poured into the yard from every direction and overtook the house, ensuring that none inside escaped. James Stephens was arrested and taken to Richmond Bridewell prison in one of the most stunning defeats for the Irish movement for independence. He was the Head Centre, the biggest of all the big fish. And without him, how could the organization hope to survive?

Superintendent Ryan didn’t count on Stephens having John Devoy and James Breslin in his back pocket.