The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-08-11


means by which to transport themselves to
Ireland, and at one stroke break the chain
that held their birth land in slavery. The
young. men Of Ireland almost to man,
were banded; together in preparation for
OReilly shared in their enthusiastic hopes.
A sudden impulse seized him; he would don
the uniform Of an EnRlish soldier and learn
in the ranks the art Of war, that he might
afterwards use il against the hereditary
enemy Of his race, He joined the Tenth
in few months he became the hero and
idol of one of the crack cavalry regiments
Of Great Britain.
But the gay. light hearted, fascinating
young trooper was, at the same time, dark
conspirator, and he soon had enrolled every
lrishman in his regiment as enthusiastic
Fenians. His treason was discovered, a
court martial was Immediately summoned,
and in June, 1866. John Boyle O'Reilly was
sentenced to be shot.
O'Reilly's youth pleaded strongly on his
behalf and ID s!S the government s commuted the
tude for life: The next sixteen months Of
O'Reilly's life was spent in Dartmouth pen.
itentiary. The government towards the
end of 1867 saw that something should be
done to relieve the condition Of Ireland,
and as a measure Of mercy oommuted
OReilly's life sentence into one of twenty
years in the penal colony of Australia.
With some other convicts he planned the
seizure of the ship, but another political
prisoner through fear of the villainous
crowd that would thus escape, threatened
to reveal all and he had to submit. He was
landed in Perth twenty-three years ago.
labeled and numbered for twenty years Of
hateful, terrible slavery.
His splendid constitution and his rover
full physique enabled him to bear the
friehtful labor imposed upon the convicts,
but his gaolers grew fearful of the ceaseless
gaiety of the man: He was to them mys-
tery; 20 they hired him ont to q ticket-of
leave man, whose duty it was to work him
like beast of burthen. It was death to
help convict to escape, but Father Mo
Cabe, OF Perth, was ready to risk his life to
free OReilly, and he paid the captain of
an Astns American .ha whass go toPok oks,lly up
hours on the sea in small skid the ship
bore away and left him to his fate. Mean
while, Father McCabe had became aware of
what had chanced and proved equal to the
occasion, for, before O'Reilly's wherea-
the services of Capt. Clifford, Of the Gazeiie.
for the rescue Of the fugitive. At the ap-
pointed time the ship sailed ont of Perth,
passed along the coast and picked O'ReilIy
and Bowman up. The Police Gazette Of
April. 1863. contained a notice of the es-
capped convict, John B. OReilly, and de-
scribed him as:
An !rishman of healthy appearance, s
feet IN inches high, brown eyes, oval visace
and dark complexion"
For seven months he wandered in the
Gazelle over the southern seas and learned
those legends of tho sailors. which he aftar.
ward wove into his immortal s.Sonps of
Southern Seas" Once only did he run SER
ious risk of recapture. English marines
boarded the whaler when she put in to
water at the island of Roderique. They no
sooner touched the deck than they seized
and took him on shore. UReiiiy
at the time was standing beside the cap
tain, but Bowman's villainous look be-
trayed him. Once on shore Bowman en-
deavored to make good terms for himself,
by revealing all. and the marines returned
O'Reilly, to avoid the complications that
might follow. consented to hide under the
captains berth, while the sailors, who loved
him dearly, threw his hat and grindstone
over the ships side and shouted, MAN over
board" Careful search failed to discover
him, and the jubilant British commander
sent a telegram to London announcing the
fact that the convict O'Reilly had been
drowned while attempting to escape from
the officers of the law. The news mitigat- |
ed the vigorous pursuit. and Capt. Clifford |
transferred him to ship bound to LIVER
pool. whence he hoped to reach America.
The captain had also loaned him $50, |
and with this the fugitive succeeded in |
reaching Liverpool, hiding there and then
taking passage in asteamer bound for Phil
adelphia. From there he went to Boston,
arriving there at the close of 1863. He was
then Ia his 26th year, and. like Horatio,
without any revenue, save his good spirits.
But great thoughts were surging in his |
brain. and he burned for an opportunity to
give them birth. His powers Of observa-
tion were keen and in his convict's cell he |
had thought Of the great social problems of |
the age.
Little Boston dreamed when he arrived |
there: poor and unknown, fugitive from |
so-cailed justice, that he was fated TO be- |
come the most famous sinoer That aha haa
~ yet claimed a. her own. His first ac-
Quaintance there was +. 4. Collins. He too /