The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-01-12
ROMANTIC ESCAPE,
How John Boyle O'Reilly Escaped
the Gordon Of English Mas
tiffs in Australia.
PASSED THROUGH THE GAP,

Colonel Leonard, the Fenian Lea.
der, Guarded By Female Patri- I:
OTIS in Ireland. E.z$s
The story Of John Boyle O'Reilly' e
ESCAPE from penal settlement in West
ern Australia; his wanderings through
the brush; his frequent narrow shaves
with scouting parties, and his final
rescue and conveyal to America by the
kind hearted captain of Yankee wbaler,
are familiar to most Irish. Americans, and
may be found in detail in James Jeffrey
| Roche's i: i:,tereetiog Life of O'Reilly."
1t is not generally known, however, that
in his escape, too, woman played an
i'm portant part. She also was the
daughter of prison official, and she it
was who is believed to have made the
gap in the ''dog chain" through which
OReilly, passed. This dog chain is a
Gordon Of feroclous blood hounds which
completely surrounds the convict estab-
lishment. The dogs are fastened at
distances Of some forty feet apart, but
with sufficient length of chain to meet
each other, SO that an escaping convict
Can pass no part of this ring Of hungry
fangs without having to force his way
through two of the monsters-an impos
sibility for an unarmed man, to say
nothing of the alarm given given by the
baying of the entire dog chain. ''Alice,"
either by removing two dogs or staying
with them, and quieting them, opened
passage for O'Reilly on the night OF his
escape .
For many years ago indeed, until the
day of his death Colonel Leonard could
not listen unmoved to the toast of 'srhe
Ladies God Bless rhenl!' For if ever
a -man had a ram part Ut pettiooats shield,
ling him from death and danger, Colonel
Leonard was that man. One little mouse
of an nurse gnawed away the coils that
environed Kirwin; one girl only furnish
ed Larry O'Brien with the tools his ready
hands desired; only one girls face haunt
ed O'Re,lly's dying hours. COL Leonard
had battalion of female sayiors.
Young, middle aged, old; dull and bright;
fair and frowsy; factory girls and dos
mestic servants; Sisters Of Mercy and
school mistresses-maids matrons and
widows-there was never an outlaWso
concealed and guarded since Prince
Charlie sought safety with huge pride
on his head in the highland gleasfoff off
Caledonia. Yet there was nothing dash
ing, debonair, romantic. about. bard
seasoned American soldiers, over 60 years
old with as much Of the lover about him
as q lamp-post; stern disciplinarian
who had won his spurs slowly and mes
thodically by patient dint of toll and
ceaseless attention to duty. There was
nothing of loves young dream Id the
devotion displayed for him by the women
Of Drogheda. It was an outcropping of
that patriotism Of the Irish servant girlls
which the English journals used to be 81
fond of sneering at. When the Drogh
eda Fenians were scattered BY hand:
full of police, Leonard found himself
alone in the streets, without follower
and without the slightest idea where hs
should seek shelter. He was knownto
the police-his portrait had been on
exhibition in the shop window for weeks;
he had only emerged that morning fromil
retreat to which he could not return
everything was lost. He had serious
thoughts of giving himself up and taking
his chances as an American citizen. s@Si
AS he stood, hesitating, he felt his arm
twitched. Turning he saw little girl, s
or years old, at his elbow. "Are yoq
afraid OF policef" queried the childish
treble. "WelL you bet!" was the. some
what gruf response. @Come homo with
me; ma says so." He went. The same
night he was sleeping serenely in the
house of a magistrate who had just sign
ed warrant for his apprehension. Two.
days after the following paragraph
appeared in many Of the Irish dailies:
yesterday J. p, to his astonish-;
ment discovered person in the upper
part Of his house, with heavy grey
beard and an appearance altogether re-.
sembling that OF the notorious Colonel
Leonard. On the magi istrate's approach.
the stranger fed down stairs and was
seen BY two gentlemen, who at once
recognized him from his portrait. Sub
aequently Constable Cannon was called