The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-06-23
A BRAVE FENIAN DEAD.
John King, Who Participated In the
Catalpa Rescue.

John King, of Passaic, N. J., an Irish
patriot who did good service in his
country's cause, died on May 8 in St.
Luke's hospital, this city, says the New
York Daily News. Mr.. King was an
active participation in the famous Catal-
pa rescue, by which six Irish soldiers of
the British army, sentenced to life i'm
prlsonment for participation in the Fe-
man movement, were taken from con-
vict prison at Fremantle, West Austria
liza, put on board an American whaler
and brought safely to this country in
1876.
Born in the suburbs of Dublin Feb.
10. 1850, King was working as gold
miner in New South Wales when John
]. Breslin, the chief of the rescuers, ar
rived with his assistant, Thomas Des-
mond, in Sydney, on his way to King
Georges Sound. On the release of the
civilian Fenian prisoners in Australia in
1869 some of them remained in the COL
onies, and, soon finding kindred spirits,
were able to start a small, but very
efficient branch of the organization in
Australia and New Zealand. King be-
came one of its most active members.
The rescue expedition being some
what short of funds, the chief of the
Australian Fenians Travelled 1000 miles
on horseback and by steamer, visiting
the mining camps, and on his return to
Sydney dispatched King with over 1900
to deliver to Breslin, who had already
arrived with Desmond at Fremantle.
The delivery of the money was the full
extent Of his mission, but finding the
preparations for the rescue in the last
stages OF completion he begged to be
allowed to take part in it. The service
he rendered was to act as mounted
rear guard while the rescued men, taken
from the prison by stratagem, with
their rescuers, were being driven hard
in two traps" or buggies to a small
wooden pier some IA miles from FIRE.
mantle, where Captain Anthony, the
Yankee captain Of the bark Catalpa of
New Bedford, awaited their arrival with
his whaleboats.
King, with fast horse saddled and
ready, watched the police until he saw
them begin to bring out their horses,
when he sprang into the saddle and
spurred hard until he overlook the Fe-
man party and told them to whip their
horses into a gallop to escape the pur-
suers. When the mounted police ar
rived at the pier Breslin and his party
were in the whaleboats out OF range of
their rifles, and pulling fast for the Ca
talpa, which was riding outside the
three-mile limit awaiting their arrival
After night OF hardship and sus-
pense i'll the wlnaleboats and escape from
a pursuing police boat, the party got
on board the New Bedford wfaler in
the early morning, only to find them
selves confronted by the Gcorgette, a
government steamer armed with two
guns and having 90 armed police on
board, with demand for their surren-
der. A threat to elbow her masts out
of the water was met by Characters
tic Yankee bluff and an appeal to the
Stars and Stripes, after which the Brit
Usher sheered off.
John King quietly settled down to the
grocery business soon after his arrival,
and some years later was elected to the
New Jersey assembly as a Republican.
He was serving his ninth term in the
legislature at the time OF his death and
was "the father of the house." He took
an active part in the Blaine campaign
in 1884 and was one of the men who
helped to bring the late Vice President
Garrett A. Hobart to the front.
The funeral, which took place from
the Catholic church of St. Nicholas,
Passaic, was attended by delegations
from New York and from all the prin-
cipal towns in New Jersey.
Mr. King leaves one son, 10 years old.
In nefenee NJ fhA Morn rHSsss.