1 00:00:01,080 --> 00:00:11,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you missed in History Class from dot Com. Hello, 2 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:14,520 Speaker 1: and welcome to the podcast. I'm Tracy V. Wilson and 3 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,120 Speaker 1: I'm Holly Frying. Today we're going to talk about a jailbreak, 4 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 1: which sounds like an inherently interesting and exciting and dramatic subject. 5 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:26,920 Speaker 1: This was the rescue of six Irish prisoners who had 6 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:30,120 Speaker 1: been convicted of crimes like treason and rebellion, and they 7 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:33,720 Speaker 1: were part of an organization called the Irish Republican Brotherhood 8 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:37,840 Speaker 1: also known as the Fenians. They had originally been sentenced 9 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:40,519 Speaker 1: to death because they were military men. While serving in 10 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:43,040 Speaker 1: the British Army, they had become part of a plot 11 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:46,000 Speaker 1: to turn the army against itself and instead fight for 12 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:50,560 Speaker 1: Irish independence. Now they were in prison for life, and 13 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 1: a Quaker man, finding this imprisoned imprisonment to be incredibly unjust, 14 00:00:56,440 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 1: lad a daring rescue party to get them out of jail. 15 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:05,319 Speaker 1: So on this on its own, this already sounds pretty exciting. 16 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,520 Speaker 1: But these prisoners had been convicted in Britain and the 17 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:13,440 Speaker 1: prison was in Western Australia. And the man who was 18 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:15,720 Speaker 1: leading this crew of men on a whaling ship to 19 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:19,479 Speaker 1: come and get them was from the United States, so 20 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 1: it's it's truly an international affair, right, It's an intercontinental 21 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:31,680 Speaker 1: uh experience and involving multiple hemispheres of the planet um. 22 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:33,880 Speaker 1: And you know, to the person who recently said to us, please, 23 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: for the love of God, no more shipwrecks. There are 24 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:38,199 Speaker 1: ships in this story, but fortunately none of them wreck. 25 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 1: So I've got nautical history and Irish history and Australian 26 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:46,240 Speaker 1: history and British history all tied together along with a 27 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 1: nautical theme and a jail break. Hooray because also a 28 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:53,520 Speaker 1: listener request from Joseph, I should say that part two, 29 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 1: otherwise I never would have known about it. And this 30 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: story takes place in the eighteen sixties. We talked in 31 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:03,880 Speaker 1: our two part episode on the Irish Potato Famine what 32 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:06,440 Speaker 1: life was like in Ireland around this time. But here's 33 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 1: a brief recap for those who have not maybe heard 34 00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:13,240 Speaker 1: those episodes. The overwhelming majority of the Irish population was 35 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:15,960 Speaker 1: Catholic and this continues to be true in the Republic 36 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 1: of Ireland today. The whole of Ireland had become part 37 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:23,000 Speaker 1: of Britain in eighteen hundred under the British Acts of Union, 38 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 1: and at that point Ireland had gained representation in Parliament, 39 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 1: but Catholics specifically were not permitted to be members of Parliament. 40 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 1: So consequently, while Ireland was part of Britain for the 41 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:39,799 Speaker 1: most part, the Irish population, especially the Irish Catholic population, 42 00:02:40,040 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 1: was basically disenfranchised. And on top of that, Ireland itself 43 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 1: was stricken with poverty. Over generations, Irish families had lost 44 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 1: their land to English landlords. Many Irish farmers were paying 45 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:55,639 Speaker 1: exorbitant rent on what had once been their own families land, 46 00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 1: and there was a middleman between the farmer and the landlord, 47 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:01,600 Speaker 1: who also took a cut of the profits along the way. 48 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:05,640 Speaker 1: This whole landlord middleman tenant system put tenants at a 49 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 1: severe disadvantage and many were barely subsisting. And then there 50 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:12,359 Speaker 1: was the Great Hunger, also known as the Great Famine 51 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:15,560 Speaker 1: or the Irish Potato Famine. And We've devoted two episodes 52 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 1: to this in the past, and I'm going to recommend 53 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 1: if you're interested in this, please go listen to those, 54 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:25,079 Speaker 1: because we are seriously seriously glossing over it here. Potatoes 55 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:28,399 Speaker 1: were Ireland's staple crop, and so as crops failed, more 56 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:32,360 Speaker 1: than a million people died of disease and hunger. About 57 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 1: two million people left Ireland in an effort to escape 58 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 1: the famine, and by eighteen fifty one, between twenty and 59 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:44,240 Speaker 1: twenty of the population of Ireland had either left or died. 60 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,720 Speaker 1: Which brings us to the Irish Republican Brotherhood or the Fenians. 61 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 1: This was a secret society in Ireland and it was 62 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 1: devoted to achieving Irish independence from British rule by force. 63 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:59,480 Speaker 1: The Fenians were sure independence would come only through an 64 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:03,920 Speaker 1: armed million. One of the leaders of this movement in 65 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:08,360 Speaker 1: Ireland was John Devoy, who was actively recruiting Irish soldiers 66 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:11,280 Speaker 1: who were serving in the British Army stationed in Ireland. 67 00:04:11,720 --> 00:04:16,440 Speaker 1: It's estimated that he recruited eighty thousand troops to this cause, 68 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:20,240 Speaker 1: but an informer tipped off the British government to what 69 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:24,320 Speaker 1: was going on. Devois was arrested, convicted of treason and 70 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:28,480 Speaker 1: sentenced to fifteen years of hard labor. The British government 71 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:31,279 Speaker 1: arrested as many Fenians as they could find in eighteen 72 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:35,440 Speaker 1: sixty five and eighteen sixty six, charging them with conspiracy 73 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:40,560 Speaker 1: and treason. These arrests really strained and already overcrowded British 74 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:44,640 Speaker 1: prison system. As we discussed in the Lady Giuliana episode, 75 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:47,919 Speaker 1: the British prisons had become severely overcrowded due to a 76 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:51,000 Speaker 1: number of social and legal factors, and then after the 77 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:55,760 Speaker 1: American colonies declared their independence, Britain could no longer offload 78 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,480 Speaker 1: its prisoners to the Americas as it had been doing, 79 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:03,440 Speaker 1: so Britain had started using Australia for a penal colony instead. 80 00:05:04,279 --> 00:05:06,920 Speaker 1: By this point, though, there was only one place left 81 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 1: in Australia where Britain was sending new prisoners, and this 82 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:14,440 Speaker 1: was Swan River Colony on Australia's western coast, which housed 83 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:19,200 Speaker 1: Fremantle Prison. Fremantle was supposed to be impenetrable, but it 84 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:22,000 Speaker 1: wasn't really the building itself that earned it that reputation. 85 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:25,680 Speaker 1: Although the conditions at the prison were very severe and poor, 86 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:29,040 Speaker 1: it was the surrounding area that made it seem impossible 87 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:32,640 Speaker 1: to escape. It was located on an in an expanse 88 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:36,200 Speaker 1: of desolate, dry landscape, and anyone who tried to escape 89 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:39,000 Speaker 1: would either have to go deeper into the outback or 90 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:41,919 Speaker 1: to the coast, where the waters were widely reported to 91 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:46,479 Speaker 1: be invested with sharks. As the arrests of Fenians continued, 92 00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:51,000 Speaker 1: Britain started sending them to Fremantle prison and in October 93 00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:54,320 Speaker 1: of eighteen sixty seven, the Huguemont, which was the last 94 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:58,040 Speaker 1: ship to carry prisoners from Britain to Australia, left Portland 95 00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:01,640 Speaker 1: carrying two eight convicts and of those, sixty two of 96 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:05,400 Speaker 1: them were Fenians, and they arrived in Fremantle in January 97 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:10,080 Speaker 1: of eighteen sixty eight. Although some of the Fenian prisoners 98 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:14,039 Speaker 1: above aboard the Huguemot were civilians and would eventually be pardoned, 99 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 1: twelve of them had been members of the military and 100 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:20,360 Speaker 1: had been sentenced for life. Seven of those twelve had 101 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:24,000 Speaker 1: actually originally been sentenced to death, but Queen Victoria had 102 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:28,479 Speaker 1: eventually commuted their sentences to lifetime transportation, along with the 103 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:31,640 Speaker 1: branding of the letter D for Deserter on their chests. 104 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 1: And one of these prisoners actually became a key player 105 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:39,479 Speaker 1: in planning the jailbreak that we're talking about today after 106 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:43,120 Speaker 1: he had escaped himself. But we can hop into that 107 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:45,480 Speaker 1: whole story after we have a brief word from a sponsor, 108 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:49,160 Speaker 1: if that's cool with Tracy sure. Thing. 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So to 134 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:15,680 Speaker 1: get back to the events in Australia, one of the 135 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:18,240 Speaker 1: Fenians who had been sent to Fremantle Prison was a 136 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:22,640 Speaker 1: man named John Boyle O'Reilly, But after arriving at Fremantle, 137 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:26,360 Speaker 1: he was later transferred to another prison in Bunbury, which 138 00:08:26,400 --> 00:08:30,320 Speaker 1: was south of Fremantle. In eighteen sixty nine, he escaped 139 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:33,199 Speaker 1: from that second prison with the help of a Catholic priest. 140 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:36,360 Speaker 1: Then he was able to win the sympathies of Irish 141 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:39,040 Speaker 1: colonists in the area and board a whaler that was 142 00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 1: bound for America. Once he got to the United States, O'Reilly, 143 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:45,920 Speaker 1: who had been the assistant editor of the newspaper that 144 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:49,000 Speaker 1: the convicts had made for themselves on the way to Australia, 145 00:08:49,400 --> 00:08:53,520 Speaker 1: became an editor of the Boston Pilot. I love that 146 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:56,720 Speaker 1: they made a newsletter for themselves. They did, and the 147 00:08:56,760 --> 00:09:00,319 Speaker 1: whole thing was eventually released as like a bound book 148 00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:03,960 Speaker 1: for people to read. I'm on, I'm not sure if 149 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:06,520 Speaker 1: you could find it online, but probably you can. On 150 00:09:06,559 --> 00:09:08,640 Speaker 1: the one hand, I'm like, wow, that takes so much 151 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:10,960 Speaker 1: like dedication. And on the other I'm like, did they 152 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:12,760 Speaker 1: have anything else to do on the voyage? Maybe it 153 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:15,160 Speaker 1: was just a time killer, but I do not know. 154 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:18,960 Speaker 1: But not long after that, Devoi, the one who had 155 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:22,400 Speaker 1: been sentenced to hard labor for recruiting Irish soldiers, was 156 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:26,000 Speaker 1: exiled to America. He eventually went to work for the 157 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:28,760 Speaker 1: New York Herald, and he became involved in a secret 158 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:31,880 Speaker 1: society called the Claude Miguel, which was sort of an 159 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:36,240 Speaker 1: offshoot of the Fenian Brotherhood. In eighteen seventy four, one 160 00:09:36,240 --> 00:09:39,640 Speaker 1: of the Fenian prisoners named James Wilson wrote a letter 161 00:09:39,679 --> 00:09:43,360 Speaker 1: to John Devoy at the newspaper. This letter included the 162 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:47,280 Speaker 1: much quoted passage, remember this is a voice from the tomb, 163 00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 1: or is this not a living tomb? In the tomb, 164 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:53,560 Speaker 1: it is only a man's body that is good for worms. 165 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:56,360 Speaker 1: But in this living tomb, the canker worm of care 166 00:09:56,640 --> 00:10:02,080 Speaker 1: enters the very soul. Devo Away started to feel increasingly 167 00:10:02,160 --> 00:10:06,040 Speaker 1: guilty about the Fenians still in Fremantle. After all, he'd 168 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:09,000 Speaker 1: been the one recruiting them all. He hatched a plan 169 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:12,080 Speaker 1: in conjunction with O'Reilly and other members of his secret 170 00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:16,000 Speaker 1: society to rescue the rest of the military Fenians from 171 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:19,360 Speaker 1: Fremantle and they would secure a ship, go to Australia 172 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:23,480 Speaker 1: and get the men out. At first, o'riley's plan was 173 00:10:23,520 --> 00:10:26,360 Speaker 1: to lease a ship, but eventually they decided to buy 174 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:31,000 Speaker 1: one instead. He thought donations and one man mortgaged his house, 175 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:34,479 Speaker 1: and eventually they were able to buy the whaling ship Katalpa. 176 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:38,640 Speaker 1: The ship's captain was George S. Anthony, who was kind 177 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:42,360 Speaker 1: of an unlikely ally, especially considering how long and dangerous 178 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:45,040 Speaker 1: the mission was going to be. He had no connections 179 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:48,200 Speaker 1: to the Fenians or to the clon Neguyo he was. 180 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:51,240 Speaker 1: He was not Irish or Catholic. He was actually a Quaker, 181 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:54,000 Speaker 1: and he took the home in his own words, because 182 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:57,480 Speaker 1: it was the right thing to do. People focus on 183 00:10:57,520 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 1: this a lot like Irish people and Catholic people were 184 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:05,040 Speaker 1: receiving so much discrimination at the time that it was 185 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:08,319 Speaker 1: really shocking that this person, who had absolutely no ties 186 00:11:08,360 --> 00:11:12,880 Speaker 1: to them whatsoever, took this on. Anthony had to keep 187 00:11:12,880 --> 00:11:15,199 Speaker 1: the real mission secret from the rest of the crew 188 00:11:15,280 --> 00:11:18,240 Speaker 1: for two reasons. One was the risk of the British 189 00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:20,319 Speaker 1: finding out what they were up to. The more people 190 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:22,400 Speaker 1: who knew, the greater it was that somebody was going 191 00:11:22,440 --> 00:11:25,960 Speaker 1: to accidentally or deliberately spill the beans. The other was 192 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:27,920 Speaker 1: that they were going to have to operate as an 193 00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:31,719 Speaker 1: ordinary whaling vessel along the way, because the proceeds from 194 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:34,560 Speaker 1: their whaling work were supposed to offset the cost of 195 00:11:34,559 --> 00:11:39,240 Speaker 1: the rescue mission. Captain Anthony and the Catalpa departed from 196 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:43,600 Speaker 1: New Bedford, Massachusetts, in April of eighteen seventy, and they 197 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:46,720 Speaker 1: were to reach Fremantle in January. They had a bit 198 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:49,760 Speaker 1: of good luck along the way by total coincidence. Not 199 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:52,400 Speaker 1: long after the Catalpa A rounded the Cape of Good Hope, 200 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:56,000 Speaker 1: it encountered another ship called the Ocean Beauty, which was 201 00:11:56,080 --> 00:11:58,920 Speaker 1: captained by a man named Cosens, who had been the 202 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:02,720 Speaker 1: master of the Hugo Month Cousins still had the charts 203 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:06,040 Speaker 1: that he had used while carrying convicts to Fremantle, and 204 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:10,760 Speaker 1: he gave those starts to Captain Anthony. However, despite that 205 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:13,559 Speaker 1: one stroke of good fortune, most of their luck was 206 00:12:13,600 --> 00:12:17,679 Speaker 1: actually pretty bad. Some of Anthony's navigation equipment turned out 207 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:20,520 Speaker 1: to be faulty, and then the whaling part of the 208 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:23,680 Speaker 1: voyage went terribly meaning that they were not able to 209 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:26,560 Speaker 1: recoup the expenses of the mission with the proceeds from 210 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:29,199 Speaker 1: whaling that they had planned for, and the weather was 211 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:32,160 Speaker 1: often against them, and at one supply stops six of 212 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:35,560 Speaker 1: the crew actually deserted. They wound up missing the mark 213 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:40,160 Speaker 1: for their arrival in Australia by almost four months. As 214 00:12:40,280 --> 00:12:42,640 Speaker 1: all of this was going on, there was a whole 215 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:46,439 Speaker 1: other part of the plan happening in Australia while Captain 216 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:48,480 Speaker 1: Anthony and his crew were on the way, And we're 217 00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:50,280 Speaker 1: going to talk about that part of it after a 218 00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:53,320 Speaker 1: very forward from a sponsor. As Captain Anthony and his 219 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:56,079 Speaker 1: crew were on their way to Australia to Feenian agents 220 00:12:56,080 --> 00:12:59,640 Speaker 1: were orchestrating a whole other arm of this scheme. Thomas 221 00:12:59,679 --> 00:13:02,720 Speaker 1: des And and John Breslin set sailed for Australia at 222 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:05,280 Speaker 1: about the same time as Captain Anthony and the Katapa 223 00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:09,160 Speaker 1: left Massachusetts. The two men sailed from California, though, and 224 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:12,240 Speaker 1: they were supposed to arrive in Australia well ahead of 225 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:16,600 Speaker 1: the Catalpa. And Breslin actually gets most of the glory here. 226 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:20,240 Speaker 1: He basically orchestrated a long con in which he posed 227 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:23,439 Speaker 1: as a wealthy American investor so he could gain access 228 00:13:23,480 --> 00:13:26,480 Speaker 1: to the prison and make contact with the Fenian prisoners. 229 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:32,319 Speaker 1: Working under the pseudonym James Collins, Breslin scouted out the prison. 230 00:13:32,679 --> 00:13:35,880 Speaker 1: He met with officials under the guise of hiring prisoners 231 00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:38,800 Speaker 1: as cheap labor. He also made friends with an ex 232 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:41,320 Speaker 1: con who had access to the prison and could ferry 233 00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:44,040 Speaker 1: messages back and forth. He got a sense of how 234 00:13:44,080 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 1: things were run, in which tasks the prisoners were assigned to, 235 00:13:47,240 --> 00:13:50,280 Speaker 1: because some of them gave them a legitimate reason to 236 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:53,600 Speaker 1: be outside of the prison walls. What he found was 237 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:56,840 Speaker 1: that the security in the prison itself was not actually 238 00:13:56,880 --> 00:14:01,600 Speaker 1: all that tight. The prison rely on this completely inhospitable 239 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:05,240 Speaker 1: landscape surrounding it to do most of the security work 240 00:14:05,320 --> 00:14:10,040 Speaker 1: for them. Anthony's multi month delay caused a number of 241 00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:13,680 Speaker 1: problems on Breslin's side of things. The longer he ran 242 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:16,360 Speaker 1: this con the more likely he was to be discovered, 243 00:14:16,840 --> 00:14:19,120 Speaker 1: and the prison kept changing the work assignments of the 244 00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:21,960 Speaker 1: prisoners to be rescued, which was up ending his plans 245 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:26,160 Speaker 1: for getting them out. Athenians in Australia started concocting their 246 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:29,520 Speaker 1: own escape plan, but Breslin found out about it and 247 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:31,480 Speaker 1: he was able to convince them to just join his 248 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:35,000 Speaker 1: effort instead, and throughout there was this worry that the 249 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:37,400 Speaker 1: Katappa had been sunk along the way and was just 250 00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:41,720 Speaker 1: not coming at all. The most alarming development in this 251 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:45,720 Speaker 1: whole multi month con was the sudden arrival of two 252 00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:50,320 Speaker 1: irishmen who started asking strange questions about the prisoners. Everyone 253 00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:53,080 Speaker 1: who was involved in the Australia side of this plot 254 00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:56,200 Speaker 1: was terrified that they were British spies, that somehow word 255 00:14:56,240 --> 00:14:57,960 Speaker 1: had gotten out about what they were doing, and that 256 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:00,440 Speaker 1: the British had seen had sent someone to to figure 257 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:03,400 Speaker 1: out what's happening. It turned out, though, that they had 258 00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:06,640 Speaker 1: also gotten letters from Fenie and prisoners asking for help, 259 00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:09,600 Speaker 1: and they were there to provide that help. These two 260 00:15:09,600 --> 00:15:12,520 Speaker 1: men wound up being tasked with cutting the telegraph wires 261 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:17,200 Speaker 1: leading out of Fremantle on the morning of the jailbreak. Finally, 262 00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:21,880 Speaker 1: in April, Anthony and the Catalpa made it to Australia 263 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:24,240 Speaker 1: and he and Breslin set the date for the jailbreak 264 00:15:24,360 --> 00:15:28,440 Speaker 1: as Easter Monday, April seventeen. It was traditional for many 265 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:30,720 Speaker 1: of the prison officials to go to Purse that day 266 00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:33,560 Speaker 1: for a regatta so everyone hoped that security would be 267 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:36,920 Speaker 1: even more lax than normal, and they sent a message 268 00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:39,000 Speaker 1: to the prisoners that this would be their one and 269 00:15:39,080 --> 00:15:44,200 Speaker 1: only shot. On the morning of Easter Monday, Thomas Dara, 270 00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:49,800 Speaker 1: Thomas Hassett, Robert Crampston, Martin Hogan, Michael Harrington, and James 271 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:52,560 Speaker 1: Wilson slipped away from the prison. Two of them had 272 00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:54,840 Speaker 1: actually been assigned work to do that day that was 273 00:15:54,880 --> 00:15:57,680 Speaker 1: outside of the prison walls, and the other four had, 274 00:15:57,720 --> 00:16:01,000 Speaker 1: one way or another bluffed their way, passed the guards, 275 00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:04,840 Speaker 1: who apparently never considered that they might have been escaping 276 00:16:04,960 --> 00:16:09,680 Speaker 1: because that thought was just so farignto them. The men 277 00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:13,120 Speaker 1: who became known as the Fremantle Six actually left a 278 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:16,840 Speaker 1: seventh man named Jeffrey Roach behind because he had earlier 279 00:16:16,920 --> 00:16:19,920 Speaker 1: tried to get a reduced sentence for himself in exchange 280 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:24,000 Speaker 1: for cooperating with the British, which the remainder of his 281 00:16:24,440 --> 00:16:28,720 Speaker 1: Athenian cohorts did not approve of, and so the six 282 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:31,680 Speaker 1: men headed for the road, where Breslyn and Desmond met 283 00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:35,360 Speaker 1: them in carriages and raced off for rocking him twenty 284 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:38,560 Speaker 1: miles away, where Anthony was waiting with Catalpa's whale boat. 285 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:43,000 Speaker 1: Basically it was a little rowboat. Unfortunately, while he was 286 00:16:43,040 --> 00:16:46,360 Speaker 1: waiting around with this rowboat, Anthony had drawn the attention 287 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:49,640 Speaker 1: of a local who became suspicious that something weird was 288 00:16:49,680 --> 00:16:53,280 Speaker 1: going on, and when six prisoners and two other men 289 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:55,840 Speaker 1: appeared on the shore, this local man went to get help. 290 00:16:56,520 --> 00:16:59,360 Speaker 1: At this point the prison authorities knew that the jailbreak 291 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:02,120 Speaker 1: had happened. Then a search was in progress, even though 292 00:17:02,200 --> 00:17:05,200 Speaker 1: the downed tele telegraph wires meant they hadn't been able 293 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:09,040 Speaker 1: to raise the alarm elsewhere. Once all nine of the 294 00:17:09,119 --> 00:17:11,359 Speaker 1: men were in the whale boat and they were rowing 295 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:15,120 Speaker 1: to meet the Katapa, Breslin read this note, then sealed 296 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:18,080 Speaker 1: it in a waterproof package and threw it towards shore 297 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:24,440 Speaker 1: to His Excellency, the British Governor of Western Australia. This 298 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:27,320 Speaker 1: is to certify that I have this day released from 299 00:17:27,359 --> 00:17:30,720 Speaker 1: the clemency of Her most Gracious Majesty Victoria, Queen of 300 00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:35,800 Speaker 1: Great Britain, etcetera, etcetera. Six irishmen condemned to imprisonment for 301 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:40,399 Speaker 1: life by the enlightened and Magnanimous Government of Great Britain, 302 00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:44,000 Speaker 1: for having been guilty of the atrocious and unpardonable crimes 303 00:17:44,520 --> 00:17:47,919 Speaker 1: known to the unenlightened portion of my portion of mankind, 304 00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:52,359 Speaker 1: as love of country and hatred of tyranny. For the 305 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:55,879 Speaker 1: act of Irish assurance, my birth and my blood being 306 00:17:55,960 --> 00:17:59,359 Speaker 1: my full sufficient warrant, allow me to add that I 307 00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:02,760 Speaker 1: take my now. I've only to say a few cells, 308 00:18:02,800 --> 00:18:05,560 Speaker 1: I've emptied a cell in its way. I have the 309 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:08,440 Speaker 1: honor and pleasure to bid you good day from all 310 00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:12,199 Speaker 1: future acquaintance. Excuse me, I pray in the service of 311 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:15,919 Speaker 1: my country. John J. Breslin, And we do not know 312 00:18:16,200 --> 00:18:18,879 Speaker 1: if this letter made it to the governor. The text 313 00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:22,160 Speaker 1: that we actually have for reference is from an account 314 00:18:22,200 --> 00:18:27,480 Speaker 1: that Breslin wrote about the escape. So but after that 315 00:18:28,119 --> 00:18:31,280 Speaker 1: the whole thing once again almost fell apart. The men 316 00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:33,520 Speaker 1: in the whale boat could see a steamer which was 317 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:36,840 Speaker 1: the Georgette, apparently searching for them in the water, and 318 00:18:36,880 --> 00:18:39,760 Speaker 1: as they rode towards the Catalpa, a storm blew in 319 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:43,720 Speaker 1: This overcrowded whale boat was in danger of sinking, and 320 00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:47,080 Speaker 1: they had to bail row and try not to capsize. 321 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:50,680 Speaker 1: All through the night, as the men in the whale 322 00:18:50,720 --> 00:18:55,080 Speaker 1: boat were trying to keep themselves alive, the Georgette found 323 00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:57,880 Speaker 1: the Catalpa, but the first mate left in charge while 324 00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:01,120 Speaker 1: Anthony was away would not allow them to board. They 325 00:19:01,119 --> 00:19:03,560 Speaker 1: eventually ran low on fuel and they had to return 326 00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:08,400 Speaker 1: to shore not long after sunrise on Tuesday the eighteen 327 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:10,359 Speaker 1: so at this point they've been out of the jail 328 00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:13,200 Speaker 1: for about twenty four hours. The men in the whale 329 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:16,480 Speaker 1: boat spotted the Catalpa, but as they made their way 330 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:19,800 Speaker 1: towards the ship, the Georgette spotted them too, so they 331 00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:23,240 Speaker 1: in their little rowboat had to race a steamer to 332 00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:26,119 Speaker 1: the Catalpa, trying to get to the Catalpa before the 333 00:19:26,119 --> 00:19:31,160 Speaker 1: Georgette could get to them, and they made it, but 334 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:34,080 Speaker 1: luck was still kind of playing against them. The wind 335 00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:36,720 Speaker 1: stopped and once the men were aboard they couldn't go 336 00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:40,960 Speaker 1: any further. They were becalmed and the Georgette returned, and 337 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:43,560 Speaker 1: it had in the meantime acquired a cannon and it 338 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:49,480 Speaker 1: fired a warning shot. The escaped prisoners armed themselves, mostly 339 00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:53,199 Speaker 1: with harpoons, and Captain Anthony, who ran up an American flag, 340 00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:57,040 Speaker 1: called to the Georgette, that's the American flag. I am 341 00:19:57,080 --> 00:20:00,320 Speaker 1: on the high seas. My flag protects me. If you 342 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:03,600 Speaker 1: fire on this ship, you fire on the American flag. 343 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:07,360 Speaker 1: The colonial police aboard the Georgette had been ordered not 344 00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:10,720 Speaker 1: to cause an international incident, and so they waited for 345 00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:13,920 Speaker 1: a while, essentially at a stalemate, with the Georgette trying 346 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:18,000 Speaker 1: to nudge the becalmed Catalpa back into Australian waters. It 347 00:20:18,080 --> 00:20:21,320 Speaker 1: did not work, and finally the wind picked up, blowing 348 00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:24,720 Speaker 1: the Catalpa out to sea. The Georgette followed for a 349 00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:28,840 Speaker 1: while before finally heading back to Fremantle. There are all 350 00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:31,479 Speaker 1: these accounts of when the wind picked up. It's like 351 00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:38,439 Speaker 1: swung the rigging of the Catalpa around, narrowly missing the Georgette. Uh. 352 00:20:38,880 --> 00:20:40,800 Speaker 1: I'm not sure if this is a movie, but like 353 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:45,040 Speaker 1: the Sinking of the Spot, it should be. Captain Anthony 354 00:20:45,080 --> 00:20:48,120 Speaker 1: and the escaped men arrived in New York on August nineteen, 355 00:20:48,359 --> 00:20:51,720 Speaker 1: four months after escaping from the prison. They were met 356 00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:56,160 Speaker 1: with just a raucous celebration among New York's Irish community. 357 00:20:56,840 --> 00:21:00,640 Speaker 1: The reception of this news in Britain was a lot 358 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:04,479 Speaker 1: less positive, though. Britain was livid and accused the United 359 00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:09,760 Speaker 1: States of harboring terrorists, and this story fueled Irish nationalists 360 00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:12,959 Speaker 1: and the movement for Irish independence and that is a 361 00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:16,800 Speaker 1: whole additional series of other stories culminating in the creation 362 00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:20,359 Speaker 1: of the Irish Free State and later the Republic of Ireland. 363 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:24,640 Speaker 1: We have some detail about what happened to the rescuers 364 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:27,720 Speaker 1: after this was over. O'Riley was a poet and a writer, 365 00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:30,840 Speaker 1: and he died in ninety at the age of forty six. 366 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:35,080 Speaker 1: Desmond and Breslin became part of the Irish Republican Brotherhood 367 00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:39,119 Speaker 1: in America, and Desmond eventually also became Sheriff of San Francisco. 368 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:43,400 Speaker 1: John Devoi continued to be active in the Colon Niguel 369 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:47,119 Speaker 1: and active in the struggle for Irish independence from America. 370 00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:50,399 Speaker 1: He did eventually get to return to Ireland. Towards the 371 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:53,960 Speaker 1: end of his life. The Catalpa returned to service as 372 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:56,800 Speaker 1: a whaling ship, and it was eventually used to carry Cole. 373 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:00,760 Speaker 1: The rescue mission was Captain Anthony's last sea voyage, and 374 00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:06,280 Speaker 1: he unfortunately died of pneumonia. Much less is known about 375 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:09,440 Speaker 1: the later fates of the Fremantle Six, except that by 376 00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:12,639 Speaker 1: all accounts they were broken men after their time in 377 00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:16,800 Speaker 1: Fremantle Prison. The few Fenians left in Fremantle after the 378 00:22:16,880 --> 00:22:20,960 Speaker 1: jailbreak later wound up being pardoned. This was the only 379 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:25,960 Speaker 1: successful prison break from Fremantle. Remember John Boyle O'Reilly's escape 380 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:29,199 Speaker 1: was from a different prison and it became a highly 381 00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:33,840 Speaker 1: celebrated event. One ballad became so popular and so controversial 382 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:36,920 Speaker 1: that it was officially banned in Western Australia and as 383 00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:43,480 Speaker 1: it still was. The ballad starts out a noble whale 384 00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:46,359 Speaker 1: shipping commander called the Catalpa they say, came out to 385 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:50,440 Speaker 1: Western Australia and took six poor Fenians away. So come all, 386 00:22:50,480 --> 00:22:54,440 Speaker 1: you screw orders and jailers remember Perth Regatta Day. Take 387 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:57,080 Speaker 1: care of the rest of your Fenians or Yankees will 388 00:22:57,119 --> 00:23:03,440 Speaker 1: steal them away. And Fremantle Prison closed on November eighth 389 00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:11,679 Speaker 1: of I'm glad Joseph asked for this story me too. Um, Like, 390 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:13,880 Speaker 1: there are lots of sources about this. There's a whole 391 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:16,679 Speaker 1: book about it that there is a Secrets of the 392 00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:20,200 Speaker 1: Dead episode on PBS called The Irish Escape that's all 393 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:22,280 Speaker 1: about it. So there are lots of resources about it. 394 00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:25,040 Speaker 1: But still I had not really heard about it before. 395 00:23:25,680 --> 00:23:28,639 Speaker 1: And apparently, even though it sparked a whole surge of 396 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:32,840 Speaker 1: Irish nationalism at the time, by the time the Republic 397 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:37,760 Speaker 1: of Ireland actually gained its independence from Britain. This part 398 00:23:37,800 --> 00:23:41,840 Speaker 1: of the story had been kind of maybe not forgotten, 399 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:44,000 Speaker 1: but it wasn't so much in the limelight anymore. It 400 00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:46,280 Speaker 1: was one of those stories that was rediscovered again a 401 00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:49,879 Speaker 1: little more recently. Do you also have a thought of 402 00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:53,320 Speaker 1: listener mail for us? I do. This is from Ron. 403 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:57,000 Speaker 1: It's from our update to the Franklin Expedition podcast that 404 00:23:57,040 --> 00:24:01,239 Speaker 1: we did during Unearthed season uh this year slash end, 405 00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:04,480 Speaker 1: and it's one of those letters that I'm really excited 406 00:24:04,520 --> 00:24:06,520 Speaker 1: to get because it includes all kinds of stuff that 407 00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:09,440 Speaker 1: I would have loved to have gotten into during the episode, 408 00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:12,840 Speaker 1: but we did not have enough times who included all, 409 00:24:13,400 --> 00:24:16,520 Speaker 1: So Ron says Hi, Holly and Tracy. I listened to 410 00:24:16,560 --> 00:24:19,240 Speaker 1: your podcast with some interest as I live in Nunavut, 411 00:24:19,400 --> 00:24:22,600 Speaker 1: the Canadian territory where the events of the Franklin Expedition 412 00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:24,920 Speaker 1: took place. I wanted to add a few notes to 413 00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:27,199 Speaker 1: your account, which helped to illustrate some of the lessons 414 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:31,000 Speaker 1: of the expedition. One one of the most important lessons 415 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:33,520 Speaker 1: of the story is that the explorers did not adopt 416 00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:37,240 Speaker 1: the techniques and equipment of the local Inuit people. As 417 00:24:37,240 --> 00:24:39,479 Speaker 1: a result, when their food ran out, they were unable 418 00:24:39,480 --> 00:24:43,600 Speaker 1: to cope with the local environment. In contrast, John Ray, 419 00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:45,960 Speaker 1: one of the men whose travels helped to reveal the 420 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:49,680 Speaker 1: fate of the Franklin Expedition, adopted the clothing and survival 421 00:24:49,720 --> 00:24:52,719 Speaker 1: techniques of the local Inuit by speaking with the local 422 00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:55,480 Speaker 1: people and traveling with them and learning their culture, and 423 00:24:55,520 --> 00:24:58,439 Speaker 1: he was able to piece together the story of Franklin's ships. 424 00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:01,720 Speaker 1: One of the story is promoted by Lady Franklin and 425 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:05,000 Speaker 1: sadly people like Charles Dickens, was that the expedition's crew 426 00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:07,439 Speaker 1: had been attacked and murdered by the local Innuit people. 427 00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:10,760 Speaker 1: The belief at the time was that the indigenous people 428 00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:12,679 Speaker 1: were not to be trusted, and this was part of 429 00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:16,320 Speaker 1: why they quote needed to be civilized by white Europeans. 430 00:25:16,320 --> 00:25:18,840 Speaker 1: This theme of superiority and racism is a very sad 431 00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:21,960 Speaker 1: part of the expeditions story and should still resonate with 432 00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:26,359 Speaker 1: us today. Two. John Ray's contribution to our knowledge of 433 00:25:26,359 --> 00:25:29,520 Speaker 1: the fate of the expedition should not be underestimated. As 434 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:32,719 Speaker 1: mentioned above, Ray was a strong advocate for the Innuit 435 00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:37,199 Speaker 1: people and tried to convey the British Admiralty and the 436 00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:39,560 Speaker 1: public that the expedition had been lost due to its 437 00:25:39,560 --> 00:25:43,119 Speaker 1: own incompetence and arrogance, and not the the treachery of 438 00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:46,160 Speaker 1: the Innuit people. A very good account of this can 439 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:50,119 Speaker 1: be seen in the Canadian film Passages three. One of 440 00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:52,840 Speaker 1: the items being sought after by the archaeologists are the 441 00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:55,439 Speaker 1: logs for the expedition. While you might not expect them 442 00:25:55,440 --> 00:25:57,320 Speaker 1: to be preserved, it was the practice of the Royal 443 00:25:57,400 --> 00:26:00,199 Speaker 1: Navy at the time to keep these documents in a 444 00:26:00,359 --> 00:26:03,399 Speaker 1: sealed brass cylinder. As the cylinder can be found in 445 00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:06,680 Speaker 1: the wreck, it will provide valuable information on events during 446 00:26:06,720 --> 00:26:10,160 Speaker 1: the voyage. For you did mention this in your podcast, 447 00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:12,800 Speaker 1: but it cannot be stressed enough that the wreck of 448 00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:15,639 Speaker 1: the Arabis was located not through technology, but through the 449 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:18,960 Speaker 1: accounts provided by the Inuit people of what happened to 450 00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:22,560 Speaker 1: the ships. The racism displayed by Europeans in the nineteenth 451 00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:26,680 Speaker 1: century persisted into the twentieth century. People reading Inuit accounts 452 00:26:26,680 --> 00:26:29,399 Speaker 1: of the rex did not believe what they were told. Again, 453 00:26:29,440 --> 00:26:31,399 Speaker 1: this is incredibly sad and it should give us all 454 00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:34,320 Speaker 1: pause to consider the way Europeans have treated local people 455 00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:37,600 Speaker 1: all over the world. And then he goes on to 456 00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:43,320 Speaker 1: give a suggestion for a future episode. And those are 457 00:26:43,320 --> 00:26:45,280 Speaker 1: all the bits of this that I wanted to read today. 458 00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:48,359 Speaker 1: So thank you so much Ron for sending this email. 459 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:51,640 Speaker 1: Uh that a lot of these are bits that came 460 00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:54,960 Speaker 1: up during the research, but the especially because that episode 461 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:57,359 Speaker 1: was essentially an update to something that had happened before, 462 00:26:57,560 --> 00:26:59,800 Speaker 1: we were a little limited on time, so I'm glad 463 00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:03,679 Speaker 1: we got to talk about it today. Yeah. 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