Article clipped from Salt Lake City Intermountain Catholic

i r #y i teui- —n ten onlyHC-i«ontheIs a|*«:r-vcs, nice i*m.116 w akt* tely llg-loeriLh-Hkrs tiieJOHN BOILE O'REILLY'S ESCAPERECALLED DEATH OFBY THE RECENT FATHER M’CABE.Beminiscencfs of O'Reilly’s Thrilling Escape From Australian Penal Colouey—The Priest's Assistance.MS■ toKilrblythe !lg-r»-is ni-lt;*«!. w n:heII.InheThe death W Father McCabe at Wnheck. Minn..- recalls the thrilling • sen[;lt;- of JohnBoyle,O'Reilly from the Australian penal colony, which was brought about with the aid of thte devoted priest-’ Father MvOube was the . dm plain who, in IktiO. aeslwtcd John Hoy!e O’Reilly to escape from the Aus-iration prison But for this humble priest, th** light of that brilliant Intel-“ lect might have gout out in the depths ,,j’ of th** Australian bush, amid the “poison f!c*wer of civilisation's corrup-; fin.” his fellow convicts, arid the pages of literature In* minus of same of ir? j tendt-rest. sweetest *nngn. As poet und man he charged against the iron pre-rh ' Jn dices of 1’uritan Boa ton, and in a ud short space of lime he. the Irishman. I v,» 1 the Catholic, the cooped convict, lie-in j came the Idol of Boston’s most cultured ■r- j men of letters, und the bright particular ie, star of all their assemblages, he I Father McCabe, at the time of i d- | O’Reilly's Incarceration, had charge ofheorniir.idCOe.r-18rniri»-p-=.p-r.ifmnisKa “parish” which extended .»vrr hundreds of miles of wild bu*h country, arid whose only parishioners were **onvlets and ticket -of-lea\V men. This scholarly. nrri»mpli«hclt;l man had at that time passed fifteen f «ns in ministering to the spiritual need* of convicts. He was kind to nil men. whatever their creed, and n sincere Chrle-| tlan worker. O’Reilly himself said of i Father McCabe: “He was th*- best | Influence: indeed. In my time he was th*‘ only good influence an the convicts • p. ila* whole district of Bunlmry.To the priest tv Reilly managed to confide his plans for escape. The father discouraged O’Reilly's plan and hdvised him to wait, promising him that he himself would try and devise n plan forhim. saying: •'Don’t do that. You'll hour from me before lung.*' Weeks and months passed and rrRellly never heard from him. It was weary waiting., but the cunvlrt. though tortured by the uncertainty which kept him from working his own plan, ntlll had confidence in his absent and silent friend.One day a* he was crossing a plain called the Race Course,” he heard n •voo-er*/' or hush cry. Looking in direction of the sound, h* *aw a M,al. wart man coming toward him with an PX on his shoulder. There Was a plens-M«,t smile on his face u* he approachedO Reilly and said: -My natnc Is Maguire: I am n friend of Futhcr Mac’s i 'St? about, y«*u.“| Seeing 0 Reilly he?itute $trun«*rtook a card from his wallet on which was a message to O’Reilly in the writing »f Father McCabe. This s*'t at rest nil doubts and fears. O'Reilly eagerly listened to all he had to say. for he had come to carry out the good priest’s plan of escape. He said he was idea ring* the Race Course” und would b. at work there fora month. In February—it was then December—American whalers would touch at Bunburv f*«r water, and he would arrange with one of them t*. secrete O'Reilly on hoard and ink* him out of danger. • one night in February D’RciUy found Maguire waiting for him at (he Rue-Course “Are you ready?” were the rnlthful fellow s first words. He then Said that one of the whalers, the bark Vigilant of New Bedford, was to sail in four days and that Captain Baker had agreed to take O*Reilly on boon! if hlt;-fell ir, with him outside of Australian waters, and had even promised to cruise two or rhroe days and keep a lookout for him Maguire had arranged all the details of the tscape.fvn,«.«hc wn!f!^ ^ th“ ,|,iy *rr**Slt;* O Re Illy left his hut and started %rrthough the bush to meet i,|h friends.•no plan worked evenly and the sauienight they reached the sea and hadembarked In the waiting boat. By 8un_tho boat had rot alrrost out of1 he £ ourse v. as u *tr*lgh rSH ,ny, £UU* m r“ orgraphe/ 2d arrange to Ho infor ;h'’ vWlnnt on the furtherrow; ,r‘•'ar,, hvr ap PusmmI the northern end of the bnvrhn.ugh s.mie oversight neither frc dnor drink hud been provl led ar.d soonthe occupant* of the boat beganrrniil ?fcPIV,®s °f hun«er nalt;l thirst. Finally the Inmt was put ashore ar 1 theywPl'l r h,,i!rft through thf dried swamps in search of water.Fortunately there was a man living .i miles away whom the Maculr«* thought well nf; and it was decided the other threea second mere shellar..crisesight of landhis cru-1 disappointment time, after a night alone in a on an unknown when nenough to hear voice* on the *ieck . the Vigilant. It Is n*x‘dlcs» t*. dw»di. Rowing wearily back to shor» he rami * his lonely way .-,galn to Johrwon s. where after f.rar days he was cheered by the arrival of .Maguire and hUfriend, who hiid come again to set him through. This rim-* Maguire broogh* « brief letter from Father McCain; a»h -itig O'Reilly t.K remember him. Hr hud arongtal with Captain Gifford of tha bark Gitseflt of New Bedford. wMeh was tr» sail next day. to take O'Relllv an boartL In *»nl«rr to insure the fulffi-mcnt of this ugrrcment. th*- go-^1 Father had paid the Captain £1d to carry his frlen*! as far i»« Java.tioon after da vbreak th** mxt M*m-day the men wont down lo the beach. By Dboix ih«-y raw tht- lw.* whnlfbrai t undrr full headway. Towards *-v«iJr.ir they were hailed by the ventel. aikl a voice shouted 0’Ke4Ur* name art cried out: “Come on iMinnir’ Th r pulled alongside and »'R.ill w.i = helped *n board He was warmly w. i cemed by Captain Gifford, and as iTv* lwut! pushed aft from the ship Maguire stood up and cried: “God bless you! don't forget us. and don't mention lt;*irfiames till you know it s all over * Th i s. In brief, the history of 0*Rtlilf# mcmoruldc escape so hra\*iy piaflo^l and exceutfd by Father MeCal* Th‘lt; noblr prle*t. after his part in the escape become known, was obliged to kavr Australia, and he rame u» America. where ever since, until his ihfnth Inst week, he has pursued th- ministrations of his priestly calling in the jltil* parish r.oar Waseca. Minn. mPROBATEfewthouthat me otner three men should go to _O Rellly^tnfIhi/bush* for S1** ^AND GUARDIANSHIP NOTICES.for safety, one toreturn with bustvnnncv for the fugitive a* Koon as he (mild come Unob.sccv* ) rhls was done, and the next day the party started j(Bain for th- beach when they soon espied the Vigilant' I^jFing no time, they pulled rh -erily toward the vessel which scrm-d to hesteering straight toward th*rr. . when | suddenly it changed Its course andfaie °n' ,*‘avins Lhe lisThe Intense hitternf^s «f 0*R,d|lydisappointment was now IncTeasrd t»v the sense of clanged. At any moment discovery w na liable. However. Ida good friends did r.*t lt;!eflert him. Tb**v roiM-d ashore again und It was decided .bat O Reilly should be left In fm-busb a* before, while the others went to Johnson s. I* was nf-XT^ary ta trust in* the Fngllghmnn with th? scc.-et and let 'him know th»- hidlr.T pluee c * the fugitive. for his friends wen* o^tlged to go I buck and arrange for his lt;^*ape by one ('r tlj' Olht*r whale ships, nl the m^n- , time tVKellly. sick with despair, found an old boat of Johnson’s and put to i—i 1ive Ssg'ners for Further Information.IN THKDIirrairTCOVRT PROBATE dtvWflfl. in ind for sjolt » uin ».state lt;•t i'tun. in tip* mutt-r of i)ie estate of Duvld J, WL'lhBW. .kv* N -Uct^—‘The petition at Antds p. Wltifanr*.Brariae f*r the bdiitnre nrm.df of•r.cer? of affministr-ttton In :bi- e*iatr *f DuvM J. WlUUms, 1 c.-u^-d has ben - : for hearing on WVdnc-iUv. the Hth day of November A. D. USA -«i «'c|o*‘k taat the coiuuv rour: hlt;*U»tr. In the court room of *-»l*l court In ffait iJtkc ».ltv. Salt Lake c».*unty f'Hh.Witness the clerk «»f ^tkl court, t8lt;nl.) Kith rt'* ~*i»l tliert-af atUxnb • h *h day Of October A. II. iv$f«.DAVID C. DfNBAR. • i* rk By 6KOROE E. BLAIR. Deputy lt;3crk.NOTk'K TO r -RKttTOM.—CSTAT15 of Dwvid J. WiUtAitt*. dccrawd. Cr»*dlWf» will nrr*cr.: chilnu* with rouchfrs to t i-tiDdersivrttl at 12* North Cth Wre *trr»t Salt Luke City. I'toh. *:n «»r before the Uu i'.iy of March A. V. V.m\ANNIE R. Wn.I.TAMF Aii-nlnlscrairix of the Estate ut nxvJd J Hrsaurr* th*lt; rn?rd.
Newspaper Details

Salt Lake City Intermountain Catholic

Salt Lake City, Utah, US

Sat, Nov 18, 1899

Page 6

Full Page
Clipped by
Profile Icon
Sharon B.

AU 09 Aug 2022

Other Publications Near Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake Tribune

Salt Lake Daily Tribune

Salt Lake Daily Tribune and Utah Mining Gazette

Deseret News Salt Lake Telegram

Salt Lake Tribune Salt Lake Telegram