In the Young Irish disorders, in Ireland in 1848, the following nine  men
were captured, tried and convicted of treason against Her Majesty, the  Queen,
and were sentenced to death.

John Mitchell, Morris Lyene, Pat  Donahue, Thomas McGee, Charles Duffy,
Thomas Meagher, Richard O'Gorman,  Terrence McManus and Michael Ireland.

Before passing sentence, the judge  asked if there was anything that anyone
wished to say. Meagher, speaking  for all, said:

"My lord, this is our first offense, but not our  last. If you will be easy
with us this once, we promise, on our word as  gentlemen, to try to do
better next time. And next time -- sure we won't  be fools to get caught."

Thereupon the indignant judge sentenced  them all to be hanged by the neck
until dead and drawn and  quartered.
Passionate protests from all the world forced Queen Victoria to  commute the
sentence to transportation for life to far away wild Australia.

In 1874, word reached the astounded Queen Victoria that Sir Charles Duffy,
who had been elected Prime Minister of Australia, was the same Charles
Duffy who had been transported 25 years before. On the Queen's demand, the
records of the rest of the transported men were revealed and this is what
was uncovered:

Thomas Francis Meagher, Governor of Montana.
Terrence  McManus, Brigadier General, United States Army.
Patrick Donahue, Brigadier  General, United States Army.
Richard O'Gorman, Governor General of  Newfoundland.
Morris Lyene, Attorney General of Australia,
in which office  Michael Ireland succeeded him.
Thomas D'Arcy McGee, Member of  Parliament, Montreal. Minister of
Agriculture and President Council,  Dominion of Canada.
John Mitchell, prominent New York politician. This man  was the father of John
Purroy Mitchell, Mayor of New York City at the  outbreak of World War I.