Alexander Pearce: The Not So Great Escape

Alexander Pearce was a petty thief from Ireland that had used all of his chances with the legal system. For his continued crimes, he was sent thousands of miles away to work at a penal colony in what is now Tasmania. In 1822, he and 7 other inmates escaped and set off for the wilderness, but the land was extremely treacherous, barren of anything but vegetation for hundreds of miles. This getaway was poorly planned as after 15 days, the men had run through their food rations and they were starving, and with no other options, they resorted to cannibalism to survive. When Alexander was the only one left out of the 8 escapees, authorities didn’t believe his story about the others being eaten, feeling like he was still protecting his partners in crime. Alexander came to the colony on a forgery charge, but he left it hanging from the gallows, as his daring escape would go down in the stuff of legends.