VAN STACK, HARRY
Special Collections
(Description ID: 594115)
Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums
Harry Van Stack
SP-10
Introduction
Biographical Sketch
Scope and Content
Inventory
Introduction
The Harry Van Stack Collection was donated to the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center in 1963 by Louise Beaulieu Van Stack, widow of Harry Van Stack. Additional information on Van Stack may be found in the Vertical File of the Charles E. Frohman Collection. The Center’s Local History File, in the Library’s Reading Room, contains articles about the convict ship, Success. The Center also holds a copy of the three-part documentary produced in 1998 by photojournalist Phil Dreschler of Channel 11, WTOL-TV of Toledo. Artifacts for this collection were transferred to the Museum whiles books and pamphlets may be found in the Library’s general collection.
Biographical Sketch
The son of missionary parents, Harry Van Stack was born in Transvaal, Africa. He was educated by private tutors at an isolated mission station. Van Stack worked as an author, columnist, courthouse reporter, and lecturer. Many of his travelogue presentations were based on his early African experiences.. While speaking in Lewiston, Maine, Van Stack met his wife, Louise Beaulieu, a school teacher. He continued to lecture throughout New England and write for the Lewiston Journal. Flames of Darkness, Adventures in South Africa, African Reminiscences, Echoes of Sessalong, and Life Aboard a Prison Ship were a few of his published works. Life Aboard a Prison Ship was a compilation of Van Stack’s experiences aboard the convict ship Success where he lectured for twenty years (ca. 1925 to 1943). The Van Stacks eventually settled in Sandusky, Ohio where he continued to lecture and work as a reporter for the Sandusky Register-Star News from 1945-1963. Mrs.Van Stack taught at the Monroe Elementary School. Harry Van Stack died in Sandusky, Ohio October 20, 1963.
Success
The bulk of the Van Stack Collection is devoted to documents, artifacts, and memorabilia related to the ship Success. An East Indiaman built of teak in 1840 in Burma for Cockerell and Co. of Calcutta, the Success carried trade from Southeast Asia to England. Within a few short years, she was transporting settlers to Australia’s Swan River area. But in 1852, the Success’ crew, overtaken by gold fever, abandoned her at Melbourne. The Victorian government soon purchased the vessel along with four others to confine its burgeoning “criminal” population. Moored off Williamstown, the Success first housed prisoners and then women and boys held in government detention.. When the Australian government deemed its “felon fleet” inhumane, the ships were ordered broken up. The Suiccess escaped this fate. She was acquired by Alexander Phillips who converted her into a floating museum, featuring all of the horrors of Australian prison life. Despite his efforts, his venture was less than successful.
Purchased by a syndicate, the Success sailed to England in 1895. She toured ports throughout the British Isles. Curious visitors flocked to the ship to see her cells, torture chambers, and wax figures. Captain D. H. Smith, an American purchased the ship in 1910. He overhauled the vessel in preparation for a world tour. The Success left England on her world cruise April 10th, 1912, the same day the Titanic departed on her maiden voyage. The ship hosted thousands of tourists at hundreds of ports of call throughout the world.
Fact and fiction blurred as her devoted crew of showmen thrilled visitors with horror stories and tours of ghoulish exhibits. Eventually, truth went by the wayside altogether. The Success became known erroneously as the “Convict Ship” that had transported English prisoners to Australia.
In 1915, the Success sailed through the Panama Canal to take part in San Francisco’s Panama-Pacific Exposition. She then toured the West Coast before returning the Panama Canal and ports along the Gulf, the Mississippi, and the East Coast. In 1923, she made her first tour of the Great Lakes.
After a decade on the Great Lakes, the ship found a permanent home at Cleveland, Ohio. Neglected, more than a century old, and no longer seaworthy, the Success was towed to Sandusky, Ohio through the efforts of Harry Van Stack. A South African native, Van Stack had hired on in 1925 as a lecturer. After a heavy storm, the Success settled alongside her moorings in Sandusky. In 1945, her final owner, Walter Kolbe, had her towed to Port Clinton, Ohio. Kolbe hoped to, once again, restore her and dock her permanently near the Erie Islands. While towing the Success to Port Clinton, Ohio, she ran aground. Fall storms, ice, and vandals took their toll. On July 4, 1946, the ship burned to the waterline at Port Clinton, Ohio.
Scope and Content
The Van Stack Collection consists of early English penal documents (1779-1874), correspondence, news clippings, images (photographs, engravings, and drawings), advertisements, brochures, pamphlets, postcards, articles, posters, signage, and programs related to the Success. The collection’s original material documents only the Success’s years (1902-1945) as a tourist attraction. Its history as a trading vessel and erroneously as a convict ship is described in the numerous articles found throughout the collection. The bulk of the material dates from 1925 to 1943, and was probably preserved by Van Stack from the years he lectured aboard the vessel. Many of the items were generated by the owners and crew for exhibit and advertising purposes as the ship toured the world. To a lesser extent, the collection offers insights into the life and interests of Van Stack. The photograph albums and scrapbooks, created by Van Stack, contain images of the ship’s crew, ports of call, and tourist attractions visited by Van Stack in the U.S. and Canada in the 1920's. It is presumed that many of the newspaper articles preserved in the scrapbooks were written by Van Stack for the Sandusky Register-Star News from 1946 to 1963.
Inventory
Ac. 4188
6 ½ linear ft.
Box 1 - Old Documents:
1. Postmarks, and seals pasted on a sheet.
2. An order committing Private John Kerr of the 50th Regiment under sentence by a garrison court
martial to His Majesty’s Gaol at Lancaster Castle. October ? Portions missing. Numerous seals
pasted on back.
3. A warrant authorizing the apprehension’ and committal of Joshua Bryer to the Castle of Lancaster
by reason of insanity. September 4, 1779.
4. A court order authorizing the transfer of Charles Caldwell from Somersetshire Prison to the gaol in
Lancaster County. February 12, [1780].
5. A court order sentencing James Astley to His Majesty’s Gaol the Castle of Lancaster, and requiring
that he be whipped upon the Public Rogues’ Post in Manchester by reason of the commission of a
felony. January 22, [1789].
6. A court order sentencing John Astley to prison, and requiring him to occupy the pillory for one hour
by reason of the commission of perjury. August 30, [1794].
7. A court order authorizing the transfer of Henry Burton (otherwise called Henry Barnitt) from Middlesex
prison to the gaol in Lancaster County. June 12, [1799].
8. A warrant authorizing the committing of James Chadwick to the Castle of Lancaster by reason of
seditious utterances, and failure to produce sureties. November 3, 1800.
9. A court order sentencing John Wheeler, Henry Draine, Edmund Bradshaw, Samuel Highton, Richard
Ashley, William Darlington, James Fazaherley, Thomas Valens, and William Harley to His Majesty’s
Gaol the Castle of Lancaster by reason of participation in escapes, misdemeanors, and riots.
Wednesday next after the Octave of Sam’1 Martin [1809].
10. A report from the sheriff (William Hulton?), and the Deputy Clerk of the Crown for Lancashire (T. S.
Shuttleworth) re prisoners at the Castle of Lancaster. March 24?, [1810]. Jackson, printer,
New-Street, Lancaster. 3pp.
11. A report from the sheriff (William Hulton), and the Deputy Clerk of the Crown for Lancashire (for
Mr. Thomas Starkie Shuttleworth, R. W. Hopkins) re prisoners at the Castle of Lancaster.
September 10, [1810]. Jackson, printer, New-Street, Lancaster. 3pp.
12. A report from the sheriff (Samuel Chetham Hilton), and the Deputy Clerk of the Crown for
Lancashire (T. S. Shuttleworth) re prisoners at the Castle of Lancaster. September 4, [1811].
Printed by John Jackson, New-Street, Lancaster. 3pp.
13. A Calendar of the Crown Prisoners, Confined in His Majesty’s Gaol, the Castle of Lancaster,
the 5th Day of March. 1814. Lawrence Rawstorne Esquire, sheriff. Lancaster: Printed by John
Jackson, New Street. 11pp.
14. A court order committing John Arkwright and Elizabeth his wife to His Majesty’s Gaol the Castle
of Lancaster by reason of a misdemeanor. January 12, [1815].
15. A report from the sheriff (Le Gendre Starkie), and the Deputy Clerk of the Crown for Lancashire
(T. S. Shuttleworth) re prisoners at the Castle of Lancaster. March 25, [1815]. (Jackson, printer,
Lancaster). 3pp.
16. A report from the sheriff (William Townley), and the Deputy Clerk of the Crown for Lancashire
(T. S. Shuttleworth) re prisoners at the Castle of Lancaster. August 31, [1816].(Jackson, printer,
Lancaster). 3pp. Addressed to Thomas Stanley, Esq. Pall Mall, London.
17. A court order detaining William Standring, George Grimshaw, Thomas Leigh, Peter Lever,
Matthew Lythgoe, John Williams, George Murray, Samuel Blackshaw, and William flood in the
custody of the keeper of His Majesty’s Gaol of Lancaster by reason of misdemeanors, and
failure to produce sureties. April 3, 1817.
18. A Calendar of the Crown Prisoners, Confined in His Majesty’s Gaol, the Castle of Lancaster,
the Twenty-Seventh Day of August, 1817. Robert Townley Parker, Esquire, sheriff. Lancaster:
Printed by J. Jackson, New-Street. 14pp.
19. A report from the sheriff (Joseph Feilden), and the Deputy Clerk of the Crown for Lancashire
(T. S. Shuttleworth) re prisoners at the Castle of Lancaster. August 15, [1818].(Jackson, printer).
3pp.
20. An order from Lord Sidmouth authorizing the transfer of 7 male convicts under sentence of
transportation in the Gaol at Lancaster to the hulk at Woolwich in the river Thames (September 8,
1818), and a receipt (September 19, 1818) from the overseer of the “Justitia” for these convicts.
21. An order from Lord Sidmouth authorizing the transfer of 20 male convicts under sentence of
transportation in the Gaol at Lancaster to the hulks at Sheerness in the River Medway
(February 16, 1819), and a receipt (February 26, 1819) from J. Hears, captain of the ? for
these convicts.
22. A report from the sheriff (John Walmsley), and the Deputy Clerk of the Crown for Lancashire
(T. S. Shuttleworth) re prisoners at the Castle of Lancaster. March 20, [1819]. Jackson, printer,
Lancaster. 3pp.
23. An order from Lord Sidmouth authorizing the transfer of 13 male convicts under sentence of
transportation in the Gaol at Lancaster to the hulk in Portsmouth Harbour (September 16,1819),
and a receipt (September 23, 1819) from Charles Stedman of the “Leviathan” for twelve of
these convicts.
24. A report from the sheriff (Robert Hesketh), and the Deputy Clerk of the Crown for Lancashire
(R. W. Hopkins) re prisoners at the Castle of Lancaster. March 20, [1820]. Jackson, printer,
Lancaster. 3pp.
25. A Calendar of the Crown Prisoners, Confined in His Majestv’s Gaol, the Castle of Lancaster, the
Twenty Third Day of August, 1820. Robert Hesketh, Esquire, sheriff. Printed by J. Jackson,
New Street, Lancaster. 14pp.
26. A report from the sheriff (Thomas Richmond Gale Braddyll), and the Deputy Clerk of the
Crown for Lancashire (R. W. Hopkins) re prisoners at the Castle of Lancaster. March 24,
[1821]. [Jackson, printer, Lancaster]. 3pp.
27. An order from Lord Sidmouth authorizing the transfer of 11 male convicts under sentence of
transportation in the Gaol at Lancaster to the hulks at Woolwich (April 10, 1821), and receipts
(April 18 & 19, 1821) from the overseer of the “Justitia” for these convicts.
28. An order from Lord Sidmouth authorizing the transfer of 5 female convicts under sentence of
transportation in the Gaol at Lancaster to the General Penitentiary for Convicts at Milbank
(May 8, 1821), and a receipt (May 19, 1821) from the Penitentiary’s Governor for these
convicts.
29. An order from Lord Sidmouth authorizing the transfer of 8 female convicts from the Gaol at
Lancaster to the vessel “Mary Ann” under sentence of transportation to New South Wales
(November 17, 1821), and a receipt (November 28, [18213) from the “Mary Ann”’s Chief
Officer for these convicts.
30. A report from the Sheriff (James Shuttleworth), and the Deputy Clerk of the Crown for
Lancashire (R. W. Hopkins)re prisoners at the Castle of Lancaster. March 23, [1822].
Jackson, printer, Lancaster. 3pp.
31. A Calendar of the Crown Prisoners, Confined in His Majesty’s Gaol, the Castle of Lancaster,
the Twenty-First Day of August, 1822. James Shuttleworth, Esquire, sheriff. Lancaster:
Printed by John Jackson, New-Street. 23pp.
32. An order from the High Sheriff of the County of Lancaster authorizing the transfer of 22 male
convicts from the Gaol at Lancaster to the vessel “Leviathan” (August 14, 1824), and receipts
(August 25 & 28, September 11 & 17, 1824) from the “leviathan”’ s first mate, and captain for
these convicts.
33. A court order for the imprisonment of Thomas Leaver in the Castle of Lancaster by reason of
rioting, etc. August 8, 1826.
34. A court order for the imprisonment of William Winder in the Castle of Lancaster by reason of
rioting, etc. August 8, [1826].
35. An order from the High Sheriff of the County of Lancaster authorizing the transfer of 19 male
convicts from the Gaol at Lancaster to the vessel “Retribution” (May 11, 1827), and receipts
(May 24-26, 1827) from the “Retribution”' s overseer for these convicts.
36. An order from the High Sheriff of the County of Lancaster authorizing the transfer of ten male
convicts from the Gaol at Lancaster to the vessel “Retribution” (May 24, 1827), and receipts
(June 1 & 8, 1827) from the “Retribution”' s overseer for these convicts.
37. A court order sentencing John Dearden, Joseph Hurst’ Joseph Woolley, Benjamin Broadbent,
Isaac Leach, John Ratcliffe, James Halkyard, Addington Booth, Frederick Howarth, James
Newton, John Hanson, Aaron Jones, George Challender, Henry Challender, Samuel Knott,
John Pollard, and Thomas Booth to His Majesty’s Gaol the Castle of Lancaster by reason
of participation in assaults, misdemeanors, and riots. Friday on the Morrow of the Ascension
of Our Lord [1827].
38. A court order sentencing Thomas Dyson, Joseph Woolley, Robert Garland, Benjamin Clegg,
and Isaac Wilde to His Majesty’s Gaol the Castle of Lancaster by reason of participation in
assaults, misdemeanors, and riots. Friday on the Morrow of the Ascension of Our Lord [1827].
39. A court order sentencing Isaac Wilde, Robert Garland, Benjamin Clegg, Joseph Marsland, Enoch
Dunkerley, John Crosly, Edward Hill, and Thomas Patten to His Majesty’s Gaol the Castle of
Lancaster by reason of participation in assaults, misdemeanors, and riots. Friday on the Morrow
of the Ascension of Our Lord [1827].
40. A report from the sheriff (Henry Bold Hoghton), and the Deputy Clerk of the Crown for Lancashire
(R. W. Hopkins) re prisoners at the Castle of Lancaster. August 29, [1829] .Jackson, printer,
New-Street, Lancaster. 6pp.
41. A warrant authorizing the apprehension of Barney Lenon (December 16, 1829), and a court
order committing him to His Majesty’s Gaol in Lancaster County (January 13, 1830) by reason
of assaulting and escaping from tax collectors.
42. A report from the sheriff (Peregrine Edward Towneley), and the Clerk of the Crown (R. W. Hopkins)
re prisoners at the Castle of Lancaster. March 5, [1830]. Holme & Jackson, printers, Herald Office,
Lancaster. 8pp.
43. A report from the sheriff (Peter Hesketh), and the Deputy Clerk of the Crown for Lancashire
(R. W. Hopkins) re prisoners at the Castle of Lancaster. August 21, [1830]. W. Holme, printer,
New-Street, Lancaster. 6pp.
44. A court order sentencing William Dixon to immediate transportation beyond the seas for the term
of his natural life by reason of burglary. August 9, [1834].
45. A court order sentencing Thomas Jolly to immediate transportation beyond the seas for the term
of his natural life by reason of robbery. August 9, [1834].
46. A Calendar of the Crown Prisoners Confined in Her Majesty’s Gaol, the Castle of Lancaster, the
Twentieth Day of March, 1840. Thomas Fitzherbert 8rockholes, Esquire, sheriff. Lancaster: Printed
by A. Milner, Church-Street. 23pp.
47. Marriage License, Robert Anthony Maclean and Eliza Heath-Registered at Hobart Town, Tasmania
(October 17, 1848).
48. Second Report from the Select Committee on Transportation; Together with the Minutes of Evidence
and Appendix. [Communicated from the Commons to the Lords.] Ordered to be printed 6th June
1856. 204pp. (w/enclosures)
49. An English penal account re the issuance and receipt of footwear and its components, and leather
goods. November 6-28, 1874. 6pp.
Clippings:
“Speaking Of” newspaper column (The Sandusky Register-Star News)
50. 1948, 50 pieces
51. 1949, 49 pieces
52. 1950, 51 pieces
53. 1951, 49 pieces
54. 1952, 51 pieces
55. 1953, 52 pieces
56. 1954, 53 pieces
57. 1955, 48 pieces
58. 1956, 23 pieces
From March 25 to October 5 - No columns
59. 1957, 51 pieces
60. 1958, 50 pieces
61. 1959, 52 pieces
62. 1960, 52 pieces
63. 1961, 52 pieces
64. 1962, 52 pieces
65. 1963, 41 pieces
To October 19, 1963 - Died on October 20, 1963.
Engravings:
66. “Hunting the Kangaroo”, 1852
“Illawarra, a Salt Lagoon”, 1852
“Mounted Police and Blacks”, [1852]
“Huron River, - Rocking the Cradle”, 1852
“Earl Ferrers, Shooting Mr Johnson His Steward”
“James Hall, (Executed for Murder, 1741)”
“Mattw. Mahoney, & Chas. White”
“Prisoners Stopping at the Baptist’s Head in St. John’s Lane, on the Day of Removal
From the ? w - Prison to Newgate ?”
“The South East Prospect of the Chapel Royal of St. Peter in the Tower”
6 unidentified items.
Pen and Ink Drawing, drawn by Vernon:
67. “Alone on the Ocean”
“The Black Hole”
“The Body Iron Punishment”
“Children Accompanied Their Convict Mothers”
“The Crouch Iron”
“Kelly’s Armor”
“Men Preferred Death”
“Raised From the Bottom of the Sea”
“Savages Were Freer Than These Men”
“The Six Men of Dorset”
“They Went to Church on Sunday”
“When Murder was Justified”
Photographs:
68. Photographic negative -A billboard publicizing a visit of the convict ship “Success” to
Atlantic City. (removed)
Photographs of the convict ship “Success” (5).
Photographs of people waiting to board the “Success” (4).
Photographs of groups aboard the “Success” (8).
Miscellaneous photographs (23) - Undated.
Photograph of an engraving - “The King of Aden Hang ‘d Aboard Soliman Bassus Galley”.
Photograph of drawings: A woman wearing a muzzle-like device, and the device itself.
Photograph of a drawing - “A Woman With Her Sucking Infant Tied Together in a Bag”.
“Board of Inspectors of the Eastern Penitentiary Who Visited the Convict Ship as Guests of
Director Porter. L to R Robert A. Balfour, Chas. Carver, Dr. Chas. D. Hart, John E. Hannifen,
Cand] Warden Robert McKenty”.
Cells aboard the convict ship “Success”.
The compulsory (coffin) bath aboard the “Success”.
“Prisoner in Crouch Iron - One of the Flogging Frames is Seen at Rear Against the Rail.”|
The flogging of a prisoner.
“‘Howard House,’ Mill Street, Bedford (Formerly ‘Howard Cottage’) The Above is the
House in Which the Immortal John Howard, the ‘Prison Philanthropist’ Lived then in the
Town of Bedford, Where He Used to Preach Occasionally at a Chapel, Now Known as ‘|
Howard Chapel.’ He also had a Residence at Cardington,1½ Miles from Bedford.
This House Bears an Exceptionally Strong Historic Interest, as at the Back of it, Preach
When he Lived at Elstow, 1 mile from Bedford. Photograph Presented by a Gloucester Visitor”."
“Home of Thomas and John Standfeld, Where Union Meetings Were Held in 1834, Which Led to
the Transportation of the Six Men of Dorset”.
The iron maiden - A torture device aboard the “Success”.
“The Memorial to the Six Men of Dorset Unveiled by Sir Arthur Henderson, M.P. in 1912 in the
Village of Tolpuddle’ Dorsetshire, England”.
“Portland Black Hole” - Group photo aboard the convict ship “Success”.
Portrait of a man and woman in irons aboard the “Success”.
“An Historic Prison. Old Yarmouth Gaol. 1790 Ere Sarah Martin & Elizabeth Fry, dtd Noble
Work as Christian Missionaries.”
“The Punishment Ball” - A torture device aboard the convict ship “Success”. (2)
“Taking Exercise on the Convict Ship When the Convict Ship was Used as a Floating
Prison, the Convicts Were Permitted One Hour’s Exercise Each Day. For Various
Infractions of the Rules, Numerous Appliances Were Manacled to Them. If a Man
Attempted to Escape by Jumping Overboard and was Re-captured, He
Would be Compelled to Wear the Iron Straitjacket Depicted Above, and Also to Drag
a Heavy Punishment Ball During His Period of Exercise.”
Group photo - Louise Quinn, Thos. L. Boyce, Capt. D. H. Smith, Marion York, and John Prola.
The original safe aboard the convict ship “Success”.
“Captain D. H. Smith. Commander of the Old British Convict Ship, ‘Success’ on Exhibition at "
State Street Bridge. It is the Oldest Ship Afloat, Having Been Launched in 1790, and has
had a Remarkable Career as Queen Ship of the British Felon Fleet’ Transporting Prisoners
from England to Australia for Fifty Years, and Later as a Receiving Prison Anchored at
Hobson’s Bay. She was Raised from the Bottom of Sydney Harbor and Sailed from Australia
to England and Later from England to Boston Harbor Entirely Under Her Own Sail”.
Capt. D. H. Smith.
“The Stocks”.
69. Miscellaneous photographs (11) - Partially dated & 1912?-1925.
“Fireman William J. Wagner and Lillian Schaefer, With Captain D. H. Smith of the Convict Ship,
Now at the Battery, Who are to be Married in Condemned Cell 13 on a Friday (June 23rd) to
Defy Superstition”.
“Anti-Superstitious: The Convict Ship at the Battery Will be the Scene Today (Friday) of the
Wedding of Fireman William J. Wagner of Hook and Ladder 107 and Miss Lillian Schaefer
(above) Who Lives Across he Street from the Truck House at 78 New Jersey Avenue, Brooklyn.
They are to be Married in Condemned Cell 13 from Which Hundreds of Men Went to Their
Doom in the Old Prison Days of the Ship.To Prove They, Also, are Not Superstitious Bob
Bernstein and Betty Spector of 452 East 171 St. Street Will be Parties to the Ceremony at the
Same Time. Rev. Thomas R. Lawler of the Grace Reformed Episcopal Church of Brooklyn Will
Tie the Double Knot”.
“Convict Ship ‘Success’ Providence. R.I. 20/11/12 With Compliments D. H. Smith”.
“Miss Jeanne DuBrul, the Eighteen Year Old Brooklyn School Girl Who Remained in the Black
Hole of the Convict Ship, ‘Success’ for Twenty-Four Hours, Chained to a Ring Bolt in a
Stooped Position. The Feat had Never been Accomplished by a Voluntary ‘Prisoner’.
Miss DuBrul was Chosen for her Physical Fitness from a Thousand Applicants Desiring to be
Called ‘the Bravest Woman in New York’”.
“Yours Convicted, Jeanne DuBrul. Black Hole Girl N.Y. 1921”
“J. J. McNamara from San Quentin Prison N.Y. 1922”.
“Handcuffed Through the Ring Bolt in the Black Hole of the Convict Ship in the Uncomfortable
Position Shown Above, Anna Case, 22 Year Old Detroit Girl, Will Attempt to Break the World’s
Endurance Record by Voluntary Imprisonment for Twenty-Seven Hours Beginning at One O’clock
Monday. If she Wins, she Will Receive $100.00 Reward Offered by Captain D. H. Smith and This
She Will Devote Towards a Business College Course. Miss Case was Selected from 753
Applicants Because she was Declared One Hundred Per Cent Physically Perfect. Picture for
Release One P.M. Monday July 14”.
“Anna Case Detroit B[lack] H[ole] 1924”.
Anna Case in the Compulsory Bath Aboard the Convict Ship “Success”.
“Marguerite Townsley - Second Choice In the Event that Miss Case Fails to Remain in the Black
Hole Twenty-Seven Hours, Miss Townsley Will Attempt the Feat and Thus Break the World’s
Endurance Record. The Black Hole was Considered Worst of the Convict Ship Tortures and
Many Died in the Cell”
“Henry James Brine, Nephew of James Brine’' One of the Six Men of Dorset Fame. The Only
Man Alive Today [January 9, 1925] Who Personally Knew All of the Tolpuddle Martyrs”.
Miscellaneous:
70. Convict ship “Success”
Clippings re a visit to Saginaw of the convict ship “Success”. 2 pieces.
Clippings - 8 drawings re the convict ship “Success”.
“fifteen Men on a Dead Man’s Chest.”
“For Stealing a Yard of Linen.”
“Mutiny!”
“Put Him in Irons!”
“The Six Men of Dorset”.
“To Be Hanged at the Yard Arm”.
“To Be Transported Over the High Seas”.
“With the British Broad Arrow”.
The Convict Ship “Success”: The Last of England’s Famous Felon Fleet. The Oldest Ship Afloat.
Launched at Moulmein, British India, In 1790, Now Touring the Principal Ports of the World as an
Educational Object Lesson. Visited by Over Fifteen Million People. 20pp. (Official catalog)
A clipping from the Sarnia Canadian Observer for August 18?, ?. Contains: “Grandson,
Trade Union Martyr is Sarnia Resident”, and “Last Chance to See Infamous Convict Ship”
(Incomplete).
A page from the Boston Sunday Post pictorial section for October 22, 1922.
Official Catalog: The Convict Ship “Success”: The Last of Enqland’s Infamous Felon Fleet. The Oldest
Ship Afloat. Launched at Moulmein, British East India, in 1790. Now Touring the Principal Ports of the
World as an Educational Object Lesson. Visited by over Twenty-One Million People. “n.p.”: Convict
Ship “Success”,1924.
A clipping from the Cleveland News for [1928] re the marriage of Miss Ellen Mark and Mr. Robert D.
Strong aboard the convict ship “Success”.
A clipping from the Richmond News Leader for November 20, 1929.
Clipping - “Minor Fire Hits Convict Vessel”. 1938.
Clipping - “Convict Ship Made Ready for 150th Year on Seas”. 1939.
Clipping - “To Move Convict Ship to Drydock”. 1939.
A clipping from the Cleveland News for August 3, 1939 re Mr. & Mrs. Robert D. Strong 11 years after
their marriage aboard the convict ship “Success”.
Miscellaneous Clippings:
1. A brochure from the Fingerprint Identification Service Co. (Sandusky) re the “Footprints
for the Future” system. 2 copies. (w/postcard, and envelope).
2. Clippings re South Africa, 8 pieces (1952 & 1960)
3. Poem - “Washington” by Harry Stack. 1953.
4. Book advertisements (3) - Flames of Darkness.
5. Clippings re Sandusky, 7 pieces (1955 & 1958)
6. Notice of Harry Van Stack’s hospitalization. 3/12/56.
7. Clipping - “Sanduskians Recall Epidemic in America”. 11/11/57.
8. Clippings re U. S. currency, 2 pieces (1957 & 1958)
9. Clippings - Court house news, 2 pieces (1958)
10. Clipping - “Lincoln Thrills Three Ohio Farm Boys”. 2/12/58.
11. Clipping - “Surrender of General Lee 93 Years Ago Related in Account by Local Woman”.
April 9, 1958.
12. Program “Annual Examination of the Sandusky High School. March 14th and 15th, 1861.
Order of Exercises.” 1p.
13. A clipping from the [Toledo Blades] for January 9, 1971. A portion of the “Zip Line” column
re the convict ship “Success”. 2 copies.
Correspondence:
71. To D.H. Smith
From Eugene N. Foss, Governor dtd Boston, Massachusetts, Oct. 28, 1912. 1p TL
To D.H. Smith
From Henry Fletcher, Mayor dtd Providence, Rhode Island, Nov. 18, 1912. 1p TLS
To D.H. Smith
From R.J. Pothier (?) Governor dtd Providence, Rhode Island, Nov. 20, 1912. 1p TLS
To D.H. Smith
From Clifford B. Wilson, Mayor dtd Bridgeport, Connecticut, Aug. 25, 1913. 1p TLS
To D.H. Smith
From ?, Mayor dtd Norfolk, Virginia, Dec. 5, 1913. 1p TLS
To D.H. Smith
From Wm. Hodges Mann, Governor dtd Richmond, Virginia, Jan. 22, 1914. 1p TLS
To D.H. Smith
From James H. Preston, Mayor dtd Baltimore, Maryland, June 18, 1914. 1p TLS
To D.H. Smith
From Edwin W. Abbott dtd Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Sept. 25, 1914. 1p TLS
To Collector of Customs (San Francisco)
From N.S. Parley dtd Dept. of Commerce, Washington, D.C., Feb.5, 1915. 1p TL
To Collector of Customs (San Francisco)
From E.T. Chamberlain dtd Dept. of Commerce, Washington, D.C., Feb. 5, 1915. 1p TLS
To D.H. Smith
From Frank K. Mott, Mayor dtd Oakland, California, Apr. 27, 1915. 1p TLS
To D.H. Smith
From Charles Whitman dtd Albany, New York, Nov. 8, 1916. 1p TLS
To D.H. Smith
From S.M. Russell dtd Louisville, Kentucky, Sept. 14, 1917. 3p TLS
72. To Mr. Heerey
From Chas. E. Childers dtd Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 10, 1919. 1p TLS plus an
8 page manuscript
To D.H. Smith
From Webster Achey dtd Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Oct. 4, 1920. 3pp TLS
To D.H. Smith
From Webster Achey dtd Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Oct. 4, 1920. 3pp TLS (copy)
To D.H. Smith
From Frederick W. Donnelly dtd Trenton, New Jersey, Oct. 14, 1920. 1p TLS
To D.H. Smith
From John L. Hylan, Mayor dtd New York City, New York, May 2, 1922. 1p TLS
To D.H. Smith
From John L. Hylan, Mayor dtd New York City, New York, May 2, 1922. 1p TLS (copy)
To D.H. Smith
From William S. Flyn, Governor dtd Providence, Rhode Island, June 14,1923. 1p TLS with enclosure
To D.H. Smith
From William S. Flyn, Governor dtd Providence, Rhode Island, June 14, 1923. 1p TLS
with enclosure (copy)
To D.H. Smith
From Bernard F. Brough, Mayor dtd Toledo, Ohio, May 1, 1924. 1p TLS
To D.H. Smith
From W.J. Lynch, Harbour Master, dtd Chicago, Illinois, Oct. 19, 1925. 1p TLS with
enclosure
73. To D.H. Smith
From W. Frank Dunn dtd Chicago, Illinois, May 15, 1926. 1p TLS
To D.H. Smith
From H.L. Dollinger dtd South Haven, Michigan, Sept. 8, 1926. 1p TLS
To Mr. Mortimer
From Mrs. John Glazbrook dtd Chicago, Illinois, Oct. 20, 1926. 1p ALS
To Harry Van Stack
From D.H. Smith dtd Worthington, Indiana, Apr. 2, 1927. 2p ALS
To D.H. Smith
From J.J. Beckeman dtd Detroit, Michigan, July 26, 1927. 1p TLS
To Homer (Harry) C. Wooten, Captain
From H.N. Spaulding, Governor dtd New Hampshire, Aug. 9, 1927. 1p TLS
To D.H. Smith
From Dept. of Public Service dtd Cleveland, Ohio, May 1, 1928. 2p TLS
To D.H. Smith
From John M. Gill dtd Oswego, New York, Aug. 26, 1928. 1p TLS
To HVS
From D.H. Smith dtd New Haven, Connecticut, Mar. 30, 1929--telegram
To D.H. Smith
From N. Joseph Houghton dtd Alexandria Bay, New York, Sept. 4, 1928. 1p TLS
To Charles D. Gaither
From D.H. Smith dtd Yonkers, New York, Sept. 4, 1929. 1p TL
To D.H. Smith
From Charles D. Gaither dtd Baltimore, Maryland, Sept. 6, 1929. 1p TLS
To D.H. Smith
From Charles D. Gaither dtd Baltimore, Maryland, Sept. 6, 1929. 1p TLS (copy)
To D.H. Smith
From C.E. Hines dtd Worthington, Indiana, Oct. 23, 1929. 1p TLS
To HVS
From D.H. Smith dtd (no place) Jan. 19, 1930. 1p ALS
To HCW
From George Akerson dtd The White House, May 16, 1930. (also a photographic copy
of the same item) 1p TLS
To Convict Ship “Success”
From Wm. J. Conway dtd New York, July 14, 1930. 1p TLS
To HCW
From H.K. Latley (?) dtd Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 16, 1930. 1p TLS
74. To Dear Captain (Wooten)
From Lawrence Jontzen dtd Cleveland, Ohio, Feb. 16, 1932. 2p ALS
To HCW
From James ?, Whitehead & Hoag Company dtd Boston, Massachusetts, July 15, 1932.
1p TLS
To HCW
From ?, Office of the Governor dtd Augusta, Maine, July 20, 1932. 1p TLS
To Dear Captain (Wooten)
From Lawrence Jontzen dtd Cleveland, Ohio, Aug. 24, 1932. 2p ALS
To HVS
From D.H. Smith dtd Cleveland, Ohio, Oct. 1, 1932. 4p ALS
To Mr. Jontzen
From HCW dtd Portland, Maine, Oct. 2, 1932. 1p TL
To Mr. Jontzen
From HCW dtd Portland, Maine, Oct. 5, 1932. 1p TL
To Dear Bert
From HCW dtd Portland, Maine, Oct. 6, 1932. 1p TL
To Registrar of Voters, Los Angeles, California
From Homer C. Wooten, Portland, Maine, Oct. 6, 1932. 1p TL
To Mr. Jontzen
From HCW dtd Portland, Maine, Oct. 12, 1932. 1p TL
To Mr. Jontzen
From HCW dtd Portland, Maine, Oct. 15, 1932. 1p TL
To Dear Captain (HCW)
From Lawrence Jontzen dtd Cleveland, Ohio, Oct. 19, 1932. 1p ALS
To Mr. Tho. Mowhinny
From HCW dtd Portland, Maine, Oct. 21, 1932. 1p TL
To Master of Convict Ship
From Fred Boyce dtd Portland, Maine, Oct. 25, 1932. 1p TLS
To Convict Company, Inc.
From Nutting & Wells, dtd Boston, Massachusetts, Oct. 28, 1932. 1p TLS
To Mr. Jontzen
From HCW dtd Portland, Maine, Oct. 28, 1932. 1p TL
To Convict Company, Inc.
From Nutting and Wells dtd Boston, Massachusetts, Nov. 3, 1932. 1p TLS
To Mr. Jontzen
From HCW dtd Portland, Maine Nov. 7, 1932. 1p TL
To HCW
From Lawrence Jontzen dtd Cleveland, Ohio, Nov. 8, 1932. 1p TLS with enclosure
To Mr. Jontzen
From HCW dtd Portland, Maine, Nov. 12, 1932. 1p TL
To HCW
From J.H. Edward dtd Portland, Maine, Nov. 29, 1932. 1p TL
To Mr. Jontzen
From HCW dtd Portland, Maine, Dec. 21, 1932. 1p TL
To Mr. Jontzen
From HCW dtd Portland, Maine, Dec. 30, 1932. 1p TL
To Dear Captain (HCW)
From F.J. Jontzen dtd Cleveland, Ohio, Jan. 11, 1933. 2p ALS
To Mr. Jontzen
From HCW dtd Portland, Maine, Jan. 14, 1933. 1p TL
To Mr. Stanley Osborne
From HCW dtd Portland, Maine, Apr. 21, 1933. 4p TL
75. To HVS
From Lawrence Jontzen dtd Cleveland, Ohio, Mar. 5, 1938. 1p TLS
To HCW
From Osborn & Lange, Limited (Insurance) dtd Montreal, Canada, May 23, 1933. 2p TLS
To HVS
From HCW dtd Chicago, Illinois, May 19, 1936. 1p TLS
To HCW
From F. Jontzen dtd Cleveland, Ohio, Sept. 16, 1936.2p ALS
To HCW
From Ray R. Love (Construction) dtd Muskegon, Michigan, May 22, 1937. 1p TLS
To W.J. Meagher Company
From HCW dtd Bay City, Michigan, July 11, 1938. 1p TLS
To Frank Jontzen
From City Clerk dtd Wyandotte, Michigan, Aug. 11, 1938. 1p TLS with enclosure
To HCW
From R.L. Christenson (Kohler Company) dtd Detroit, Michigan, Aug. 18, 1938. 1p TLS
To HVS
From Frank J. Jontzen dtd Cleveland, Ohio, Mar. 13, 1939. 1p ALS
To HVS
From F.J. Jontzen dtd Cleveland, Ohio, Apr. 30, 1939. 1p ALS
To HVS
From Lawrence Jontzen dtd Cleveland, Ohio, May 10, 1939. 1p ALS
To HVS
From Lawrence Jontzen dtd Cleveland (May, 1939) Monday Morning. 1p ALS
To HVS
From F.J. Jontzen dtd Corpus Christi, Texas, May 12, 1939. 2p ALS
To HCW
From Captain F.J. Crestensen dtd Baltimore, Maryland, June 19, 1939-telegram
To Mr. Jontzen
From Rene’ Belbenoit dtd Costa Rica, Feb. 17, 1940. 1p TL
To HVS
From Richard S. Balch (?) dtd Washington, D.C., May 17, 1940. 1p ALS
To HVS
From Ralph W. Tillotson dtd Buffalo, New York, Oct. 7, 1941. 1p TLS
To HVS
From Stanley Osborne dtd Akron, Ohio, Mar. 17, 1943. 5p ALS
To HVS
From F. B. Voegele (material re Libby Prison) dtd Pontiac, Michigan, Sept. 12, 1945. 4p. ALS
To HVS
From Rene’ Belbenoit dtd Lucerne Valley, California, Dec. 29, 1954. 1p TLS
To F.J. Jontzen
From E.L. Cook dtd Victoria, Australia, Apr. 26, 1955. 1p TLS
To F.J. Jontzen
From E.L. Cook dtd Victoria, Australia, Feb. 20, 1956. 1p TLS
To HVS
From Bob Frank dtd Sandusky, Ohio, May 11, 1956. 1p TLS
To HVS
From E.L. Cook dtd Victoria, Australia, Sept. 23, 1957. 1p TLS
To HVS
From Irving Davids dtd San Diego, California, Sept. 23, 1957. 4p ALS
To HVS
From E.L. Cook dtd Victoria, Australia, Jan. 22, 1958. 1p TLS
To Dear Louise
From Lee (Belbenoit?) dtd Jan. 14, 1961. 2p TLS
To HVS
From E.L. Cook dtd London, England, Sept. 1, 1961. 1p TLS
To HVS
From E.L. Cook dtd London, England, Sept. 26, 1961. 1p TLS
To HVS
From E.L. Cook dtd London, England, Nov. 14, 1961. 1p TLS
To HVS
From E.L. Cook dtd London, England, Nov. 28, 1961. 1p TLS
To Mrs. Janet Coe Sanborn (Editor of Inland Seas)
From W.H. Evans dtd Sandusky, Ohio, Jan. 4, 1962. 1p TLS
To Mrs. HVS
From Ethel G. Swanbeck dtd Columbus, Ohio, Oct. 23, 1963. 1p TLS
To HVS
From E.L. Cook dtd London, England, Mar. 13, 1964. 1p TLS
To D.H. Smith
From William Hodges Mann (copy) dtd Richmond, Virginia, n.d.. 1p TL
To Wilson Line, Inc.
From D.H. Smith dtd Washington, D.C., n.d. 1p TLS
To “Dear Mr. _”
A form letter about joining the ship’s crew in the Depression years. 1p TL
Box 2 - Old Documents:
Folders:
1. Picture of Lancaster Castle Gaol and a warrens issued at St. James on Feb. 16, 1790.
On the back of the picture is an indictment against Samuel Blackshaw for inciting a riot
on Easter, March 10, 1817
2. Calendar of crown prisoners confined in Lancaster Gaol, August 14, 1809
3. Calendar of crown prisoners confined in Lancaster Gaol, May 25, 1812
4. Delivery of the Gaol of the Sovereign George III, 3 pages, ca. 1817
5. Order to remove 24 male convicts from Lancaster Gaol dtd June 12, 1821
6. Order to remove 19 male convicts from Lancaster Gaol on the Hulk Retribution dtd
Nov. 15,1824
7. Order to remove 10 male convicts from Lancaster on the Hulk Do1phin dtd May 11, 1827
8. Calendar of crown prisoners confined in Lancaster Gaol, Aug. 20, 1828
9. Delivery of the Gaol of the Sovereign George IV, of prisoners held at Lancaster, March 6,
11th year of the reign(ca. 1831) 6 pages
10. Conviction of Jacob Riley for Burglary, to be transported Aug. 9, 1835
11. Marriage license between John James Plummer and Mary Elizabeth Armstrong in the
Diocese of Tasmania. Nov. 19, 1847
12. Sketch on a card telling about the Rev. Robert M. McCheyne’s interest in prisoners; he
was a minister of St. Peters, Dundee, Scotland, 1813-1843
13. Three seals:
Small square of parchment paper with a seal dtd 1804
Two seals--“Insolvent Debtors Court”
14. The King against Thomas Dickinson, ca. 1826
15. Death Certificate of Mark Fiddler, executed Aug. 16, 1875
Books and Pamphlets:
16. Pamphlets from when the ship was in Cleveland, Ohio (12)
Catalogues about the chip, Chicago, 1933 (22)
“Thumbscrew & Rack”
Four souvenir booklets in the shape of the Iron Maiden
“Adventures in South Africa”
Clippings (Newspaper):
17. “Ship Exhibited Forty Years”, July 30-Herald ?
“Convict Ship in Buffalo for Inspection”, Aug. 30, 1923-The Buffalo ?
“No Hard-Boiled Men on ‘Success’”, Portland Evening (2 copies)
“Old Convict Ship Rots At Sandusky”, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Sunday, June 11, 1944
Section, June 18, 1946 (three copies)
“Skipper of Mayflower II Once Toured Prison Ship ‘Success’”, Sandusky Register, June 17, 1937
(four copies)
“Here From Devil’s Isle”
The Sinn Feiner, July 23, 1921.
“Manuscript Written 1789, Hidden On Convict Ship Success, Reveals Secret of Royal Stolen Ruby”,
The Boston Traveler, Apr. 6, 1923 toured
“Convict Ship Hard Aground”, April, 1946
“Convict Ship News”, (two copies)
“Ceremony Here Marks 20th Year of Success in American Waters”
“Men At Work Following A Disaster At Sea”
“Wiggin and Fernald Win First Prizes in Merrill Contest”
“Convict Ship Crew of Two Enjoying Quiet Winter”
“Convict Ship to Leave Next Week”
“The Good Ship Success Waits for High Tide”
“Old Convict Ship to Leave Sandusky”, August 29, 1945
Advertisement to meet Rene’ Belbenoit aboard the Success
“Portrait of Countess Von Luckner”
“Rene’ Belbenoit Famous Author”
“The Brine Family”
“Convict Ship Made Ready for 150th Year on Seas”, 1939
“Great Lakes Historical Museum Has Fascinating Marine Exhibits”
“Say Boat Grounded”
“Escapee of Devil’s Island to Appear on Sunday Program” (three copies)
“On Tour With Ernie Pile”
“Speaking of Folks and Facts” column by Harry Van Stack, Mar. 7,1959
“R-S-N Writer Aboard Ship 20 Years: ‘Success’ Then Went Aground in Sandusky”, Feb. 6, 1956
Clippings (Magazine):
18. “Australia and the Success”, Inland Seas, April 1947, p. 106-112
“News of Books and Authors”, Jan.-Feb., 1940
Photographs:
19. Stern view of the old Success in port before being open to the public Captain D.H. Smith and the
old ship as she looks today
The Convict Ship in Dry Dock
Actual photo of convict ship under full sail entering Boston Harbor
Part of the crew at New York
Executing a prisoner in the Iron Maiden
Ladies Day in Boston, Massachusetts, 1922
The Broad Arrow, England’s penal mark
The Iron Maiden (2)
Flogging with a Cat-o-Nine Tails
The Coffin Bath
The Murder of Captain John Price
Tier of Cells, lower deck
The haunted cell
The wedding in the condemned cell for a $200 prize
John Boles, Rene’ Belbenoit, H. Van Stack and Old Jim the Giant Killer on board the Success
Full view of the ship with British broad arrow on the sails
The old ship’s safe, part of the windlass and the old leaden plunger pump
Ned Kelly’s Armour
The Dungeons Dark and Drear
Wearing the Body Iron
The Compulsory Bath or the Coffin Bath
Giving the Prisoner the Cat
The Crouch Iron
Various Means of Punishment
The Old Ship on her way from Portland, Maine to Chicago and the lecture staff in Portland
20. Captain David Smith and the crew
Types of punishment and the safe
Five Miscellaneous pictures (the cannon, the port hole, the square bow, the teak wood carvings
and the ship’s hull
Photo of the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, no place given, nd.
Eight snapshots (in an envelope) of the ship and crew
One negative advertising the ship
Snapshot of the ship in Sandusky, Ohio between 1943 and 1945
Photo of a man behind bars
Harry Van Stack
On exhibition in Sandusky, fall of 1938
Harry Van Stack and an unknown man
Spring of 1943, the ship in Sandusky, Ohio
Harry and his wife, 1942
Crew at Portland, Maine, 1932
Harry Van Stack, Rene’ Belbenoit and Stanley Osborne
Three pictures of Count Luckner
Birthplace of Harry Van Stack, Transvaal, South Africa
Henry James Brine, 1925
Crew at Portland, Maine 1933
Full view of ship (two copies)
Captain Smith at the table of the ship
View of the ship
The crew
One pencil drawing of the ship
A broadside advertising the Convict Ship Success, mounted on cardboard
Souvenirs:
21. Ten picture postcards
Two pieces of cardboard with the words “Convict Ship”
Two paper pictures of the ship
One large cardboard picture of the ship
Stationary and envelopes
Twelve Souvenir Photographs in a folder
Card with “Graf Felix v. Luckners ‘Vaterland’”
Two cardboard pictures of the ship (small)
22. Twenty-six licenses
23. Financial papers and agreements, 1928-1936
24. Miscellaneous empty forms
25. Daily Numbers Books:
June 27, 1942-July 31, 1942
August 1942
September 1942
October 1942
n.d.
26. Ledger beginning June 1942
27. Two statements of income and expenses for the season, 1923-1928
Expenses for the period, Jan. 1, 1943-March 20, 1943
Miscellaneous Items:
28. Statement of Master of Vessel Regarding Changes in Crew Prior to Departure, May, 1933
News Releases:
- Last Week for Convict Ship
- Now on Exhibition at Cleveland, Ohio
- Release for Saturday’s Newark Paper
- Exclusive Sunday Feature, Holland
- Story of the To1puddle Murders
- Article about Count Felix v. Luckner
Ports Visited by the Convict Ship
Instructions for Ship’s Pump
Speech by Captain H.C. Wootin, for Station WOR, July 7, 1931
Rough Draft of an article by Harry Van Stack
Questions and Answers About the Ship, 4pp
Cards (18) with names on them
Joy’s Weekly Sunbeam, June 4, 1929 (2)
“How the Sunbeam Came to Be”
Immigration Certificate, Montreal, Canada, May 20, 1930
Photo of the above certificate
Master’s Oath of Allegiance, May 15, 1918
Coasting Manifest, June 9, 1917
29. Picture of “Success” anchored in Woolloomooloo Bay, Sydney, Australia, 1870.
Autographed B&W photo of K. Muller, New York, 1930.
Autographed B&W photo of HVS and Baron G. Von Koohenbar, n.d.
B&W photo of HVS in Mexico, n.d.
B&W photo of HVS and John Boles shaking hands, 1939.
B&W photo of HVS and his wife Gloria, 1942.
B&W photo of HVS in San Antonio, Texas, n.d.
Autographed B&W photo of “Pawnee Bill,” Oklahoma, 1938.
B&W photo of unidentified young man dressed in cowboy garb.
B&W photo of HVS and Rene’ Belbenoit, n.d.
Autographed B&W photo of Felix Count Luckner, Nov. 6, 1931.
Autographed C&W photo of Charley “the Bos’un” (M. L. Mopelia), New York, June, 1931.
B&W photo of lecture staff aboard Convict Ship “Success,” Portland, Me., 1932.
Mounted B&W photo of Capt. David H. Smith and two friends (unidentified), Providence,
Rhode Island, Nov. 30, 1912. Wm. Mills & Son, Providence, R. I., photographer.
B&W photo of Harry Van Stack, n.d. W/notation on verve.
B&W snapshot of unidentified man in overcoat and hat standing in front of a snow bank, n.d.
B&W snapshot of Convict Ship “Success” shown on exhibition at foot of Jackson St.,
Sandusky, Ohio, Fall, 1938.
Colored picture of the “Success” cut from a postcard.
Large B&W picture of the “Success,” n.d.
Colored photo of the “Success” on glass encased in a wooden frame, n.d.
Damaged B&W group photo aboard the “Success,” n.d. Photo by John Mueller, Room 729,
Star Bldg., Washington, D.C.
Postcard of the “Success” in Newark, N. J., n.d. Two smaller B&W photos of the “Success”
laying on her side in Sandusky, O., 1945 appear at the top left and right.
30. Autograph of Lowell Thomas, Dec. 8, 1935.
Miscellaneous photos, drawings, etc.
Box 3 - Photo Album
1. One photo album containing personal Van Stack photos of the ship, crew, and U.S. and Canadian
tourist attractions. (1925-1929)
2. Scrapbook, 55pp.
Contents include clippings about Sandusky, Ohio area ca. 1945-1946 (possibly written by
Van Stack). re: auto title certificates; common pleas court, grand jury, township trustee, and
U. S. district court proceedings; the convict ship “Success”; the Huron Grange, and river
bridge; real estate taxes, and transfers; the sale of tax stamps; and Sandusky’s Company
“E” of the Ohio State Guard; and Harry Van Stack’s “Court House”newspaper column for
1945-July 19, 1946.
Note: Some items pasted in out of chronological order.
3. Scrapbook, 53pp. (w/clippings laid in)
Contents include clippings about Sandusky, Ohio and Ohio area ca: 1940's) re accidents;
agriculture; the automobile; court and grand jury, proceedings (the trials of Mrs. Florence
Noyes and George McKinley Sexton, etc.); driver’s licenses; education; Erie County, Ohio;
fashion; health, police, political, and postal matters; Hiroshima; housing; the hunting season;
the Huron River bridge; labor union activities; music; the Ohio Association of County Clerks;
parks; real estate transfers; the sale of tax stamps; Sandusky, Ohio; thefts; traffic safety; the
Trojan Powder Co.; Vermilion, Ohio; veterans; voter registration; water conservation; and
the weather; Harry Van Stack’s “Court House” newspaper column for July 20, 946-August 14,
1947; and U. P. news wires.
Note: Some items pasted in out of chronological order.
4. Scrapbook, 1945-1946, 46pp. (w/clippings laid in)
Contents include anecdotes; announcements; clippings re accidents; agriculture; animals; the
armed forces; Army Day; athletics; the Atlantic Charter; births; butter and sugar shortages; cars,
motorcycles, and trucks; the Christmas season; church, governmental, health, penal, police,
political, and postal matters; the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; civic organizations; clubs;
conferences, and meetings; the convict ship “Success”; court, grand jury, & township trustee
proceedings; crimes; deaths; Brigadier General Robert L. Denig; drainage ditch projects;
education; elections; Erie County, Ohio; a fiscal survey made by the Ohio Public Expenditure
Council; funerals; the Grange; horse racing; the Huron River Bridge bond issue; the issuance of
marriage licenses; law firms; Lend-Lease aid; Charles A. Lindbergh; the Margaretta News;
Memorial Day observances; microscopic writing (Frederick D. Schaefer, “Master of Minuscule”);
the “Normandie” (ship); the Office of Price Administration; the Ohio State Guard; parks; Gen.
George S. Patton, Jr.; prisoners of war; Ernie Pyle; real estate transfers; recreation; road
improvements; safety; the sale of Vlar, and Victory bonds and stamps; Sandusky, Ohio and
surrounding communities; Sears, Roebuck and Co.;soil erosion; taxes; train travel; the Trojan
Powder Co.; U. S. O. junior hostesses; the U. S. peace delegation to the United Nations
Conference in San Francisco; veterans; Victory and Navy Day; V-E Day; the Victory Loan drive;
the War Price and Rationing Board; the Washington Monument; the weather; welfare; and the
year 1945; columns (“City Briefs”, “In Service”, “Speaking Of”, “With the Services”, and “These
Days” by George E. Sokolsky); corrections of previous articles; drawings, maps, and photographs
from newspapers; editorials; a financial report; and a proclamation.
Note: Some items pasted in out of chronological order.
5. Scrapbook, 1945-1947, 45pp. (w/enclosures)
Contents include clippings re Berlin Heights (Ohio), calendars, dogs, Erie County (Ohio), the “G. I.
grave racketeer”, juvenile delinquency and the Sunday school in the United States, Lake Erie,
Milan (Ohio), the National Guard, St. Patrick’s Day, Sandusky (Ohio), sea gulls, soil conservation,
tuberculosis,and the Washington Monument; Harry Van Stack’s “Speaking Of” column for
1945-1947 from the Sandusky Register-Star-News (gaps); editorials; a poem; and human
interest stories.
Note: Some items pasted in out of chronological order.
6. Scrapbook, 1946-1947, 49pp. (w/clippings laid in)
Contents include an advertisement; announcements; clippings re the abacus; accidents;
agriculture; aid for the aged; air transportation; the American Humane Association; the armed
forces; the automobile; Berlin Heights, Ohio; blind persons; broadcasting companies; the
calculating machine; cats; cattle rustling; the “Challenger” (passenger boat); church, and labor
union activities; clubs; the convict ship “Success”; the cost of city government; court proceedings;
crimes; the Ducal Palace (Venice, Italy); Easter; Thomas A. Edison; education; the 80th
Congress; Erie County, Ohio; the Federated Humane Societies of Ohio; the finger print system
of identification; fires; Henry Ford; gardens; the Grange; health, penal, police, political, and postal
matters; housing; the Huron River bridge bond issue; the issuance of marriage licenses;
letter-writing;literary, musical, and theatrical endeavors; the Margaretta Community Fair; the
Margaretta News; Memorial Day observances; Mother’s Day; Norwalk, Ohio; the Ohio State
Protective Association; Ottawa Co., Ohio; Paris, France; Peiping, China; Pitcairn Island; real
estate transfers; the sale of tax stamps; Sandusky, Ohio; seagulls; the steamer Put-In Bay;
suicides; Booth Tarkington; traffic safety; the U. S. Marine Band; veterans’ organizations;
Washington’s Birthday; and the weather; Hal Boyle and George E. Sokolsky columns, drawings,
human interest stories, letters to the editor, obituaries, and photographs from newspapers;
and corrections of previous articles.
Note: Some items pasted in out of chronological order.
Box 4 - Clippings:
1. The Lewiston Journal Magazine section for February 24, 1940.
Contains: “Spending the Winter on a Ghost Ship” by Harry Van Stack, pp. 1-2 & 8.
2. The Lewiston Journal Magazine section for March 2, 1940.
Contains: “Spending the Winter on a Ghost Ship -Hazards and Near Tragedies ‘Keeping Ship’
on ‘Success’” by Harry Van Stack, pp. 6-7.
3. The Lewiston Journal Magazine section for March 9, 1940.
Contains: “Comedies, Tragedies of Life Aboard World’s Oldest Ship” by Harry Van Stack,
pp. 2, 4 & 10.
4. The Lewiston Journal Magazine section for March 16, 1940.
Contains: “Celebrities of the Amusement World Who Have Been Our Guests on Board the
‘Success’” by Harry Van Stack, p. 10.
5. The Lewiston Journal Magazine section for March 23, 1940.
Contains: “Celebrities in Many Fields Who Have Been Our Guests on Board Convict Ship” by
Harry Van Stack, p. 10.
6. The Lewiston Journal Magazine section for March 30, 1940.
Contains: “Our Companion Ship, Admiral Byrd’s City of New York” by Harry Van Stack,
pp. 4, 8 & 10.
7. The Lewiston Journal Magazine section for April 6, 1940.
Contains: “Houdini Breaks Out of Convict Ship Cell -Black Hole Contests, Weddings’ Other
Stunts” by Harry Van Stack, pp. 6-8.
8. The Lewiston Journal Magazine section for April 13, 1940.
Contains: “Old Salt from Portland, Me., Revisits the Convict Ship, Success” by Harry Van Stack,
pp. 2 & 10.
9. The Lewiston Journal Magazine section for April 20, 1940.
Contains: “Old Jim on the Convict Ship Relates the Dance of the Fishes of Gold” by Harry
Van Stack, pp. 2 & 4.
10. The Lewiston Journal Magazine section for April 27, 1940.
Contains: “Old Jim, on Board Convict Ship, Tells How Spirit of Dead Sweetheart Came to Him” by
Harry Van Stack, pp. 2 & 8.
11. The Lewiston Journal Magazine section for May 4, 1940.
Contains: “More Yarns Spun by Old Jim on Board Convict Ship Success” by Harry Van Stack,
pp. 2, 4 & 6-7.
12. The Lewiston Journal Magazine section for May 11, 1940.
Contains “Old Jim, Guest on Board Success Tells About His Big ‘Wrassle’” by Harry Van Stack,
pp. 2 & 4.
13. The Lewiston Journal Magazine section for May 18, 1940.
Contains: “Old Jim Tells How He Stopped a Fight as He Leaves the Success” by Harry Van Stack,
p. 2. Also a picture of Rene’ Belbenoit, and Harry Van Stack, p. 8.
“The Members of the Protestant Association of London, Westminster, Southwark, & c, Peaceably
Proceeding to the House of Commons, on Friday June 2, 1780, (In Consequence of Which Being
Previously Advertised, Upwards of 40,000 Persons had Assembled in St. George’s Fields, in the
Morning, to Attend the Procession) With Their Petition Which was Carried by Mr. Hodgkinson, and
Presented to the House by Their President Lord George Gordon, Praying For the Repeal of the Acts
Lately Passed in Favour of the Roman Catholics; on Which Occasion the Mischievous Emissaries
of the Papists, Taking Advantage of the Opportunity, Caused the Subsequent Insurrections & Riots,
That the Odium Might Be Thrown on the Protestants: Whereby the Most Awful Outrages Were
Perpetrated, & Lord George Gordon was Committed Close Prisoner to the Tower, as the Principal
Abettor of the Riots, But Who was Honorably Acquitted By a Respectable Jury at Westminster Hall,
Feb, 6, 1781, to the Entire Satisfaction of All Real Friends to Civil & Religious Liberty, and the
Protestant Cause. Nor was There Ever One Single Person Either Convicted, Tried, or Even
Apprehended, on Suspicion of Being Accessary, or Any Ways Abetting in the Riots, Who was a
Member of That Respectable Body, the Protestant Association.”
Multiple copies of Success catalogs.
Glass negative of the ship “Success”.
“From Maine to Mexico” - A series of articles which appeared in the Lewiston Journal
Scrapbook No. 9, 1936-1937
Illustrated Magazine section from March 25-July 8, 1939.
1. “With Harry Van Stack From Maine to Mexico” (March 25, 1939).
2. “From Maine to Mexico With Harry Van Stack -- Mammoth Caves, Kentucky” (April 8, 1939).
3. “From Maine to Mexico With Harry Van Stack -- Mammoth Caves, Kentucky” (April 15, 1939).
4. “Harry Van Stack Contrasts Light-Hearted Negro Share-Croppers With }prose Louisiana
Swamp Cajuns in ‘Maine to Mexico’ Adventurings” (?, 1939).
5. “Old Missions and Texas Rodeo - With Harry Van Stack Prom Maine to Mexico” (May 6, 1939).
6. “Missions and Rodeo -- Harry Van Stack Sees a Texas Rodeo on its Home Field” (May 13, 1939).
7. “Mexico ~ Land of Quaint Contrasts” (June 3, 1939).
8. “Mexico -- Land of Quaint Contrasts” (June 10, 1939).
9. “Harry Van Stack From Maine Guest of Pawnee Bill, Companion of Buffalo Bill; Visits Buffalo
Ranch, Old IndianTrading Post and Prehistoric Burial Pits” (June 17, 1939).
10. “Harry Van Stack Follows the ‘Old Chisholm Trail’ to Abilene on his Maine to Mexico Trip”
(June 24, 1939).
11. “Harry Van Stack Visits Mark Twain’s Home in ‘Maine to Mexico Wanderings”, (July 1, 1939).
12. “Harry Van Stack Ends Journeyings in Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village” (July 8, 1939).
Box 5 - Scrapbooks
1. Convict ship “Success” - Scrapbook No. 1, 244pp. Material laid in - Removed, and filed in
10 numbered folders. 1912-1914, 1917, 1919, 1921-1923, 1926 & 1931.
Contents include advertisements; anecdotes; a bill and receipt; a brochure re the New York
DailyNews; clippings re “black hole” contests (Miss Jeanne DuBrul, 1921; and Miss Mary
Martin, 1925), the “Cell 64” (solitary confinement) contest (John J. McNamara, 1922), Captain
James Cook, crew members, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, famous visitors on board (Governor
Foss, Massachusetts; Mayor John F. Hylan, New York City; Kaiser Wilhelm; King Edward VII;
Eugene O’Brien, movie star; and Winter Garden girls), flogging, ghosts on board, William
Jones (the last surviving prisoner of the convict ship “Success”), the New York Daily News’
Real Lift Fund (aided veterans of W. W. I), New York prisons and prison ships during the
American Revolution, Ohio penitentiary conditions, the 132nd birthday anniversary of the
“Success”, prison reform, the Six Men of Dorset, Captain D. H. Smith, Owen Suffolk (an
English author who served a seven year sentence on board the “Success”), the transportation
of Irishmen, U. S. Marine enlistments on board, visits to Baltimore/Boston/Buffalo/Chicago/
Cleveland/ Elizabeth (N. J.)/Erie/Memphis/Newark/New York City/Norfolk/Philadelphia/
Pittsburgh/and Seattle, and the voyage of a convict ship to French Guinea (1921); editorials;
human interest stories; letters; letters to the editor; a movie magazine cover; notes; notices;
the Official Metropolitan Guide (New York City) for the weeks of May 7, May 14, May 21
(covers only) & May 28, 1922; photographs from magazines and newspapers; poetry; a postcard;
a printing plate; a publicity card re the Sinn Feiner; a questionnaire from the Junior Borough
League (Brooklyn, N. Y.); scraps; and want ads.
Notes:
Some blank pages.
Some items pasted in out of chronological order.
Some pages missing.
Box 6 - Scrapbooks
Convict ship “Success” - Scrapbook No. 3. 296pp. Material laid in - Removed, and filed in 4
numbered folders 1921-1922, 1924-1927, 1929-1933 & 1936.
Contents include advertisements; anecdotes; announcements; the Balaban & Katz Magazine
(Issues of June 1, 1926-2 copies & June 15, 1926); brochures; the Charlestown (Mass.) News
for May 27, 1932 (4 copies); a circular; clippings re the annual Michigan Automobile Tour (1926),
“black hole” contests (Miss Jeanne DuBrul' 1921; and Miss Mary Martin, 1925), books on the
old British penal system, the Chicago Daily News’ boys night on the convict ship “Success”, the
Chicago Herald and Examiner Sports and Thrift Club, the Chicago Junior Journal Club, the Chicago
Tribune Free Ice Fund, convict ship beauty contests (1925 &1927), convict ship figurehead
painting contests for redheads (1925 & 1927) the convict ship punishment for losers of a
World Series bet (1925), crew members, the Detroit Free Press Fresh Air Fund, Daniel
Donovan (a prisoner on board the “Success”), famous visitors on board (Chicago and
Detroit amusement park attractions and stage stars; Governor Alexander J. Groesbeck,
Michigan; Kaiser Wilhelm; King Edward VII; and Snub Pollard, movie star), the first English
police force, "For the Term of His Natural Life” (Australian film), the Illinois Children’s Home
and Aid Society, Ned Kelly (Australian outlaw), John J. McNamara, marriage ceremonies
performed on board, prison reform, publicity “stunts”, the Six Men of Dorset, Captain D. H.
Smith, the U. S. S. Dubuque, visits to Boston/Charlevoix (Michigan)/Chicago/Detroit/Green Bay/
(Wisconsin)/Holland (Michigan)/Mackinac Island (Michigan)/Manistee (Michigan)/Manitowoc
(Wisconsin) Michigan City (Indiana)/Milwaukee/Muskegon (Michigan)/ Newark/Newport/New
York City/Providence/Racine (Wisconsin)/St. Joseph (Michigan)/Sheboygan (Wisconsin)/South
Haven (Michigan)/and Toledo, the Wisconsin News/Chicago Herald and Examiner/and Toledo
Blade convict ship essay contests for school children (1924, 1925 & 1927), and women prisoners
on board the “Success”; coupons; the cover of the Black Hawk News for October, 1925; editorials;
an envelope; the Goss Combination Press for June, 1933 to November, 1933 (Printed on the
Goss “Combination Press” at A Century of Progress); a joke; letters; letters to the editor; the
Official Metropolitan Guide for the week of May 28, 1922; photographs from magazines and
newspapers; a poster; the Reformatory Herald for September 27, 1929, October 25, 1929,
December 6, 1929, February 14, 1930, April 25, 1930, July 18, 1930, September 12, 1930,
November 21, 1930, and February 13, 1931 (Published by the Kansas State Industrial
Reformatory, Hutchinson, Kansas); scraps; This Week in Chicago for October 4 to October 10,
1925, October 11 to October 17, 1925 (covers only), May 9 to May 15,1926, May 16 to May 22,
1926 (2 copies), May 23 to May 29, 1926 (2 copies), May 30 to June 5, 1926 (2 copies), June 6
to June 12, 1926, in June 13 to June 19, 1926, and June 20 to June 26, 1926; tickets; train
schedules (Chicago and North Western Line, Michigan Central, and Michigan Electric Railway
Lines); and want ads.
Notes:
Some blank pages.
Some pages missing.
Oversize:
Large poster advertising the Convict Ship “Success,” Port Huron, Mich., n.d. (3).
Large poster advertising the Convict Ship “Success,” Sandusky, Ohio, n.d.
Smaller multi-colored poster advertising the Convict Ship “Success,” Washington, 7th St. Wharf,
n.d. w/drawing of woman on the verso; same, Cleveland, O., E. 9th St. Pier, n.d.
Small B&W placard advertising for sale-- “The History of the Ancient Australian Convict Ship
‘Success’ and Its Most Notorious Prisoners.”
Five display signs for the following instrument used on board the “Success:” man trap, leg irons
with chains, iron straight jacket, the ancient bridle, and the old ship’s safe.
Twelve placards with cartoon-like drawings illustrating the history of the “Success” and the
dreaded convict labor system.
Large wall calendar with newspaper clippings, etc. pasted on the front. W/notation on the verso-
“Convict ship best pictures for lectures given by ‘Van’.”
Two page article about Rene’ Belbenoit and Devil’s Island mounted on poster board, taken from
Life Magazine, n.d.
A placard publicizing a New York City visit of the convict ship “Success” under the auspices and
for the benefit of Seamen’s Church Institute.
“U. S. Admiral’s Daughter Visits the Convict Ship”.
“Society Plays at Being Prisoners on the Convict Ship ‘Success’”.
A page from the Chicago American for July 10, 1933. Contains “Labor’s Fight Recalled by Convict
Ship”.
A page from the Muskeqon Chronicle for June 12, 1937. Contains an advertisement publicizing
a visit of the convict ship “Success”.
Clipping from the American Weekly for September 6, 1942. “Thar’ She Blows!” by Cap’n Lester A.
Mosher. Chapter III. Incomplete.
The [Toledo] Blade Sunday Magazine for September 4, 1966. Contains: “The Infamous Ship
Success” by McLeod Orford, p. 16.
The [Toledo] Blade Sunday Magazine for October 31, 1971. Contains: “Justice Evermore and the
Gentle Man in Cell 24” by Dwight Boyer, pp. 10-12, 14 & 16-19.
“Time and Tide Finally Conquer Convict Ship”, Toledo Blade Peach.
Pages 1-2 of the Saginaw News, January 26, 1938.
Pages 1 and 2 of the Vacationland Piolet, April, 1946.
“Labors Fight Recalled by Convict Ship”
“Historian Pens Biography of Star”, Jan. 21, 1962.
“Convict Ship Launches Legend”, Cleveland Plain Dealer Pictural Magazine, Feb. 5, 1956
(3 copies)
“The South Dorset Liberal Monthly” (contains an article about the Six Dorchester Labourers,
June 1912.
“The Hell on Devil’s Island” by W.B. Courtney, Colliers, Sept. 28, 1940 (2 copies)
“The Infamous Ship Success”, Blade Sunday Magazine, Sept. 4, 1966.
“The False Iron Maiden of Nuremberg and the Reality”, Illustrated London News, Nov. 29, 1930.
The Great Lakes Journal, July 1937, “World’s Oldest Ship on Lakes”.
“Another Route to the East”, Dec. 10, 1940
PBOW News, Sandusky, Ohio, April 3, 1943 (2 copies).
Poster - Convict ship “Success”.
Large Poster Advertising the Convict Ship (40)
Certificate of Admeasurement, Oct. 8, 1929
“Two Success Songs” (music & words) (3).
“Devil’s Island Locks Up Fame As Resort”, Plain Dealer, Dec. 6, 1970.
“Ocean Hell: Lesson in Prison Reform”, Nov. 12, 1977.
Convict ship “Success” - Scrapbook No. 2, 31pp. Material laid in - Removed, and filed in
folder. 1918-1919, 1921 & 1925.
Contents include advertisements; anecdotes; clippings re “Anzac Day” (1921), “black hole”
contests (Miss Mary Martin, 1925), crew members, Daniel Donovan (a prisoner on board the
“Success”), ex-Kaiser Wilhelm, the Fatherless Children of Prance, the Fresh Air Fund of the
Newark Female Charitable Society, Ned Kelly (Australian outlaw), Marine recruiting on board,
Captain John Price, prison reform, the Six Men of Dorset, Captain D. H. Smith, visits to Albany
Chicago/Elizabeth (N. J.)/Newark/and Pittsburgh, and C. D. Westbrook (spent 18 months on
board the “Success” when it was used as a storage place for torpedoes); editorials; the Fineview
Record for April, an index; and photographs from newspapers.
Notes:
Portions of some clippings missing.
Some clippings pasted in out of chronological order.
Large B&W picture of the Convict Ship “Success.”
Scenes from the Convict Ship “Success,” mounted.
Oil painting of the “Last Voyage” of the Convict Ship “Success.” M. Brant artist, n.d.
Artifacts: Transferred to the Museum:
Sketch of Devil’s Island and the house of Dreyfus showing Royale and St. Joseph Islands
mounted on a board; autographed by Rene’ Belbenoit, Sept. 3, 1939. F. /Lepugnoli artist.
Smaller sketch of Devil’s Island mounted on a board showing Dreyfus’ houses autographed by
Rene’ Belbenoit. F. /Lepugnoli artist.
Books and Pamphlets Transferred to Library:
1. Mundy, Lt. Colonel Godfrey Charles. Our Antipodes: or, Residence and Rambles in the
Australasian Colonies. With a Glimpse of the Gold Fields. 3 vols. London: Richard Bentley,
New Burlington Street, 1852. Vol. I lacking.
2. Gayll, Arthur. The History of Botany Bay. Printed and published by the Bulletin Newspaper
Company Limited, 24 Pitt-Street, Sydney, New South Wales, [1888]. 64pp. Inscription:
“D. H. Smith County Hotel Lancaster”.
3. Men of Sandusky. Those Whom You Meet in the Business and Professional Walks of the
Main Commercial Gateway to the Great Lakes. Sandusky: C. S. Van Tassel, 1895. 68pp.
4. Clarke, Marcus. Stories of Australia in the Early Days. London: Hutchinson & Co., 1897.
200pp. pp. 17-30, 53-58 & 191-192 are missing.
5. McCall, Art, and Zorn, Pete, editors, and compilers. Golden Anniversary, 1902-1952:
Providence Hospital of Sandusky, Ohio. Sandusky: Stephens Printing Corp., [1952]. 15pp.
6. Van Stack, Harry. Flames of Darkness: A Story of the South African Veldt. New York:
Vantage Press, Inc., 1954. (2 copies) Inscription: “My best Wishes to Mr. Watt Marchman
Sincerely, Mrs. Harry Van Stack 1/30/65"
7. Van Stack, Harry Echoes of Sessalong South Africa Cleveland The Tower Press, 1943.
8. Van Stack, Harry Poems of Ra Matlo. Cleveland The Tower Press, 1943.