From the familiar to the fantastic, fruit has played an interesting role in history— and does so even today
Eamon de Valera was an Irish revolutionary. He led a revolt against the British in 1916 and then stirred things up politically. He published a manifesto, which is a document listing his political goals, and he did all sorts of other rebellious stuff that landed him in prison — England’s infamous Lincoln Prison, from which no one had ever escaped.
Ever the quick thinker, he got hold of the prison chaplain’s key, and asked a very artistic fellow inmate to draw it. (De Valera then snuck the key back to its owner so no one would change the locks.) De Valera’s friend depicted a rather comical scene around the key drawing so no one would notice how suspicious the picture really was. De Valera then sent this “card” off to a friend, scrawling a friendly greeting on the back.
The recipient got the hint. A couple of weeks later, a visitor arrived at the prison, delivering a fruitcake for de Valera. Baked into it was a replica of the key from the drawing.
The chief warden wasn’t about to let a cake in without inspecting it. Although he repeatedly poked it with a knife, he never found the key… and the cake got in. Unfortunately for de Valera, the key was too small. Another attempt — also smuggled in a fruitcake — similarly failed. Finally, de Valera’s friends sent him a blank key and a set of files to shape it, also concealed in a fruitcake. (I guess fruitcakes were more popular back then?!)
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