Pirate Treasure
Legend has it that Spanish Pirate Jose Gaspar's looted treasure is buried
somewhere on one of our barrier islands. Many have searched for it including
me but none has yet found it. What a fantastic discovery it would be!
Gaspar's history starts in Seville, Spain where he was born in 1756. As a
young man, Jose was reported to be of slight stature but he had the stamina
of a bull . He grew up as a privileged aristocrat and, being a bit of a scoundrel
with the ladies, got into trouble early on. Hauled into court, the Judge spared
the man a life in jail if he agreed to join the Royal Spanish Naval Academy and
serve his country. Gaspar chose a life at sea and soon learned the skills
required of every seaman and buccaneer. His talents were recognized and he
was promoted first to Lieutenant, then Captain and eventually to an Admiral of
the Spanish Navy's Atlantic Fleet.
But alas, Admiral Gaspar's eye for the ladies and most especially the daughter in law of the King himself, got him into big trouble again. To escape the King's wrath, Gaspar commandeered the Warship Floridablanca and embarked upon a career of pirating. Angered by the King, he took out his revenge on the Spanish Fleet and sent many vessels to the bottom of the sea after looting their treasures. Reportedly, he sank nearly 400 ships and was ruthless in his conquests. He killed all aboard each of the plundered ships sparing only the beautiful women who he sheltered on nearby Captiva Island which got it's name as his "captive's island." Gaspar's warship plied the waters of the West coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico South to Cuba for 39 years.
Finally, in late 1821, Pirate Gaspar, old and weary of plundering and killing, decided to divvy up his treasure among his men, take his share and retire to a life of luxury. On that fateful last day, Gaspar decided to plunder one last ship near Gaspar's (Gasparilla) Island. Low and behold, the ship he chose to attack was the US Warship Independence in disguise. A terrific
sea battle ensued and Gaspar's Warship Floridablanca was heavily damaged. Gaspar, chose to take his own life rather than be captured by the sailors of the US Independence. On the bow of his sinking Floridablanca, Gaspar wrapped an anchor chain around his wrist, waved his sword in the air and hurled himself into the water where he sank into the depths below. He was never seen again.
Jose Gaspar's treasure had been left on the beach, before the battle, in twenty large chests with 10 of his most trusted men. Upon seeing the battle from shore and Gaspar's fate, the men took their share of the treasure and escaped through Charlotte Harbor up the Peace River. His crew spent some of their treasure but most of it was lost or buried in the upper reaches of the Peace River. Gaspar's share of the treasure had been buried locally on one of our barrier islands.and Gaspar's men drew a map showing its exact location. They sealed this map in a bottle and threw it into the Peace River near it's outlet into Charlotte Harbor so the outgoing tide would carry it back to the survivors of Gaspar's ship. Neither the map nor Jose Gaspar's personal fortune were ever found.
Today, treasure hunters continue to search for the buried or lost treasure or the map showing it's location. But, no one has yet found a trace of anything. Who knows .... maybe you and your kids (aged 5 to 12) could be the first to find some of this fantastic treasure. Isn't it worth a try?
"Aye .... if yer feelen kinda lucky an yer young pirates want a little adventure, I'll help ya fer a nominal expeditionary fee. Ya never know, we just might find sum treasure!! Grrrr."
Capt. Fred Rossiter
