everything when a capture was made, he chose
the best of the islands in Charlotte Harbor for his
own secret haunts. It is said that Jose was saluted
the King of the Pirates and his home on
Gasparilla Island was regal in its fittings.
Some writers have said that Gasparilla Joined
Pierre La Fitte, the famous French pirate, while
others have stated on good authority that La
Fitte joined Gasparilla’s band, contributing a boat
and 30 men.
While taking the census of 1900, two gentlemen
stopped at Panther Key and spent the night with
John Gomez. The race of the old buccaneer was
nearly run, but all through that night he told a
story of piracy that could scarce be believed, yet
it was a dying
man that was
clearing his
soul before his
maker. He told
of the looting
of ships, the
massacre of
innocents and
last of all, when
his life and
nearly passed,
he told the
story of “The
Little Spanish
Princess,”
whose name
he did not
remember. He
told where the
body could be
found and a
sketch was prepared under his direction, and in
recent years in the exact location has been
described the skeleton of a beheaded woman
that was found.
This is the story:
In the early days of the year 1801 a princess of
Spain sailed in the great state for Mexico. While in
that country she was royally entertained by its
ruler, and to show her appreciation to the
Mexican people she prevailed upon the nobles to
allow her to take 11 of Mexico’s fairest daughters
away with her to be educated in Spanish customs.
A treasure of much gold, bound in chests of
copper, it is said, was in cargo.
When about 40 miles from what is now Boca
Grande, Gasparilla engaged them in combat, killed
the crew, took the gold and carried away as
captives the princess and the 11 Mexican girls.
The princess he kept for himself, the maids were
divided among his men. The little Spanish princess
spurned the one-time favorite of the King and
Gasparilla swore if she did not return of her own
free will the affections lavished upon her, she
would be beheaded, and the story goes the
threat of Gaspar was fulfilled.
Far away from her native land, alone on a
tropical isle, the little Princess still lies in the lonely
bed made for her by Gasparilla. The night birds
sing in the dusk and lull her spirit to rest in the
evening, and the
moon kindly
shadows o’er
the spot where
royalty sleeps.
From members
of Gaspar’s crew
many a strange
story has drifted
down concerning
him, his traits, his
ways and his
passions. He was
polished in his
manners and a
great lover of
fashionable
clothes; fearless
in fight, and at all
times cruel in his
nature.
Concerning
women, he was
fanatical, and his houses were always filled with
captives. It is stated beauty was essential with him.
He kept for himself a certain number of picked
beauties, but so fickle was his nature that when
an additional capture was made and a new face
appealed to him, one of his old loves must forfeit
her life to make room for the new favorite. That
this was true, there is no doubt, as the graveyard
of Gasparilla tells its own terrible story.
In 1819, the United States, having obtained,
under the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the states
bordering on the Gulf, made war upon the
robber bands. On Sanibel Island a conference was
held by all the pirates, and with the exception of
40 GASPARILLA ISLAND September/October 2019