Truth Behind the Fiction: Excerpts from The Pirates Caesar pt. 2
The truth about The Pirate Box.
(Author’s note: Mild spoilers for the Treasure of Biscayne Bay. I highly recommend checking out the book before reading.)
(Also Author’s note: The Pirates Caesar is a fictional book. I made it up for the trilogy of Junior Rangers Investigative Club Novels occurring in southern Florida. None of it is real. However, I was inspired by the real history of the Dry Tortugas, Biscayne, the Everglades, and the whole of Florida, and Beyond.)
In particular: The Pirate Box is heavily inspired by several distinct parts of pirate legacy. So let’s talk about it.
Origin of William T Howard, and Trident Shipping.
Trident shipping first appears in Treasure off the Coast, along with a mysterious historian named Mr. Howard. He is also involved, somehow, in the events of the Biscayne Book. Mr. William T. Howard, owner of Trident Shipping and Antiquities, is the author of The Pirates Ceasar.
We learn in this excerpt that he has an interest in antiquities, and specifically pirates, stemming from a family legacy, and a fateful encounter in his antiques shop.
William T Howard in the books is not real. Trident Shipping and Antiquities is not real. However, I based the idea for the author and historian named Howard, and his family legacy with pirates, upon a real historical figure. Willaim Howard, a pirate caught and charged in 1718 as being part of Blackbeard’s crew, and a pirate.
I just like this picture, and wanted to use it again.
In the early 1700s, while pirates like Blackbeard and Benjamin Hornigold sailed the Caribbean, William Howard sailed amongst their ranks, eventually working his way up to quartermaster on The Queen Anne’s Revenge. (Blackbeard’s capital ship.) At the time, piracy was so rampant that the King of England issued pardons to any pirates who quit the life, hoping to encourage them to stop.
When The Queen Anne’s Revenge was beached and scuttled, William Howard took the pardon, seemingly interested in a simpler (less deadly) life. And yet, in early 1718, he was heard conspiring with other sailors and captured as a pirate. Lt. Governor Spottswood, used Howards insider information to learn the whereabouts of, and eventually hunt down, Blackbeard. Blackbeard fought, and died aboard his second ship The Revenge, and many of his crew were captured.
Meanwhile, William Howard was imprisoned, tried as a pirate and sentenced to death, only to be saved by the announcement of a second, more merciful, pardon from the King. However, instead of simply slinking away and thanking his lucky stars, Howard Sued Spottswood for wrongful imprisonment, and was awarded a small sum of money.
In real life, he vanishes from the records soon after winning his freedom and the money. Some believe that he might have gone to North Carolina, to settle on Ocracoke Island.
My fictional Howard family also traces their legacy back to the man. In my mind, I find the idea that Howard used his small settlement, and knowledge of maritime life to establish and grow a legal shipping business, which would come to be known as Trident. Then, in the mid-1900s one of his relatives, inspired by this tale, studied history and opened up an archeology shop.
The tale of a Howard aboard Blackbeard’s crew is true and well documented. His trial and wrongful imprisonment suit are also documented. Much later, there are also records of him testifying in the Bahamas to save a doctor accused of piracy. But the William Howard, author of The Pirates Caesar does not exist, and therefore cannot actually trace his legacy to this man from the past. His name is simply a reminder of that interesting tale.
You can read more about the possible, factual (but disputed,) fate of the real William Howard, cir. 1718) here: Island centenarian and a pirate shared a name, maybe more | Island Free Press
The Pirate Box
Now, let’s talk about the interesting things you can find while looking for pirates. Treasure Maps. Old Coins. Treasure itself.
Do these exist?
Well, to learn the origin of The Pirate Box, which will be a big part of The Treasure of Biscayne Bay, we must travel across the state of Florida, to Tampa, home to a legendary pirate named Jose Gaspar. Much like the Pirates Caesar, Jose Gaspar’s legacy is shrouded in mystery. Which is author speak for: He might not have existed, at least, not as we know him.
Jose Gaspar is said to be a famous pirate who sailed the Straits of Florida, terrorized shipping routes along Eastern North America, and captured and ransomed many in his quest for wealth, all in the middle and end of the 1700’s. He amassed a bountiful treasure, captured the hearts, minds, and land in the place we now call Tampa. He established a base on Gasparilla Island, where he hid his massive wealth. (If he didn’t hide it there, he might have hidden it on Sanibel Island, or one of the many islands in the ten-thousand islands regions of the Everglades.)
When the U.S. purchased Florida, it is said that he attempted to retire, only to be hunted down the by USS Enterprise. His ship: The Florablanca was engaged in battle and lost. As his ship was captured and his crew defeated, it is said that Gaspar plunged himself into the waters of Florida, so that he could die by his own hands, and not at the hands of the pirate hunting fleet.
It is said that he left a massive treasure behind, which is still undiscovered.
All of this is said, and not documented because he, Jose Gaspar, probably did not exist. At least, most of the feats attributed to him did not happen, and documents from the time lack any mention of such “widely known” and “powerful” pirate.
Instead. Most of Gaspar’s legacy can be traced back to the stories of another man. John, or Juan, Gomez. I will not go into him anymore, because he may, or may not be more involved with the Everglades book which will be coming out next year. (I haven’t written all of it yet.) Even if he is no, Panther John Gomez deserves a blog of his own. However, all we need to know about him today, is that it seems like he is thee origin of many of the legends about Gaspar
As for the Pirate Box, from the previous Blog—a box which will inspire many of the events in The Treasure of Biscayne Bay—It was inspired by a similar box associated with Jose Gaspar. About a decade ago, a family claimed to have found a box in their attic. That box contained a map, a few old coins, and the mummified hand of a pirate!
The box’s discoverers believed that it might have been tied to Jose Gaspar, and that the map might actually lead to the famous pirate’s treasure!
It was later determined that the old coins were old, but not treasure. (Most were from the mid 1800’s) The map was an old map of the Tampa region dating from the 1920’s. And the pirate hand was, in fact, a monkey hand. (Fortunately, it wasn’t human. I still feel sorry for the monkey.)
You can read more about that pirate box here: Watch: Coins, map, severed hand found in Fla. attic - UPI.com
And about the legend of Jose Gaspar (and a deep look into him) using the wayback machine here Wayback Machine (archive.org) or look for the article called. THE LEGEND OF GASPARILLA: MYTH AND HISTORY ON FLORIDA’S WEST COAST by André-Marcel d’Ans Translated by Marie-Joèle Ingalls
Also Wikipedia has articles on Gaspar, Gasparilla, and pictures of that box.
As for the Pirate Box in the last blog: Totally fake. Which should be obvious. I made up the author writing about it, I made up the plumber who claimed to have discovered the box, and while I have a very clear idea who left the box behind in the story, what the map, and the poem in that box lead to, and where this clue may lead. You will have to pick up the Treasure of Biscayne Bay to figure that out.
Treasure of Biscayne Bay will be out soon.
However, in less than a month, I am celebrating the 1 year release of another, spookier, mystery in the Junior Rangers Investigative Club Novels Series with my first book signing!
Come to the Barnes and Noble in Bowling Green Kentucky on October 19th, 2024 between 1 and 3pm and get a signed copy of The Specters of Mammoth Cave!
Yay!