One of Jack's customers named Roy Hill, a local fisherman, would frequent his bar. When Roy was drunk he would tell Jack a story that took place around 1910, when he was 18 years old. He would never discuss this story when sober or with anyone else but Jack. “Roy and a friend of his were part of a group of men that hijacked a ship called the Engel Trassen, somewhere off the southwest Florida coast. The ship came out of New Orleans, and supposedly carried $10,000,000 in gold bullion or coins. The ship was then taken to the Cay Sal Bank in the Bahamas, where the gold was taken off and secreted in a cave. Roy told Jack, that by the time the gold was transferred into the cave, their hands were raw and bleeding. Roy and his friend somehow overheard the leaders of the group plotting to kill them and keep the gold for themselves. Not wishing to die, Roy and his friend waited outside the cave and shot the men as they came out. They then put the bodies in the cave and closed the entrance. The Engel Trassen was scuttled (?), and the two men went back to Florida, never to return.”

When Jack finished telling me this story, I asked him the name of the island, but he said it had no name. Of course, I knew why he didn't want to reveal the name, so I didn't pursue it. I then asked if he believed the story and he said, “See that 25' Bertram Cabin Cruiser, why do you think I bought it.” He also told me that he could not go over to the island because of the trouble we were having with Cuba at the time. He did say the island was on the Cay Sal Bank, and also told me about two landmarks. As I said, I wrote the story down, but was not convinced it was true. In 1965, I was drafted into the Army, then I started a career, so I didn't go back to see Jack until the mid 70's. By that time be had died, so I visited with his wife Mary. Being a curious person, I asked her if Jack ever went over to the Bahamas to look for the cave. She said that they had gone, along with a friend named Ben Taylor. I also asked if she believed the story, but she just shrugged. She told me to go see Ben, because he knew more about it than she did.

In 1977, I went over to Ft. Myers to see Ben Taylor. He was at least 80 years old, and was a real nice gentleman. He gave me enough information to pinpoint the right island, and find the two landmarks that Jack had mentioned some 15 years before. He knew Roy Hill, but said Roy would never talk to him about the story, drunk or sober. He got everything second hand from Jack. He did tell me two new aspects of the story that Jack had not mentioned. First, the gold was contained in three copper chests that were elaborately engraved with French designs such as the Fleur-de-Lis. Second, Ed Watson, a notorious outlaw who lived south of Ft. Myers, was somehow involved in the hijacking. Watson was killed by a posse on October 24, 1910. I asked Ben if he thought Roy Hill would just make up this story. He said, “Roy was your typical fisherman, rum-running drunk, but that he would not make up the story.” A few weeks after I met with Ben, I decided to charter a small plane and fly over the island. I wanted to take aerial photographs and try to spot the landmarks. I called Ben on the phone and told him of my intentions, and he gave me a few more tips. I still have this conversation on a cassette tape.

In July 1977, I flew down to the island and took both color and infrared aerial photos, but one of the landmarks evaded me. I checked the photos over and over, but could not see it. This is when I made my first mistake. I should have taken the photos over to show Ben, but because I did not see the landmark I figured it would be a waste of time. I did not even call him on the phone. My second mistake was not enlarging the 3" by 5" photos, because if I did, I would have spotted the landmark. I then could have taken the photos over to Ben for a confirmation. I just spent $300 to charter a plane, but was too cheap (or stupid) to enlarge the photos.

In early 1994, I took out the photos and went over them with a magnifying glass. This is when I discovered what I believe is the landmark that Ben told me to look for. (I still recall the pilot of the plane pointing this spot out to me.) After enlarging the photograph, my suspicion seems to be right. I even think I can see where the cave entrance might be. Of course, I can't be sure until I go back to the island. In the meantime, I'm trying to confirm the existence of the Engel Trassen, but so far I have been unable to do so.

Most of my friends do not believe this story, but I think that there may be some truth to it for several reasons. Roy Hill lived on the southwest Florida coast, around 1910, and probably didn't have much schooling. Does it seem likely that he was able to make up such a story? The fact that Roy told Jack that their hands were raw and bleeding after unloading the gold, and that the chests were elaborately engraved and made of copper. Most people would just say iron chests. Even the name of the ship, Engel Trassen, does not sound like a name he would make up. And finally, Jack believed him enough to make trips to New Orleans, Key West, and finally to the island. As for the 10 million dollar figure, I find this hard to believe. In 1910, gold was valued at $20 per ounce, so the gold would have weighed 15.6 tons. That means each chest would have weighed over 5 tons. $100,000 would be more believable. Also, I can only think of one reason why Roy Hill would make up this story. He knew Jack was interested in treasure hunting, and told the story to get free drinks. If he only talked about it when drunk, Jack might have given him free drinks to get more information out of him.

Roy Hill was born on September 7, 1893. That would make him 17 years old on September 7, 1910. He told Jack that he and his friend were 18 years old when the hijacking took place, but Ed Watson died in October 1910, when Roy was only 17. Therefore, if this story is true, it probably happened between September 7, 1910, and September 6, 1912. According to the 1910 Census, Roy lived with his parents on a farm near Punta Rassa. He died in 1966. My research has uncovered two facts that may be relevant to this story. First, the Tarpon House Hotel was located at Punta Rassa. It catered to many millionaires and foreign royalty. They would arrive on their yachts, and spend their time fishing for tarpon. Second, during this period, gold was being shipped to Europe, because of the higher prices. A $20 gold piece might fetch $21 in London. Send over $1,000,000 and earn a quick $50,000. In 1910, the Kronprinzessin Cecelie carried $10,000,000 in gold coin from New York to London. So, we now have a possible yacht named the Engel Trassen, and a cargo of gold en route to Europe from New Orleans. Why not stop at Punta Rassa for some sport fishing. Maybe one of the crew gets drunk ashore, and mentions the gold. Thus, a source for the gold, and the opportunity for piracy. A second theory is that the gold was salvaged from an old wreck in the area and then stolen. I did find a newspaper article dated February 8, 1912, saying a small group of men may have located a quantity of gold in 12 feet of water near Boca Grande. They were waiting for equipment to salvage the gold, but I never found a follow-up article. By the way, Jack thought the gold was from the Louisiana Purchase, but that seems unlikely. My next step will be to confirm the existence of the Engel Trassen, but I'm not even sure that I'm even spelling the name right, since it was told to me verbally. Anybody have any ideas?

Jeffrey Kramer

P.S. Since I wrote the above story, I've done a considerable amount of research, but have not come up with anything to confirm it. Below are some of the archives I checked.

Miami Herald, 1909-1912
Ft. Myers Press, 1909-1912
N.Y. Times, 1909-1912
Lloyds of London, 1909-1912
National Archives
Louisiana Division of Archives
Mariner's Museum
Peabody Museum
Mystic Seaport Museum
Bergen Maritime Museum
Norsk Maritime Museum
Deutsches Maritime Museum
Encyclopedia of American Shipwrecks