1 00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:06,520 Speaker 1: You're listening to American Shadows, a production of iHeartRadio and 2 00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:18,759 Speaker 1: Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey. The mythical figure of 3 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:23,200 Speaker 1: robin Hood has endured for centuries. This classic tale of 4 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:25,840 Speaker 1: the anti hero who stole from the rich and gave 5 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:29,560 Speaker 1: to the poor has been retold countless times in books, movies, 6 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:34,760 Speaker 1: and folklore. Variations are found in multiple cultures from centuries 7 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:38,840 Speaker 1: past two modern times. People have often revered the concept 8 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:41,960 Speaker 1: of rising up against oppression in tyranny as a hero 9 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: or savior, so it's not surprising that tales of social 10 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaker 1: banditories sparked the imaginations of those living in the American 11 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: West during the eighteen hundreds. The written stories about robin 12 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:57,720 Speaker 1: Hood date back to the fourteen hundreds, and oral tellings 13 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:01,840 Speaker 1: probably stretched back a century before that. In these early tellings, 14 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:06,119 Speaker 1: a corrupt abbot demands payment from a night. Robin Hood 15 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:09,040 Speaker 1: loans the night the money, and later robs the abbot. 16 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:13,280 Speaker 1: In the eighteen hundreds, in the American West, people romanticized 17 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:16,760 Speaker 1: outlaws and told stories suggesting that they might be doing 18 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:21,560 Speaker 1: something similar. One such example is the famous and infamous 19 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:25,360 Speaker 1: Jesse James. But before the outlaw became one of America's 20 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 1: most hunted men. He and his brother served in the military, 21 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:32,399 Speaker 1: fighting for the Confederate Army during the Civil War. It 22 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: said that Jessie and his brother Frank took part in 23 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:39,360 Speaker 1: the Centralia massacre that killed twenty two Union soldiers. After 24 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:42,760 Speaker 1: the war, the brothers led a gang of outlaws specializing 25 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 1: in robbing stage coaches, banks and trains. A word of 26 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 1: the notorious James Gang spread across the nation, along with 27 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:54,200 Speaker 1: rumors that Jesse and Frank often robbed rich and gave 28 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:57,880 Speaker 1: the poor. In one of the most enduring stories, the 29 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:01,440 Speaker 1: James Gang rode through Missouri to a string of successful 30 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:05,520 Speaker 1: and profitable robberies. They came across a farmhouse where a 31 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 1: poor and elderly widow lived alone. With the law on 32 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:11,880 Speaker 1: their trail, the men asked the widow if they could 33 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:15,519 Speaker 1: stay and hide for a few days. She welcomed them and, 34 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:19,160 Speaker 1: in an act of kindness, shared her meager supplies and food. 35 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:23,960 Speaker 1: Jesse noticed the woman seemed distracted and upset and asked 36 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:27,399 Speaker 1: what was troubling her. To a surprise, she broke down 37 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:31,799 Speaker 1: in tears. Aside from being recently widowed, her mortgage was 38 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:35,400 Speaker 1: due and she had no money to pay The widow 39 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:39,160 Speaker 1: explained that her lender was far from understanding or generous 40 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:41,560 Speaker 1: in the matter, and she had no place to go 41 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:45,120 Speaker 1: and no way to earn a living. Jesse asked the 42 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 1: woman how much she needed to pay off her mortgage. 43 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:51,880 Speaker 1: She told him she needed fifteen hundred dollars. Jesse promptly 44 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:53,880 Speaker 1: gave her the money and pulled her to get a 45 00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 1: receipt from the debt collector when he came for the money. 46 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,880 Speaker 1: Then he asked for the collector's description. The gang left 47 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:04,360 Speaker 1: shortly after, but instead of continuing their journey, they waited 48 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:07,600 Speaker 1: in the woods. The deck collector arrived, took the money, 49 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:10,359 Speaker 1: and handed the woman receipt. When he got back on 50 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:13,280 Speaker 1: his horse and rode away, Jesse and the gang followed. 51 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:16,239 Speaker 1: They trailed the man for a while before robbing him. 52 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:19,680 Speaker 1: Jesse took back the fifteen hundred dollars and the gang 53 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:24,240 Speaker 1: rode away. Although this story is likely a myth, it's 54 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: been widely accepted by the American imagination as fact. Like 55 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:32,000 Speaker 1: Robin Hood, stories about Jesse, James and his gang of 56 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 1: merry men robbing the rich and giving to the poor 57 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 1: have endured, making him seem like a noble Outlaw One. 58 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:42,920 Speaker 1: News of Jesse's death appeared in newspapers in April of 59 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:47,560 Speaker 1: eighteen forty two. Rumors swirled that he was alive and well. 60 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:51,520 Speaker 1: Some believed that Jesse and fellow gang member Robert Ford 61 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 1: had plotted to kill another man resembling Jesse, which allowed 62 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 1: him time to escape. Since then, science and the marvels 63 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:02,360 Speaker 1: of DNA have proved that the body in Jesse's grave 64 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:07,760 Speaker 1: is indeed the Outlaw himself. But for many decades, Jesse's 65 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:10,520 Speaker 1: legacy of being the Great robin Hood of the American 66 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 1: West lived on. I'm Lauren Vogelbaum. Welcome to American Shadows. 67 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:29,120 Speaker 1: When we picture the life of American outlaws, we might 68 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:32,080 Speaker 1: think of the mid to late eighteen hundreds. We may 69 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:36,640 Speaker 1: envision the open Midwestern plains, rocky outcrops, and dusty trails. 70 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:40,720 Speaker 1: So we think of cowboys and wrestlers across Arizona Wyoming 71 00:04:40,760 --> 00:04:44,679 Speaker 1: in California. But perhaps few would think of the early 72 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:49,520 Speaker 1: nineteen hundreds and Florida. Instead of dusty streets and tumbleweeds. 73 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:53,240 Speaker 1: The scenery in mid eighteen fifties, Florida looked a bit different. 74 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:58,279 Speaker 1: South Florida was a wilderness of sawgrass marsh and mangrove forest. 75 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:02,000 Speaker 1: The mikatsuke In semin peoples shared the Everglades with a 76 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 1: host of wading birds and Florida panthers. Water flowed down 77 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:10,680 Speaker 1: and across the state through the Kissimmee Basin and Lake Okeechobee, 78 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:16,760 Speaker 1: eventually reaching Biscayne Bay. Alligators, crocodiles, and other animals coexisted 79 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:21,839 Speaker 1: within the ecosystem. Early colonists thought the swampy, alligator infested 80 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:25,479 Speaker 1: area was worthless. They dug out canals to drain the 81 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:29,880 Speaker 1: water from what they considered potentially valuable grazing and farmland. 82 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:34,159 Speaker 1: In eighteen sixty one, Florida seceded from the Union to 83 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:38,960 Speaker 1: join the Confederacy of Floridians depended on cattle, citrus, and 84 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:42,640 Speaker 1: other produce and feared that their economy would fall without 85 00:05:42,640 --> 00:05:46,719 Speaker 1: the enslaved labor of indigenous peoples and Africans. In the 86 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:51,480 Speaker 1: coming decades, colonists dug more canals and drained more water away. 87 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 1: And while we might picture newcomers choosing to live on 88 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:59,800 Speaker 1: that open farmland, some families chose to live in the Everglades, 89 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:04,640 Speaker 1: and such was the life for the Ashley family. Julius Ashley, 90 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:08,640 Speaker 1: known simply as Joe, his wife Leuginia, and the couple's 91 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:12,039 Speaker 1: nine sons and two daughters, moved from Fort Myers to 92 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:15,680 Speaker 1: West Palm Beach, Florida in nineteen oh four. For a 93 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:18,880 Speaker 1: short time, Joe worked on the Flaggler Railroad and served 94 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:22,839 Speaker 1: as a lawman. But Joe also made first rate moonshine, 95 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:26,360 Speaker 1: which conflicted with his career, and the family settled in 96 00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:28,799 Speaker 1: a small town in the Everglades just north of Hobe 97 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:32,359 Speaker 1: Sound to hide the business. The Ashleys carved out a 98 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:36,200 Speaker 1: living distilling moonshine and living off the land. They knew 99 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:39,359 Speaker 1: the Everglades as well as anyone, and used their knowledge 100 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:44,280 Speaker 1: to hunt and trap animals, mostly alligators and otters. Occasionally, 101 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:47,240 Speaker 1: the Ashley boys teamed up with their seminal neighbors for 102 00:06:47,520 --> 00:06:51,839 Speaker 1: hunting or fishing expeditions. A Joe's son, John, became even 103 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:54,479 Speaker 1: more adept than the siblings in learning how to navigate 104 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:59,080 Speaker 1: the Everglades. At times, John disappeared down hunts for days, 105 00:06:59,120 --> 00:07:02,200 Speaker 1: often with his friends and Desto Tiger, the son of 106 00:07:02,240 --> 00:07:05,520 Speaker 1: a seminole leader. The friends went off hunting one day 107 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 1: in December of nineteen eleven. Days later, John was spotted 108 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:14,640 Speaker 1: in town without DeSoto. For days, no one sawed Soto. Finally, 109 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: on December twenty ninth, a crew dredging the New River 110 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:22,080 Speaker 1: Canal near Fort Lauderdale found Soto's body. He had been 111 00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:25,800 Speaker 1: shot in the back of the head. Naturally, John became 112 00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:29,240 Speaker 1: the main suspect. The pair had last been seen transporting 113 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:33,120 Speaker 1: Otter Pelts in John's canoe. John then sold the pelts 114 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:35,960 Speaker 1: four twelve hundred dollars at a Miami trading post and 115 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:40,080 Speaker 1: pocketed the entire amount. With witnesses placing the two together. 116 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:43,960 Speaker 1: Then a strong motive for murder, Palm Beach Sheriff George 117 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:47,960 Speaker 1: Baker ordered two deputies to arrest John. The men arrived 118 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:50,600 Speaker 1: at the Ashley camp, only to be confronted by John 119 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:53,760 Speaker 1: and his brother Bob. John told the deputies that he 120 00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:55,960 Speaker 1: had let them live so they could deliver a message 121 00:07:55,960 --> 00:07:58,840 Speaker 1: to the sheriff if Baker sent any more lawman to 122 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:02,960 Speaker 1: find him, that it hurt. The deputies left, but John 123 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:07,560 Speaker 1: figured they'd return with more men. Baker chose a different approach. 124 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:11,120 Speaker 1: Instead of sending men into the Everglades, they'd wait for 125 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:14,040 Speaker 1: John to come to them. At some point, John would 126 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:17,000 Speaker 1: need to go into town. It didn't take long before 127 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:20,120 Speaker 1: nearly every post office in South Florida had a wanted 128 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:23,600 Speaker 1: poster of John Ashley on display, and there wasn't a 129 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:27,160 Speaker 1: town John could step foot in without being recognized. With 130 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:29,880 Speaker 1: a reward on his head, he decided to leave the state. 131 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:33,240 Speaker 1: Some say he headed toward New Orleans, others say he 132 00:08:33,320 --> 00:08:37,360 Speaker 1: went to Seattle. Either way, John got homesick and returned 133 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:40,640 Speaker 1: in nineteen fourteen. He surrendered and was taken to jail 134 00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:44,079 Speaker 1: to await trial, but John and his family had no 135 00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:55,920 Speaker 1: intention of giving up so easily. John Ashley's first trial 136 00:08:56,080 --> 00:08:59,600 Speaker 1: in Palm Beach in July of nineteen fourteen ended in 137 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:04,200 Speaker 1: a trial Convinced of his guilt, the state prosecutor and 138 00:09:04,440 --> 00:09:07,560 Speaker 1: Sheriff Baker were determined to see him hang for murder. 139 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:11,720 Speaker 1: After reevaluating the trial, the prosecutor determined that it had 140 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:14,960 Speaker 1: been a mistake to try John and Palm Beach, the 141 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:18,400 Speaker 1: county was full of friends, relatives, and customers of the 142 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:22,320 Speaker 1: Ashley family. When the prosecutor set a new trial date, 143 00:09:22,480 --> 00:09:27,199 Speaker 1: he also requested a new location, Miami. A judge granted 144 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:30,880 Speaker 1: the request, which didn't bode well for the Ashley's, but 145 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:34,360 Speaker 1: John managed to escape during transport, who climbing over a 146 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:38,560 Speaker 1: ten foot fence and disappearing into the everglades. Adding insult 147 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:42,920 Speaker 1: to injury, He'd escaped from Sheriff Baker's own son. The 148 00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:45,560 Speaker 1: Ashley family had long been at odds with the law, 149 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:50,480 Speaker 1: and Joe had little problem encouraging his son's illegal actions. 150 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:53,520 Speaker 1: He helped his sons and their gang in an attempted 151 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:57,840 Speaker 1: robbery of the Florida East Coast Railway. However, the gang's 152 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:01,720 Speaker 1: lack of a plan and a savvy poor foiled their attempt. 153 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:06,120 Speaker 1: In late February of nineteen fifteen, the Ashley Gang robbed 154 00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:09,079 Speaker 1: a bank in Stuart. The group took in forty three 155 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:12,480 Speaker 1: hundred dollars about one hundred and twenty thousand dollars today. 156 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:17,880 Speaker 1: Though not everything went smoothly, kid Lowe, the gang's newest member, 157 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:22,280 Speaker 1: accidentally shot John in the jaw. The bullet's trajectory caused 158 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:25,800 Speaker 1: John to lose his eyesight. The group went into hiding 159 00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:29,480 Speaker 1: for a while. John's pain increased and he was forced 160 00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:33,640 Speaker 1: to seek medical attention. A doctor removed one eye, replacing 161 00:10:33,640 --> 00:10:36,880 Speaker 1: it with a glass eye and the patch. When he finished, 162 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:40,120 Speaker 1: Sheriff Baker and a posse arrested John and sent him 163 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:43,880 Speaker 1: to jail in Miami. It wasn't long before the Dade 164 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:47,120 Speaker 1: County jail guards heard rumors that the Ashley Gang had 165 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:50,920 Speaker 1: plans to break John out. A security increased, though that 166 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:55,120 Speaker 1: hardly deterred the Ashley's. Joe gathered his sons to make 167 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:59,680 Speaker 1: detailed plans for John's escape. Bob grew impatient and decided 168 00:10:59,679 --> 00:11:02,360 Speaker 1: to break John out in a blaze of glory by himself. 169 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:05,840 Speaker 1: On June second of nineteen fifteen, he went to the 170 00:11:05,880 --> 00:11:09,760 Speaker 1: Miami Dade Deputy Sheriff's home next to the jail. Bob 171 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:12,360 Speaker 1: stood outside for a few minutes before knocking on the door. 172 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:17,640 Speaker 1: Deputy Wilbur Hendrickson answered. Bob raised his rifle and fired, 173 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:20,800 Speaker 1: shooting the deputy in the chest. While he took the 174 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:24,600 Speaker 1: deputy's jail house keys, Missus Hendrickson grabbed a rifle. She 175 00:11:24,679 --> 00:11:28,000 Speaker 1: pulled the trigger, but the rifle didn't fire. The shot 176 00:11:28,040 --> 00:11:31,680 Speaker 1: had drawn the attention of nearby residence, forcing Bob to flee. 177 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:36,199 Speaker 1: In his hasty retreat, he dropped the keys. Bob carjacked 178 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:39,120 Speaker 1: delivery truck, though the driver had a gun to his head. 179 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:42,560 Speaker 1: He stole the truck to allow officer John Riblet to 180 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:45,560 Speaker 1: catch up in a vehicle behind him. When the officer 181 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:48,200 Speaker 1: demanded that he gave himself up, Bob shot him in 182 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:52,720 Speaker 1: the head. Incredibly, Officer Riblet returned fire, hitting Bob twice. 183 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:56,520 Speaker 1: Both men were rushed to the hospital where Riblet died. 184 00:11:57,040 --> 00:11:59,640 Speaker 1: The sheriff moved Bob Ashley to the jail, but he 185 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:05,000 Speaker 1: died upon arrival. John's second trial went better than expected. 186 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:08,360 Speaker 1: He managed to escape the death sentence for the murder 187 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:11,920 Speaker 1: of the Sodo Tiger. However, the court did sentence him 188 00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:15,000 Speaker 1: to seventeen years for his part in the bank robbery. 189 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:18,760 Speaker 1: In March of nineteen eighteen, John Ashley got out of 190 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:22,360 Speaker 1: prison on good behavior and immediately returned to his former 191 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:25,920 Speaker 1: life of crime. The Ashley Gang continued to rob trains 192 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:30,480 Speaker 1: and banks, but with prohibition, rum running and bootlegging proved 193 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:33,920 Speaker 1: easy money. The Ashley gang set up multiple stills around 194 00:12:33,960 --> 00:12:37,520 Speaker 1: Palm Beach County. John, along with brothers Ed and Frank, 195 00:12:37,840 --> 00:12:42,080 Speaker 1: made frequent moonlight trips to and from British liquor warehouses 196 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:45,520 Speaker 1: in the Bahamas to the Jupiter Inlet. The gang added 197 00:12:45,559 --> 00:12:49,920 Speaker 1: a new member, John's girlfriend, Laura, up the grove Laura 198 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:52,680 Speaker 1: had had two children with her first husband and two 199 00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:56,400 Speaker 1: more with her second husband, Ernest. One day, she left 200 00:12:56,480 --> 00:13:00,480 Speaker 1: Ernest and her children to join the Ashley Gang. Laura 201 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:03,400 Speaker 1: worked as a scout for the gang. She've also helped 202 00:13:03,440 --> 00:13:06,520 Speaker 1: play in the bank robberies and often drove the getaway car. 203 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:10,160 Speaker 1: When members of the gang were arrested, Laura planned their escape. 204 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:14,440 Speaker 1: Though perhaps not a raving beauty, she still caught men's attention. 205 00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:18,760 Speaker 1: She was tall, dark hair, dark eyed, and a notorious flirt. 206 00:13:19,360 --> 00:13:22,600 Speaker 1: By all accounts, she was a mean spirited woman who 207 00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:25,320 Speaker 1: wore a thirty eight on our hip as She was 208 00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:27,400 Speaker 1: as good a shot as any member of the gang, 209 00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:32,079 Speaker 1: and like the Ashley's, Laura knew her way around the Everglades. 210 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:36,440 Speaker 1: By nineteen twenty, John didn't think life could get much better, 211 00:13:37,160 --> 00:13:40,200 Speaker 1: but then he got word that his nemesis, Sheriff Baker, 212 00:13:40,760 --> 00:13:57,000 Speaker 1: had died. John's elation didn't last though, a Sheriff Baker's 213 00:13:57,040 --> 00:14:00,680 Speaker 1: son stepped in to take his father's place. He wasn't 214 00:14:00,679 --> 00:14:04,559 Speaker 1: about to give up on arresting the Ashley Boys. In 215 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:08,640 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty one, John was delivering liquor in Wachula when 216 00:14:08,679 --> 00:14:12,120 Speaker 1: the new sheriff Baker arrested him. During the months that 217 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:16,760 Speaker 1: followed John's incarceration, his nephew, Hanford Mobley and gang member 218 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:20,680 Speaker 1: Roy Matthews ran the day to day operations. A brothers, 219 00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:24,160 Speaker 1: Ed and Frank Ashley continued the run running operation without him, 220 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:27,080 Speaker 1: and they set out on a dark October night in 221 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:30,240 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty one for another trip across the Gulf Stream. 222 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:34,240 Speaker 1: That was the last anyone saw of those two Ashley boys, 223 00:14:35,360 --> 00:14:38,520 Speaker 1: But in the following years, the gang robbed the Bank 224 00:14:38,520 --> 00:14:43,040 Speaker 1: of Stuart again and John escaped from prison, followed by 225 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:47,680 Speaker 1: the escape of two other gang members from a different prison. Reunited, 226 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:51,640 Speaker 1: the gang ramped up their crime spree to taunt Sheriff Baker. 227 00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:54,560 Speaker 1: John began leaving a gun with a single bullet at 228 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:59,160 Speaker 1: every robbery. Infuriated, Baker swore that he would bring John 229 00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:02,240 Speaker 1: to justice and carry his glass eye around like a 230 00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:06,680 Speaker 1: pocket watch. In the early morning hours of January ninth, 231 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:10,920 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty four, Baker gathered a large posse and surrounded 232 00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:13,360 Speaker 1: a camp a couple of miles from the Ashley homestead. 233 00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:17,680 Speaker 1: The two groups exchanged gunfire. One of the officers shot 234 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:22,400 Speaker 1: Joe in the head, killing him. John fatally shot Deputy 235 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:26,280 Speaker 1: Fred Baker, the sheriff's cousin, and during the exchange, Laura 236 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:31,640 Speaker 1: was also shot but survived. John Ashley vowed kill every 237 00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:34,640 Speaker 1: deputy when given a chance. Then he and the gang 238 00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:38,520 Speaker 1: escaped into the Everglades the empty handed. The posse burned 239 00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:42,200 Speaker 1: the camp and the homestead to the ground. The Ashleys 240 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:44,800 Speaker 1: had made a threat, and as far as the deputies 241 00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:47,920 Speaker 1: were concerned, it was now them or the Ashley Gang. 242 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:51,120 Speaker 1: John and the gang robbed the Bank of Pompinow on 243 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:54,320 Speaker 1: September twelfth of nineteen twenty four. The heist netted the 244 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:58,200 Speaker 1: group five thousand dollars in cash and another eighteen thousand insecurities. 245 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:01,440 Speaker 1: Was still angry over his father's death and Laura's injury, 246 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:06,480 Speaker 1: John wanted to humiliate Baker, so he handed the cashier 247 00:16:06,640 --> 00:16:09,560 Speaker 1: and unspent bullet. He ordered the cashier to give the 248 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:12,360 Speaker 1: bullet to Sheriff Baker when he arrived, along with the 249 00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:15,240 Speaker 1: message that he had another bullet waiting for the sheriff 250 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:17,360 Speaker 1: if he was man enough to come and get it. 251 00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:21,520 Speaker 1: John moved the gang's camp nearly three hundred miles north 252 00:16:21,560 --> 00:16:24,360 Speaker 1: to his sister's house. As some say he was headed 253 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:28,320 Speaker 1: toward Jacksonville, where they were planning another bank robbery. Later, 254 00:16:28,680 --> 00:16:31,160 Speaker 1: John's mother would insist her sons were trying to give 255 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 1: up their life of crime. For a while. John took 256 00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:38,440 Speaker 1: some delight that the press chastised Baker for his inability 257 00:16:38,480 --> 00:16:42,640 Speaker 1: to capture the gang, but even the humiliation didn't quite 258 00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:46,440 Speaker 1: quench his hatred for Baker. John wanted revenge for his 259 00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:51,920 Speaker 1: father's death and vowed to assassinate Baker after the November elections. However, 260 00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:54,840 Speaker 1: Sheriff Baker was already on to the Ashley's and their 261 00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:57,960 Speaker 1: new location. The Stuart police chief had been on the 262 00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:00,760 Speaker 1: lookout and saw John's brother in law a loading an 263 00:17:00,760 --> 00:17:04,160 Speaker 1: excessive amount of groceries into his car. A Baker called 264 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:07,520 Speaker 1: Saint Lucy County Sheriff J. R. Merritt, and the two 265 00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:11,000 Speaker 1: men planned an ambush for the Ashleys. Merritt placed a 266 00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:14,439 Speaker 1: roadblock on the Sebastian Bridge on November first of nineteen 267 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:18,520 Speaker 1: twenty four. Baker stayed behind, afraid that if he left 268 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:21,199 Speaker 1: Palm Beach, someone might tip off the Ashleys that he 269 00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:24,840 Speaker 1: was onto them. Instead, Baker sent four men to meet 270 00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:28,600 Speaker 1: up with Merritt and to Saint Lucy. Deputies ten thirty 271 00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:31,840 Speaker 1: that night, a car drove up and stopped a blockade. 272 00:17:32,359 --> 00:17:35,200 Speaker 1: A second car carrying the Ashley gang, drove up behind 273 00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:38,400 Speaker 1: the first. With the gang's interests centered on the car 274 00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:41,160 Speaker 1: stopped in front of them, Merritt and the deputies took 275 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:44,679 Speaker 1: the Ashley gang by surprise, surrounding them and ordering them 276 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:47,600 Speaker 1: out of their vehicle with their hands up. What happened 277 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:50,960 Speaker 1: next is still debated. Some say that the Ashley gang 278 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:54,040 Speaker 1: tried to escape and were shot, but the men in 279 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:56,399 Speaker 1: the first car claimed that the gang was already in 280 00:17:56,520 --> 00:18:00,520 Speaker 1: handcuffs when they were asked to leave the scene. Ashley 281 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:03,679 Speaker 1: was known to carry a gun, and the deputies claimed 282 00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:06,920 Speaker 1: they did not yet have the gang in handcuffs. John 283 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:08,680 Speaker 1: was ordered to keep his hands up and not make 284 00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:11,359 Speaker 1: a move. They said he was shot when he lowered 285 00:18:11,359 --> 00:18:15,440 Speaker 1: his hands and stepped forward. The investigation ruled that the 286 00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:17,640 Speaker 1: deputies shot and killed the rest of the gang when 287 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:21,439 Speaker 1: they attempted to flee, leaving some to speculate that Baker 288 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:24,760 Speaker 1: had ensured that justice would be served in one way 289 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:36,919 Speaker 1: or another. Laura up the Grove lived to tell the tale. 290 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:40,479 Speaker 1: She hadn't been there the night John was killed. Without 291 00:18:40,560 --> 00:18:44,640 Speaker 1: John and the gang, she wandered around South Florida. Reportedly, 292 00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:47,600 Speaker 1: Laura had told an informmant about John and the gang's 293 00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:50,479 Speaker 1: plans to travel north. She knew they would be traveling 294 00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:53,240 Speaker 1: across the bridge that night. He had left her behind, 295 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:56,840 Speaker 1: and she had been angry. Or One night after the shooting, 296 00:18:57,200 --> 00:18:59,800 Speaker 1: she fought with a friend over a bottle of moonshine. 297 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:03,520 Speaker 1: Angry and not paying attention, she grabbed a bottle that 298 00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:07,440 Speaker 1: she thought was moonshine and drank deeply. Instead of alcohol, 299 00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:12,080 Speaker 1: the bottle contained a strong disinfectant. Within minutes, she was dead. 300 00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:15,399 Speaker 1: Rumors swirled that she had been the last to know 301 00:19:15,560 --> 00:19:19,080 Speaker 1: where the Ashley Gang had hidden their money. Locals speculated 302 00:19:19,119 --> 00:19:21,280 Speaker 1: that the gang had stolen a large amount of cash 303 00:19:21,320 --> 00:19:23,879 Speaker 1: that was unaccounted for and had buried it deep in 304 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:27,600 Speaker 1: the Everglades. It's estimated that the gang stole over a 305 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:31,439 Speaker 1: hundred thousand dollars, though only thirty two thousand was ever reclaimed. 306 00:19:32,080 --> 00:19:34,480 Speaker 1: Some rumors say that Laura had some of the money 307 00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:37,919 Speaker 1: buried with her. Others say that after John's death, she 308 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:41,440 Speaker 1: buried the money at a gas station. When the Great 309 00:19:41,480 --> 00:19:46,159 Speaker 1: Depression hit, the story of the Ashley Gang changed. They'd 310 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:49,400 Speaker 1: done some horrific things, but the new tale among many 311 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:51,639 Speaker 1: of the locals was that the gang gave food to 312 00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:55,600 Speaker 1: the poor. To them, John became a modern day Robin Hood. 313 00:19:56,160 --> 00:20:00,520 Speaker 1: People idolized the Ashley's, claiming the gang where missunderstood rebels 314 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:03,879 Speaker 1: rising up against a corrupt government and system designed to 315 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:07,960 Speaker 1: keep the poor impoverished. Others said that with the stolen money, 316 00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:10,680 Speaker 1: the Ashley's were able to hire people in the community, 317 00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:13,800 Speaker 1: which helped them earn a living. Like the James Gang, 318 00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:17,480 Speaker 1: It's unlikely that the Ashley Gang gave away their money 319 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:20,760 Speaker 1: to the needy. They most likely spent the money or 320 00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:25,040 Speaker 1: gave some of its relatives. People have searched for their stash, 321 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:30,280 Speaker 1: including professional treasure hunter Robert Allison in nineteen seventy two. Reportedly, 322 00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:33,400 Speaker 1: Allison found the treasure after his team used a front 323 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:36,040 Speaker 1: loader to scrape the top soil on the Ashley's property 324 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:40,240 Speaker 1: near Hope Sound, though this is also speculation and has 325 00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:45,480 Speaker 1: never been confirmed. One last detail for you. Remember how 326 00:20:45,520 --> 00:20:48,240 Speaker 1: Sheriff Baker Wants swore that he would one day wear 327 00:20:48,359 --> 00:20:51,560 Speaker 1: John Ashley's glass eye like a pocket watch. One of 328 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:54,879 Speaker 1: the deputies at the scene supposedly snatched the eye to 329 00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:59,679 Speaker 1: give to Baker. Two stories follow. One account is that 330 00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:03,520 Speaker 1: just after John's death, Laura walked into Sheriff Baker's office, 331 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:06,960 Speaker 1: leveled to forty five at his head, and demanded John's eye. 332 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:09,520 Speaker 1: After taking it from him, she told him that if 333 00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:11,840 Speaker 1: he wanted it bad enough, he was welcome to come 334 00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:14,879 Speaker 1: and get it if he was a man enough. But 335 00:21:15,119 --> 00:21:18,920 Speaker 1: the truth is more likely the second story. In an interview, 336 00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:21,800 Speaker 1: the deputy who took the eye from John Ashley said 337 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:24,840 Speaker 1: he never ended up giving the eye to Baker. Instead, 338 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:27,440 Speaker 1: he was forced to return it to be married with Ashley. 339 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:30,760 Speaker 1: He stated that had he known John would get it back, 340 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:33,359 Speaker 1: he would have crushed the eye under the heel of 341 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:38,160 Speaker 1: his boot. There's more to this story. Stick around after 342 00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:50,920 Speaker 1: this brief sponsor break to hear all about it. Long 343 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:56,440 Speaker 1: before outlaws roamed the West, America feared a different villain, pirates, 344 00:21:57,160 --> 00:22:00,359 Speaker 1: and while some treasure hunters still searched the Everglade for 345 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:04,680 Speaker 1: John Ashley's treasure, others looked the Florida Keys for buried 346 00:22:04,760 --> 00:22:07,760 Speaker 1: gems and gold coins left behind by one of the 347 00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:12,080 Speaker 1: state's most fearsome pirates in history. A little is known 348 00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:16,560 Speaker 1: about Black Caesar. Legends tell us. He roamed the Caribbean 349 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:19,879 Speaker 1: Sea in the late seventeen hundreds, striking fear into the 350 00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:23,920 Speaker 1: hearts of sailors and merchants alike. Stories about him may 351 00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:27,480 Speaker 1: actually be an amalgam of stories about different black men 352 00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:30,520 Speaker 1: who were pirrating in the Caribbean at the time. Whatever 353 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:34,199 Speaker 1: the case, his real name was conveniently never known, and 354 00:22:34,359 --> 00:22:37,400 Speaker 1: he adopted the pseudonym Black Caesar due to his dark 355 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:41,840 Speaker 1: skin and imposing stature. According to legend, he came from 356 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:44,960 Speaker 1: West Africa and was the son of a powerful chief. 357 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:48,440 Speaker 1: He was rumored to be of enormous size and strength, 358 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:51,840 Speaker 1: and many enslavers tried to capture him, to no avail. 359 00:22:52,480 --> 00:22:56,119 Speaker 1: It took betrayal to finally capture him. A business associate 360 00:22:56,200 --> 00:22:59,480 Speaker 1: lured Black Caesar onto a boat, claiming there were many 361 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:03,400 Speaker 1: valuable and stolen goods that might be of use. Once aboard, 362 00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:08,520 Speaker 1: Caesar was outmanned and subdued. His captors chained and shackled him, 363 00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:11,879 Speaker 1: then transferred Caesar to a slave ship headed to the Caribbean. 364 00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:15,919 Speaker 1: A sailor aboard the ship befriended him, and during a storm, 365 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:19,399 Speaker 1: he freed Caesar. Together, the two managed to escape the 366 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:22,320 Speaker 1: ship before it smashed into the reefs, killing all those 367 00:23:22,359 --> 00:23:25,760 Speaker 1: still aboard. Caesar and the sailor rowed a small boat, 368 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:28,679 Speaker 1: the Hurricane, and made it safely to a small island 369 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:32,640 Speaker 1: in the Florida Keys. There the friends began their pirrating 370 00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:36,520 Speaker 1: scheme in earnest, laying wait for passing ships. The men 371 00:23:36,560 --> 00:23:38,840 Speaker 1: would row out to sea and pretend to be lost 372 00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:42,920 Speaker 1: and in need of rescue. When the other ships offered help, 373 00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:46,120 Speaker 1: the pirates took advantage of their kindness and plundered them. 374 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:50,480 Speaker 1: The scheme proved to be very profitable. Eventually, Caesar and 375 00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:54,520 Speaker 1: the sailor added more men to their crew. Their partnership 376 00:23:54,560 --> 00:23:57,800 Speaker 1: apparently ended when they captured a woman, and the sailor 377 00:23:57,880 --> 00:24:01,639 Speaker 1: and Caesar both wanted her. Caesar killed his best friend 378 00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:05,399 Speaker 1: over her. A black Caesar was known for his cunning 379 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:09,240 Speaker 1: and intelligence, as well as for his immense wealth. He 380 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:13,360 Speaker 1: plundered countless ships over the years, amassing of fortune in gold, jewels, 381 00:24:13,400 --> 00:24:18,119 Speaker 1: and other valuable goods. When he raided ships, he took men, women, 382 00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:21,280 Speaker 1: in children captive and placed them in prisoner camps, hoping 383 00:24:21,320 --> 00:24:25,439 Speaker 1: for ransoms. In Some stories say that escaped children created 384 00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:29,359 Speaker 1: their own society on the islands as his wealth grew. 385 00:24:29,760 --> 00:24:32,399 Speaker 1: It was said that Black Caesar kept his treasure in 386 00:24:32,440 --> 00:24:36,000 Speaker 1: a secret location known only to him and a select 387 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:39,879 Speaker 1: few of his most trusted crew members. According to legend, 388 00:24:40,080 --> 00:24:43,760 Speaker 1: he buried the treasure off the Florida coast on Elliott Key, 389 00:24:43,840 --> 00:24:47,560 Speaker 1: where he believed it would be safe. Caesar later joined 390 00:24:47,600 --> 00:24:50,840 Speaker 1: Blackbeard's crew and was with him the day Lieutenant Robert 391 00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:55,200 Speaker 1: Maynard killed him. As Caesar was arrested and later hanged 392 00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:59,879 Speaker 1: in Williamsburg, Virginia, the rumors of Black Caesar's treasure spread 393 00:25:00,119 --> 00:25:04,680 Speaker 1: like wildfire throughout the Caribbean. Many pirates and adventurers set 394 00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:07,119 Speaker 1: out to find what they thought was a treasure of 395 00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:12,359 Speaker 1: unimaginable wealth. However, no treasure was ever found. As the 396 00:25:12,440 --> 00:25:15,800 Speaker 1: years passed, the story of Black Caesar's treasure became the 397 00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:19,240 Speaker 1: stuff of legend, and many said that the island was 398 00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:22,040 Speaker 1: cursed and that anyone who'd tried to claim the treasure 399 00:25:22,040 --> 00:25:25,399 Speaker 1: would suffer some terrible fate. Some even claimed that the 400 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:27,720 Speaker 1: island was haunted by the ghosts of those who had 401 00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:30,720 Speaker 1: tried and failed to find it. The legend has it 402 00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:33,879 Speaker 1: that Black Caesar's treasure is still out there and waiting 403 00:25:33,920 --> 00:25:37,320 Speaker 1: to be discovered. The skeptics say the treasure is nothing 404 00:25:37,359 --> 00:25:41,840 Speaker 1: more than a myth and never really existed. Like the 405 00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:44,800 Speaker 1: story of Robin Hood, taking from the rich and giving 406 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:48,679 Speaker 1: to the poor, legends of ill begotten treasure waiting to 407 00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:52,800 Speaker 1: be found continue to capture the imagination of people all 408 00:25:52,800 --> 00:26:03,399 Speaker 1: over the world. American Shadows as hosted by Lauren Vogelbaum. 409 00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:07,639 Speaker 1: This episode was written by Michelle Muto, researched by Ali Steed, 410 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:11,440 Speaker 1: and produced by Miranda Hawkins and Trevor Young, with executive 411 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:16,200 Speaker 1: producers Aaron Manky, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. To learn 412 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:19,480 Speaker 1: more about the show, visit grimanmil dot com. From more 413 00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:24,240 Speaker 1: podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 414 00:26:24,280 --> 00:26:25,920 Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts.