Avast ye! Hear the raw tale of two swashbucklers that made downtown Tampa their permanent digs
No other time in Hillsborough County is as unique and spirited as Gasparilla season. Skeletons, shiny bead necklaces, and Jolly Roger flags all signal the impending invasion of pirates. But winter isn't the only time sea thieves can be observed in the area. Unbeknownst to many, at least two pirates settled here, permanently.
Oaklawn Cemetery, Tampa's first public graveyard, is the final resting place for Jose Perfino and "Mr. Hubbard," both deemed pirates, and both eternally entombed downtown since 1850.
Jose Perfino
The gravestone belonging to Jose Perfino, or "El Indio" (The Indian), indicates that he was killed. However, before he was slain, Circuit Court Judge Joseph B. Lancaster, who later became Tampa's first mayor, sentenced him to death by noose.
Perfino was found guilty of murdering a soldier in 1849 and sentenced to hang May 17, 1850. It was considered Hillsborough County's first high-profile murder case at the time. Since Perfino was poor, a lawyer was appointed to him. Representing him was James T. Magabee, Hillsborough County's first lawyer and a future judge, politician, and editor of the Tampa Guardian.
Magabee has his own riveting stories, including one in which he fell asleep in downtown Tampa, was covered in molasses and corn by enemies, and consequentially had his clothes torn off by wild hogs. Magabee would later become a Florida State Senator. He's buried in the same cemetery as Perfino.
But back to Perfino. Before justice could be served -- what was to be, at the time, the county's first official hanging -- El Indio escaped from the county jail. The Florida governor responded by issuing a $100 reward for his capture.
Four days after his scheduled hanging, a Fort Brooke soldier shot Perfino on May 21 and collected payment.
It's unclear if Perfino was truly a seafaring marauder. However, history suggests he had a dishonorable, if not contemptible, reputation. The supposed scallywag's official hanging decree included the phrase, "And may God have mercy on your soul." However, these last words were crossed out on the court document. Lancaster, having his final say on Perfino, is credited with having scratched them from the record.
Lancaster also rests in Oaklawn Cemetery, only a stone's throw away from where Perfino and Magabee are buried.
Mr. Hubbard
Not too far from Perfino's grave is another pirate's headstone, one belonging to Mr. Hubbard. The marker's engraving simply states:
MR HUBBARD
A CUBAN PIRATE
FOUND DEAD IN WOODS
JUNE 18, 1850
Unlike Perfino, there are few records on Hubbard. Minutes from a September 1850 Hillsborough County Commission meeting indicate that his remains were retrieved from the woods.
It is unknown if he was a true buccaneer or even Cuban. As the old pirate saying goes, "dead men tell no tales."
If you visit Hillsborough County's resident pirates, take note that the tombstones for Perfino and Hubbard are not the originals. The Tampa Historical Society replaced the 19th century markers in the 1970s, along with others that were disintegrating due to age.
If you are interested in learning more about other local graves, read Historic Burial Grounds of Hillsborough County.