"Louis dAury is hardly known in the pages of history, although the pirated millions of dollars in loot. A quantity of this plunder is still secreted on Floridas islands and beaches. Some of these treasure sites are in Seahorse Key, Honeymoon Island, Cotee River, Anclotte Key, Amelia Island, and Clearwater.
Louis dAury was born about 1707 in the coastal town of Calais, France. Like so many boys who grew up along the coast, his only prospect in life was fishing. However, dAury wanted more than that from life, so at the age of 15 he joined the French Navy. His first cruise aboard one of Napoleons ships was in the West Indies. Unfortunately, his ship tangled with a more formidable British Man-o-War and sank of the island of Martinique.
Young dAury was among the lucky sailors who were able to gain the safety if the islands shore. Later he signed aboard a merchant ship bound for New Orleans. At the time of his arrival, the notorious privateer, Jean LaFitte, was recruiting men for his ships, and dAury found a berth with him. He was eventually placed in command of one of LaFites ships.
Shortly before assuming command, dAury made several successful raids on Gulf Coast shipping, and before long had accumulated eleven chest of gold and silver, valued in the neighborhood of $14,000,000. In need of fresh water, he dropped anchor in Clearwater Bay on Floridas west coast.
Reasoning that his loot was too valuable to be carried aboard for long, dAury buried his eleven chests in the vicinity of a small spring located on a small bluff, near some oak trees to serve as markers.
In 1818, dAurys name suddenly dropped from history, and no details of his death are known. However, the search for dAurys hidden hoards still continues. Honeymoon Island on Floridas west coast near Dunedin, alone can boast of three treasure tales attributed to dAury. The first tells of a concrete cault supposedly loaded with pirates gold, silver, jewels, and other loot. The second purports that he buried three brass cannons crammed with loot near the northern end of Honeymoon Island. Another story relates that dAury secreted three chest near the islands north shoreline. An old ships anchor was alleged to mark the spot.
A romantic tale of another of dAurys hoards exists in New Port Ritchey, Florida. The old pirate was professed to have built a treasure vault in the bank of Pithlachascotte (Cotee) River just south of town. The way old-timers tell it, the entrance is accessible only by small boat when the tide is low. Otherwise the opening is covered by water."I am looking to find more information about this pirate and his potential life around the Tampa Bay Area.
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