The Rise and Fall of Dangerous Dan McGirt
They Never Could Bring Themselves To Hang Him
This story is by the folks at the Clay County Archives Center.
The Spanish took over La Florida from the British in the spring of 1783—a time of upheaval and uncertainty. The British, who held Florida for 20 years, were being kicked out, so incoming Spanish Governor Vincente Manuel de Cespedes had his hands full, as did outgoing British East Florida Governor Patrick Tonyn.
In the midst of all this upheaval were the banditti (bandits), led by Dan McGirt (McGirtt, McGirth). He took full advantage of the confusion by raiding farms, stealing cattle and horses, stealing and reselling slaves, holding up travelers, and causing basic mayhem. The McGirt myth involves tales of him being a seafaring pirate.
Despite such a lousy reputation, he had a wife who “ever received the kindest attentions from her relatives and friends, notwithstanding the misdeeds of her husband”. Mrs. McGirt was highly thought of and had several children.
McGirt’s “lair” was the old Abraham Jones land grant, now known as the Ortega community in Jacksonville. There was a convenient, navigable creek there (now called McGirt’s Creek), which is a tributary of the Ortega River. This would have been a great feature to have if one really was a seafaring pirate, which McGirt was not. Instead, he used a beautiful horse named Grey Goose as his trusty means of getting away.
The local Clay County myth is that Dangerous Dan McGirt sank a massive treasure chest in Wadesburough/Tallulah Spring. This spring is located in The Springs subdivision off Doctors Lake Drive, and it once fed a sawmill for Zephaniah Kingsley. William Bartram even noted its crisp, clear waters in his travel writings about Clay County. The myth further goes on to say McGirt returned years later for the treasure only to be hung on the spot by the locals.
How did Dangerous Dan get to Florida in the first place? McGirt was from South Carolina and served in the Revolution on behalf of the Americans. He refused to turn the aforementioned horse over to his superiors many times, and when an argument ensued over the horse, the involved officer had McGirt flogged in public.
Deeply humiliated, McGirt fled the colonies on horseback, heading south and committing crimes against Americans as revenge. Once he was in British East Florida, he became a Loyalist. He continued his raids into Georgia, mostly stealing horses from the Americans. McGirt and his friends joined the Brown’s East Florida Rangers. Once they were no longer of use to the British, they disbanded and were left to fend for themselves. So, McGirt and his cohorts began to steal from the British, the Spanish and the Americans.
At this time of transition from British to Spanish, the two governors, Cespedes and Tonyn, had to work together to solve problems, and the big problem was this notorious banditti, Dan McGirt.
Tonyn issued orders for his arrest, followed by a trial and a possible death sentence to follow. Cespedes wanted to be a kinder, gentler governor and offered McGirt and company exile, safe travels for their families, and the ability to keep all their property. But, before McGirt could take him up on the offer, the troops sent by Tonyn arrested him.
He was locked up in the Castillo, and both governors pointed fingers at each other. Soon after, McGirt escaped by bribing a guard and quickly rejoined his old team attacking Spanish, British and American targets.
Everyone was after him. McGirt’s Creek was named in his “honor” after he escaped pursuers by crossing the stream on the back of Grey Goose. In 1785, finally fed up with McGirt, Governor Cespedes again ordered his arrest, calling him the “ostensible chief of the highwaymen of this country”, and packed him off to prison in Cuba. A true problem prisoner, McGirt repeatedly returned to Florida but was repeatedly sent back to Cuba over the course of years. At one point, he was even exiled to Nassau, Bahamas.
In 1795, McGirt showed up again in Northeast Florida and resumed his nefarious activities. In 1797, he was finally caught and thrown back in the Castillo. It is unclear exactly what happened to Dangerous Dan McGirt, but some believe he went back to South Carolina, rejoined his family, and later died there.
Over the years, Dan McGirt’ s reputation grew—now described as a sea sailing, swashbuckling pirate who hid his treasure in Tallulah Spring. In reality, his activities were terrestrial. He was a cattle rustler, highwayman, horse thief and slave trader.
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To Report Fraud, Waste & Abuse of County Resources Call the Third-Party Anonymous Hotline (833) 222-3251 or visit the website to file electronically at http://www.lighthouse-services.com/clayclerk [lighthouse-services.com].
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