The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1915-01-13
PREPARE FOR GAsPARILLA
Tampa, The Payroll City," Getting
Ready To Receive We Mystic
krewe Next Month

Tampa, Fla, Jan. --Cosmopolitan
Tampa, known throughout the country
as THE Payroll City" is making elab-
crate preparations for holding the
tenth annual Gasparilla Carnival, nam
ed for Gasparilla. one of the most
desperate pirates that ever infested
the Gulf Coast of Florida and the
Spanish Main during the closing days
of the eighteenth and opening days of
the nineteenth centuries. The dates
of the Carnival, which is patterned af
ter the New Orleans Mardi Gras, with
many amusement features peculiar to
the semi-tropics added, are February
IL to 16, inclusive, and in honor of the
celebration the railroads have offered
extremely low round-trip rates from all
points east Of the Mississippi river.
Every attraction of the Carnival will
be free, and Tampans are preparing
to care for 100000 visitors during the
five days OF festivity
Gasparilla was not as widely known
to fame as Captain Kidd and LaFitte
the French terror. but he was their
equal in cruelty and daring. He and
his crew robbed and burned many
merchant ships. securing millions in
Spanish gold and taking captive many
women, whose husbands, fathers and
brothers were made to walk the
plank" and find graves among the cor
al beds beneath the blue Gulf waters.
Overheard with the men, but capture
the women" was Gasparilla's COM
maEd to his crew. and he held many
beautiful but unfortunate women for
a long time in an immense but crude
and well-fortified castle on Gasparilla
! Isle, on which the thriving port of
Boca Grande stands today. He and
his crew were finally captured and
hanged by the fighting men Of an
American gunboat in 1900. since which
/ time peace has reigned in the Gulf wa
: tiers except during the filibustering and
troop-embar days of the Spanish
American War. For ten years, though.
/ the ghost of Gaspari1la and his phan-
tom crew have attacked Tampa, and
their coming is marked by festival
such as people of the semi-tropics are
alone capable Of producing.
This year the Carnival will be more
attractive than ever, and particularly
to residents of winter-bound states.
Among the features offered for their
attraction will be monster pageants.
4 in which allegorical floats of great
beauty will pass through the streets
of the city; maneuvers of war vessels
in the harbor and of United States
troops, aeroplane fights. day and night
4 fireworks displays, yacht and motor
boat racing. street dancing by thou
sands of gaily costumed people Of
many nations, music by famous Amer
lean and Cuban bands, balls in the
American, Spanish, Cuban, Italian and
German clubs and other brilliant so
cial features.
To the tourist and homeseeker the
principal attraction will be Garden
of Eden exhibition of fruits, flowers
vegetables and other semi-tropical
products on the court house square in
Tampa. This exhibition viii surpass
anything of the kind ever prepared by
any semi-tropicaI or tropical state OF
country.
President Woodrow Wilson is being
urged to attend the Carnival and make
South Florida his winter home, in future
years. and noted Americans and for
eign diplomats have also been invited
Tampa has III the past ten years enter
tanned larger number of distinguish
ed Americans and foreigners than any
other Southern city, these delightins
to visit the section while other states
; are winter-bound
: Preparations have already beer
: made for housing and feeding larger
t number Of people than Florida cit1
has ever entertained before.