The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1951-01-12
SPAIN DESTROYED
THE LOST COLONY,
w RITTER CLAIMS
Says Spanish Florida Cover
nor Plotted Destruction
OF Roanoke Colony
By WILLIAM S. JOHNSON. Jr.
In The
Baltimore Sunday American

Baltimore Sunday American
CHAPEL HILL, N. c., Jan. g.
The answer to one of North Caro-
lina's most intriguing historical
riddles-that of the actual fate of
Roanoke Islands Lost Colony
may be hidden in the dusty, sell
dom-used archives of Colonial
Spain in Seville.
This, at least, is the contention
of number of noted historians
who have not chosen to accept the
more popular theories that are
currently found in the majority of
our high school and college texts
dealing with the subject.
Spanish Concerned
Most historians are satisfied
that the small band of English
settlers who landed on Roanoke
Island in 1887 and vanished be-
tween that date and 1891 were
either massacred by Indians or
running low on food and other
provisions, Joined the Indians and
moved inland with them, leaving
no definite record Of their action
There is ample evidence to sup
port either Of these theories, and
until very recently no other ex.
PLANTATION was thought worthy Of
consideration.
Students of American history
have long known that strong
Spanish forces existed in Florida
during the early period of English
settlement in the New World, but
it has taken a number of fairly
recent discoveries to demonstrate
the extent to which the Spanish
were concerned over the English
intrusions. f
Land Claimed
That Spain held a justifiable
claim to the southern portion Of
North America is a matter for de-
bate, but that the Spanish did
claim the land there can be little
doubt.
Both English and Spanish docu-
ments of that period mention the
frequent expeditions made by the
Spaniards into Carolina waters
for the express purpose of dis.
couraging settlement by Other
powers.
England and Spain were at war
The Wanted Spanish Armada wa:
under construction, and ships un.
der the command of Queen Eliza
beth's "knighted pirates" were
sacking Spanish seacoast towns ir
the Indies and in South America
In 1885, Sir Francis Drake at.
tackled st. Augustine, in Florida
and carried away Spanish golG
and other valuables.
French Colony Wrecked
At the same time Spain wa:
carrying out similar expedition.
against English settlements.
Some years earlier a Spanish
fleet had sailed into Carolina wat.
ers and wrecked a French colony
that had settled on the River May
in what is now South Carolina.
Thus the Spaniards had shown
their concern over foreign en-.
croachment, and at the same time
demonstrated their ability to come
into the Carolina area with force:
stable enough to destroy an es.
tablished settlement.
We now know for certain that
the Spanish plotted the destruc.
ton of the Roanoke Island colony
We know because the expedi.
ton was planned by Gonzalc
Menendez de Canzo, the Spanish
governor of Florida during the
years in which the Lost Colony
vanished.
Outlined in Letter
Menendez, known for his pas.
sionate opposition to English ex.
pansion, outlined his plans fol-
Fort Raleigh's destruction in q
letter to King Philip II of Spain
The letter was found in the
Spanish archives by an American
historian who transplanted it anc
some years later permitted it to
be published in the Georgia His.
torical Quarterly.