Captain William Kidd:
William Kidd (1654-1701) was a Scottish ship’s captain, privateer and pirate. He started out on a voyage in 1696 as a pirate hunter and privateer, but soon switched sides and had a brief but moderately successful career as a pirate. After he turned pirate, his wealthy backers back in England abandoned him.
On January 30, 1698, Kidd's luck finally changed. He captured the Queddah Merchant, a treasure ship heading home from the Far East. It was not really fair game as a prize: it was a Moorish ship, with cargo owned by Armenians, and was captained by an Englishman named Wright. Allegedly, it sailed with French papers: this was enough for Kidd, who sold off the cargo and divided the spoils with his men. The holds of the merchantman were bursting with valuable cargo, and the haul for Kidd and his pirates was £15,000, or well over two million dollars in today's money. Kidd and his pirates were rich men by the standards of the day.
He was convicted and hanged in England after a sensational trial. Kidd's trial took place on May 8, 1701. The trial caused a huge sensation in England, as Kidd pleaded that he had never actually turned pirate. There was plenty of evidence against him and he was found guilty. He was also convicted of the death of Moore, the rebellious gunner. He was hanged on May 23, 1701 and his body was put into an iron cage hanging along the River Thames, where it would serve as a warning for other pirates.
Kidd's Buried Treasure - The Birth of Legend:
When Kidd reached the Caribbean, he learned that he was now considered a pirate by the authorities. He decided to go to New York, where his friend, Lord Bellomont, could protect him until he was able to clear his name. He left his ship behind and captained a smaller ship to New York, and as a precaution he buried his treasure on Gardiner's Island, off of Long Island near New York City.
Adding to the intrigue around Kidd's history is where exactly all his treasure went. Before he was put to death, the convicted pirate alleged to have buried some of his loot in the Caribbean. Despite generations of treasure hunters who have attempted to verify his claim, nothing has ever been discovered.
The Cache:
The cache is a small treasure chest as the base of a tree just off the side walk, about 20 feet West by North West of GZ. Be mindful of the foliage, and be stealthy, there is a lot of muggle foot traffic traffic in this area, and treasure must be kept hidden lest those unruly types plunder the plunder..