Pogey Bill, Sheriff Traditional Cache
team:CHETT: A fence is built around the site and the county is still deciding whether to restore or tear down. I give up.
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This cache celebrates 'Pogey Bill' Collins, one of the great men in Okeechobee history.
William E. Collins was born about 1885 aboard an American ship in the harbor of Sydney Austrailia. He came to Lake Okeechobee in 1910 and soon became the leader of the catfishermen. Better known as ‘Pogey Bill’, he received his nickname by taking a load of small inedible fish to market soon after his arrival here. “Them’s pogies” shouted the other fishermen and he was ‘Pogey Bill’ from that day until he died.
After receiving their pay, the catfish crews would come to Okeechobee on Saturday night and take the town apart. Brawls broke out with the cowboys, also in town for a good time and battles would rage up and down Park Street.
Local merchants grew tired of having their stores and goods torn up and begged Judge Henry Hancock to do something about it. The Judge put out the word that the next time the fishermen tore up town he would throw Pogey Bill in jail. Bill sent word to the Judge that if he tried it, that he, Pogey Bill would throw the Judge in the lake. The Judge was not intimidated, and true to his word, the next time trouble broke out he had Bill arrested and thrown in a railroad car that was used as the town jail. The next morning in court Bill looked at the large Florida Statutes book on the Judge’s desk and announced “I ain’t gonna be sentenced outta no G@&&D@^^& Sears and Roebuck catalog!” He was sentenced to 90 days in the Fort Pierce jail.
Fortunately Judge Hancock and the town leaders realized that Bill was basically a good man and he was released with the promise that he would straighten up his act. He became a model citizen and on March 4, 1916 he was appointed city marshal, a post he held until becoming the first elected sheriff of the newly formed Okeechobee County in 1918. (Smith Drawdy, an appointee was actually the first sheriff.)
Pogey Bill served in this office until 1932 and is still considered one of the town’s most famous and respected citizens. Pogey Bill’s downfall was the National Prohibition act. He controlled bootlegging in the area by acting as supervisor for the rum-runners, and was arrested and charged with violating the liquor laws in 1929. He was hauled into Federal Court in Miami and two trials were held in 1931, the first ending in a hung jury, but the second ending in a guilty verdict. He was given six years probation, after which he resigned as sheriff and moved to Frostproof where he took the job as Chief of Police. Pogey Bill Collins died in 1935, killed in a firetruck accident on the way to a fire. He was buried in the Okeechobee Cemetery.
Among the other accomplishments of this man were the founding of the town’s baseball team and starting the first Boy Scot troop. He helped unfortunate families throughout the county by sneaking clothes, shoes and groceries onto their porches in the dead of night.
The cache is a 35mm film can and contains a log only..bring a pen! It is hidden at the front porch of 'Pogey Bill's Hotel'. As you walk up the sidewalk to the building the cache will be on your right side.
After you are done you can go one block north and west and see the newer'Hotel' we now have for the comfort of our guests!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
vg vf va gur cynagf va gur evtug pbeare bs gur fgrcf
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures