Desoto Tiger was a

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

from a Creek-speaking camp near

Indiantown, Florida Indiantown is a village in Martin County, Florida, United States. The population was 6,560 at the 2020 census. It is a rural community in the interior of Florida's Treasure Coast region, first established in the early 1900s, then incorporated on ...

, and the son of Cow Creek chief Tommy Tiger. In December 1911, Tiger was taking a bundle of ninety otter hides trapped by himself and others to market at a trading post, when he gave a ride in his canoe to John Ashley. On December 29, 1911, a dredging crew working near

Lake Okeechobee Lake Okeechobee ( ) is the largest freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Florida. It is the List of largest lakes of the United States by area, eighth-largest natural freshwater lake among the 50 states of the United States and the second-largest ...

discovered Tiger's body. Ashley had been seen travelling with Tiger by Tiger's uncle, Jimmy Gopher, so a group of Seminole pursued Ashley to Miami, but were too late to find him. They did, however, find the furs with unmistakable Seminole markings at Girtman Brothers fur traders in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, who related that they had purchased the bundle of otterskins from John Ashley for $1200.Burnett, Gene M. ''Florida's Past: People and Events That Shaped the State''. Vol. 3. Sarasota: Pineapple Press Inc, 1996. (pg. 85-89) Moran, Mark, Charlie Carlson and Mark Sceurman. ''Weird Florida: Your Travel Guide to Florida's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets''. New York: Sterling Publishing Company, 2009. (pg. 101-104) The

Palm Beach County Palm Beach County is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's third-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and Broward County and the 24th-most populous in the United States, wi ...

commissioners voted to offer a reward for the apprehension of Tiger's murderer, and asked then governor Albert W. Gilchrist to fund the reward, which was done in the amount of $150 on January 15, 1912. This was Ashley's first crime, and launched a career of misdeeds that earned him the name King of the Everglades. The first trial of John Ashley, despite overwhelming evidence, failed to result in a conviction and a second trial was scheduled. Ashley escaped and ran free for some period of time before US Commissioner of

Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to Native Americans and A ...

Cato Sells Cato Sells (October 6, 1859 – December 30, 1948) was a commissioner at the Bureau of Indian Affairs from 1913 to 1921. Life and career He was born in Vinton, Iowa, on October 6, 1859. He lost his father when he was young. He entered Cornel ...

sent federal agents to assist in the search. After a subsequent arrest by Federal Special Officer Thomas E. Brents on April 27, 1914, Ashley faced trial again, but escaped (he had been allowed to move about without restraint) until Brents again captured him on February 24, 1915. In his second trial in 1915, John Ashley was sentenced to hang for the murder of Desoto Tiger, but that conviction was overturned by the

Florida Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Florida is the state supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of seven justices—one of whom serves as Chief Justice. Six members are chosen from six districts around the state to foster geog ...

. Ashley repeatedly escaped from various local jails and eluded law enforcement until he was gunned down at the Sebastian river bridge at Roseland.Kleinberg, Eliot. ''Palm Beach Past: The Best of "Post Time"''. Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press, 2006. (pg. 72) Although he was frequently incarcerated for other crimes, Ashley never served any time for the murder of Desoto Tiger. The story is told in the 1973 movie ''

Little Laura and Big John ''Little Laura and Big John'' is a 1973 American feature film about the exploits of the Ashley gang in the Florida everglades in the 1910s and 1920s. Plot Loosely based on the true story about Laura Upthegrove and John Ashley. Laura's mother, E ...

'', with Desoto Tiger portrayed by Ross Kananga. Desoto Tiger is the grandfather of Louise Gopher, the first Seminole woman to receive a bachelor's degree (from

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, United States. The university is a member of the State University System of Florida and has s ...

) in 1970, and named one of the 100 most influential Floridians by the Palm Beach Post.

References

External links

John Ashley
at the National Museum of Crime & Punishment
The Spanish Papers: Boca Raton, 1915-1950
by the Boca Raton Historical Society

by Bud Garner
The Ashley Gang: What really happened
by Warren Sonne
The Ashely Gang and Frontier Justice
by Richard Procyk {{DEFAULTSORT:Tiger, Desoto Seminole Tribe of Florida people Okeechobee County, Florida People from Indiantown, Florida

References

Further reading

External links