Benito Bonito
Encyclopedia
Benito "Bloody Sword" Bonito is the subject of a legend about a pirate who raided the west coast of the Americas. His career began around 1818 (supposedly because he could not sing) but from there on sources differ. According to one legend his ship was boarded by a British man-o'-war
after Bonito exited Port Phillip Bay after hiding the so called "Lost Loot of Lima
" sometime in 1821. He was given a drumhead trial and hanged.
Another version of Benito's legend ends with Benito committing suicide by putting his pistol to his head rather than allowing himself to be captured by British pirate hunters. Yet another states that Benito was betrayed by two British crewmen he had taken on previously.
These legends of Bonito Benito are sometimes confused with those of the "Great Treasure of Lima
" given over to captain William Thompson
to guard at sea from José de San Martín
, a treasure Thompson made off with and hid on Cocos Island
.
According to legend the "captain's cut" of Benito's treasure, valued at over $300 million today, is still hidden somewhere on or around Queenscliff, Victoria
.
Popular Australia
n urban legends relate that Benito hid his treasure in a cave near Queenscliff, Victoria
(Australia) which was sealed by explosives and a later earthquake. Many excavations have taken place in the region without the treasure being uncovered.
Man of war
The man-of-war was a Royal Navy expression for a powerful warship from the 16th to the 19th century. The term often refers to a ship armed with cannon and propelled primarily by sails, as opposed to a galley which is propelled primarily by oars...
after Bonito exited Port Phillip Bay after hiding the so called "Lost Loot of Lima
Treasure of Lima
The Treasure of Lima is a treasure reputedly removed from Lima, Peru, in 1820 and never recovered. It is estimated to be worth up to US$60 million in today's money.-History:...
" sometime in 1821. He was given a drumhead trial and hanged.
Another version of Benito's legend ends with Benito committing suicide by putting his pistol to his head rather than allowing himself to be captured by British pirate hunters. Yet another states that Benito was betrayed by two British crewmen he had taken on previously.
These legends of Bonito Benito are sometimes confused with those of the "Great Treasure of Lima
Treasure of Lima
The Treasure of Lima is a treasure reputedly removed from Lima, Peru, in 1820 and never recovered. It is estimated to be worth up to US$60 million in today's money.-History:...
" given over to captain William Thompson
William Thompson
-Academics and scientists:* William Thompson , Irish ornithologist and botanist* William Thompson , Englishman who developed the Thompson Seedless grape...
to guard at sea from José de San Martín
José de San Martín
José Francisco de San Martín, known simply as Don José de San Martín , was an Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern part of South America's successful struggle for independence from Spain.Born in Yapeyú, Corrientes , he left his mother country at the...
, a treasure Thompson made off with and hid on Cocos Island
Cocos Island
Cocos Island is an uninhabited island located off the shore of Costa Rica . It constitutes the 11th district of Puntarenas Canton of the province of Puntarenas. It is one of the National Parks of Costa Rica...
.
According to legend the "captain's cut" of Benito's treasure, valued at over $300 million today, is still hidden somewhere on or around Queenscliff, Victoria
Queenscliff, Victoria
Queenscliff is a small town on the Bellarine Peninsula in southern Victoria, Australia, south of Swan Bay at the entrance to Port Phillip. It is the administrative centre for the Borough of Queenscliffe...
.
Popular Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n urban legends relate that Benito hid his treasure in a cave near Queenscliff, Victoria
Queenscliff, Victoria
Queenscliff is a small town on the Bellarine Peninsula in southern Victoria, Australia, south of Swan Bay at the entrance to Port Phillip. It is the administrative centre for the Borough of Queenscliffe...
(Australia) which was sealed by explosives and a later earthquake. Many excavations have taken place in the region without the treasure being uncovered.