Murphy Every community has one person who stands out in a crowd for being unique. So much so that if they were no longer around, their absence would be noticed, even by those who knew them not.
For the town of Murphy, that one person is Victor Crespo. Born in 1968 in Havana, Cuba, Crespo is quite noticeable here – and perhaps different then many people may imagine.
He came to America from Cuba in a boat in late 1999, but the trip was anything but pleasurable. Crespo recalled a sad time when a friend of his also came over in a boat.
Hours on the ocean in the scorching sun and out of drinking water eventually had his friend seeing land when, in reality, there was no land in sight. His friend was hallucinating, and to this day Crespo has no idea whether or not his friend survived his journey to the United States.
Crespo encountered the U.S. Coast Guard during his trip to America. He was handcuffed and questioned, but today he understands that those were procedures needing to be followed at the time for safety.
“I’m a good guy, but they didn’t know that then. I didn’t like it, but I understand it now.” Crespo said.
He came here because while in Cuba he rose up against President Fidel Castro by proclaiming and spray painting, “No more Castro.” He spent about three years in a dungeon-type prison, where he wasn’t treated well during his stay.
Crespo arrived with little, but he did bring with him a hat. When asked about it, he said with an emotional tone in his voice, “This is my hat my grandpa gave me. I bring it from Cuba. I put it rolled up in my pocket and when I came here I added water, and it came back up.”
The noticeable black top hat he is always seen wearing around Murphy has several pins and a feather on it.
When Crespo was younger, he worked by rolling cigars. He’d like to buy the materials to start rolling cigars again and set up a table somewhere with them. He enjoyed that job. Instead, on occasion he cuts grass with a friend for money.
He is often spotted walking through downtown, which he enjoys. During an interview, Crespo was repeatedly interrupted by folks wanting to say hello and converse with him.
He previously owned a small business in Murphy.
“It’s no more. A friend of mine wants to buy it and make a restaurant, maybe in a year or two,” he said.
Crespo misses his family, land and his friends in Cuba. At one point, he brought his mother here, but she was unhappy as she missed her home and friends. She eventually returned to Cuba.
When asked what he liked about living in America, and Murphy in particular, he appeared somewhat theatrical when explaining it is the people and how nice everybody is.
“I love people in Murphy because they help people and they grow things and have gardens. They’re good people,” Crespo said with a furrowed brow and grimace.
“Florida’s no good, too many people, and bumper to bumper and rude. They don’t give you a chance to drive, they just beep, beep, beep at you, but not here.”
The happiest the cheerful man has been in his life was when he saw his new baby grandson.
“Oh my God,” he said. His grandson is about 14 years old now with a big Afro.
Crespo likes Cuban food, black beans and rice and the color orange, but does not like hunting.
“Maybe the animal has a baby, and it doesn’t get to go back to it. I don’t like when they kill animals,” he said. “I don’t like that (expletive).”
Crespo has three children, two girls and a boy. He likes his life.
“I’m happy,” he said, as another person walked by him, raising a hand and saying, “Hey buddy.”
Many local residents have seen and are aware of his presence. Employees of All American Estate Clearing see Crespo often as he stops in along his route.
“We call Victor the ‘Prince of Cuba’ because of his kind heart and good demeanor,” said Brian Rourke, owner of the antique shop.
One can’t miss him if he is out walking around. He is friendly, wears a hat, a kilt and has numerous tattoos, one which is a bow tie on this throat. He said of the bow tie made of ink, that when he dies he doesn’t want people putting him in a suit – he just wants to lay there with his own.