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Who was America's first murderer?

2008-09-10 | 🔗

John Billington was one of the signers of the Mayflower Compact -- he was also the first American murder. Check out our HowStuffWorks article to learn about the fact and fiction surrounding America's first murderer.

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This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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but to save something for yourself with peppered farm Olano. I love sports and I love my wife. I will destroy you. We haven't even started yet if you type a fan who left to debate Jordan versus around Lambeau versus soldier field or even the sand lot verses, major league, you will love listening to our past. The greatest we have some of our favorite comedian, friendless liberties, to come and constructively are do everything within the world of sport, with my canadian and sports frenetic, wife, Megan gaily and my hilarious writer and comedian husband, Fiji tell it on out to listen and follow the greatest. I heard radio apple pie tests or wherever you listen to plant. Welcome to stuff you missed in history class from has two weeks to come com,
alone walk the pot gas time editor candid gives enjoying today, as always by jars, cleric jars with cater fresco in the studio pretty sure if I could bring an end. She said yes, Mary amateur Return, so like a game of clear and which he traced out a murderer, o gotcha, that's funny that you bring them, because I have a question about murder it, sir. Most foul murder. He spoke here so I was looking at some crime statistics during lunch, which I usually do anything the murder rate, the? U S, I declined by one point: one percent in two thousand seven: did you know that that acts lightning ass? It is Good NEWS. The bad news is about seven thousand people still lost their lives at the hands of somebody else, but if you really, Thea. These lists the statistics, the: U S, rank some twenty fourth per capita in in murders India's at first the headache
four thousand murders, but they also a billion citizens. The ass, though it kind of works out, in a sort of thinking, been around a really long time in theirs, Polly so many murders. We have no idea who committed murder in India right that we actually know who did that and you ass. I knew your father a first son number wines, Yod tens and things like that. We actually know that on billing ton was the very murderer and America. That is exactly right. His he heard a prick Chequered past he did he came over the Mayflower. Originally, but he was in a puritan by anyone. Stretch of the imagination is actually in a group called the stranger right that the people avoid the main, fired, five thousand two distinct and strangers grapes, and essentially, if you were a saint and meant that you are a puritan you're escaping religious persecution,
and if he were a stranger. However, you maven coming ever for more mercenary means or perhaps use when it start life new, losing money. Mercenary means. Yes, though gotcha thought you might like to you know just kill, kill, kill that kind of thing. Like John Billing turn back, then you know their troubles, that it wasn't just Mister John Billing, ten. That was that there was a handful. His whole family just cause after headache for the Puritans and Plymouth Colony right, even on the way over on the Mayflower one. Signs started firing his father's gone in a closed room with an open. Keg of black powder could have just the ship, to shreds. Luckily didn't, and as far as I know, the boy probably get a pretty sound thrashing for anything it's worse because when they actually landed at Plymouth, essentially John Billing ten refused to serve in the local militia year, which I think they count as America's first crime. Yeah
yeah, he miles, Standish actually tried to a conscription forced military service. And Mister billing tune would have nothing to do with it? Was apparently not much of a team player, and the reason for that may be attributed to the fact that he'd didn't align all of his police for the puritan lifestyle and the leaders, the electric leaders at least, were appeared in background, and here he saw things little the different my he definitely did. He was accused of basically in anti government conspiracy, a move to topple the puritan leaders and like I said he wasn't the only billing ten who was a kind of problematic one of his sons, wandered off, gets himself shared by native Americans and,
gave a search and rescue party of ten men had to go out and find him only weeks, yeah they actually located in your cape cod, though it wasn't just sir an aimless wandering he really kind of book tat. He got captor. They took him pretty far away exactly so they had to go rescue of these. They put all their lives in jeopardy. They They they put. The call slaves in jeopardy by alerting. You know their presence to these two, these tribes, who have no idea. They were there and that soap bill Ten eventually gets its horrible reputation around their William bread for the governor of Plymouth colony hate him I mean It stand him or his family finite profane. I think he's because I'm a knave which meet a scoundrel bread for if bread for like you, you're, probably in big trouble, although I don't think ever made much shovel for building ten having billing tat made it for himself right. There is this guy named William Newcomb in
and he was actually a newcomer to the colonies. Hansen aim here he didn't know you know what the score was with the billing tens and apparently one day is out on billing. Tints property and gets a core with them in building to shoot him and kills them right. America's for murder, so now buildings and has America's first crime. By refusing force conscription, he is american. First murderer and he pulls the total trifecta by becoming first person ever executed by the state in the new world. He his hand, and even if he's dead and buried. His family continues to make trouble his daughter Dorcas granddaughter during his granddaughter Georgia's thank you is accused of fornication. His wife is accusing charges, slander, another unrelated crime. She ends up in the stocks in his wit and basically his
only just continues to wreak havoc on Plymouth colony, it's his legacy right But I've heard that, as far as bread for grosbeak he's so dislike billing. Ten he may have painted. You know a picture of him that wasn't a hundred percent accurate. So I guess my question to you is. Is it factor fiction that John Billing tin deserves to be revealed, as America's first murderer? It really depends, a lot on interpretation of history and I'm the go ahead and and Begat C and say that its fiction he does not deserve the onus of being America's. For murderer and ages demystify allowed the facts surrounding him. Like you mention Bradford was no fan of the billing tonnes, but the billing tens, really, if you put them in contact with the other families employment at the time they might, then that bad, for instance, when his wife Elinor, was accused of slander. No one accorded when it was ass. She sat and yeah
Turkey was accused for an occasion, but a lot of other twentysomething for foreign. According to some even with animals see already there does bring things in it active whirling into perspective actually and with John Burlington himself. Why not really sure you now if he was this finally pushed too has limits, apparently new common, as a newcomer, he He was years sort of after a land grab didn't really had a lot of property of his own because he wasn't on the first shipment of programmes over the planet, and so he that Billingham was rather despised among his fellow townspeople, and so we take advantage of trespassing on billing, tins property and sort of picking fights with Hamish you for what you're saying newcomers now you know babe in the woods, no innocent dough wide perfect, precisely precisely and so when building tat had finally headed up to his eyeballs. He sort of
word him into the words they picked a fight. He was shot but again histories pretty fuzzy on this point. We dont know if he was shot point blank in the head. If you wish, on the shoulder and- and God Fun and add a couple of days later that buildings, ultimately pay the price and as far as his family, like you say, you know, you remember how John Junior wandered off and met with American India when he came back so who is behind with beads fairies wearing the mark of the american indian tribes? And maybe some people looked askew at Hammond thought were not quite sure, but there's as he is, he and some sort of secret contact with them, but ultimately some historian that John Junior billing ten paved differ had again rights, but the american ending in China and guess it's true by basically forcing contact by wondering often area be rescued rate is or was it a peaceful that they had em over peacefully? I guess then yeah they did they died and
it's funny, because today the far. Society is one of the most elite organizations that you can be a member of a side of you now from something. De are were sons of the american revolution. You know you have to go to your lot of genealogical effort to trace. Like your reached, the pilgrims who came over and there's a list of twenty nine far from home, you can we descended in order to claim membership and the Mayflower Society and John buildings in his on that. Last though, even though he turned out the kind of a rogue, at least in the eyes of Bradford, you can see claim lineage from him and be a part of this elite organization. Well, even the pilgrims might not have claimed for their own. You can learn
many was on the method, we did sign the Mayflower counter. Thank you very much for sitting my head straight I'll, be a little more of justice for male sounds good. As one should always be history. You can marry even more about Ellington down million ten Dorcas Elinor in the whole crew Dorcas Door, an heroic America's variously murderer, unhoused efforts, gap more or less in thousands of other topics. Hasta works that come. Let us know what you think in full in aiming to pod cast, it has to work stocks. I just realized that the first letter of every line of this region spells help me. It seems like everyone's acrylic these days blessing
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Transcript generated on 2020-02-07.