The First Murder on American Soil

In the year 1630, John Billington was convicted of the first murder, in the New World. Billington was a a signatory of the Mayflower Compact, he was hanged for his crime, and was the first European to commit murder on American soil. He shot John Newcomen after luring him in to a wooded area. the reason for the shooting is not known. He traveled to America on the Mayflower, along with his wife and two sons.

On his journey to North America he was involved in a potential mutiny on the Mayflower. One of his sons also got a hold of his gun and fired a shot close to a half full barrell of gunpowder. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident, even though he could have blown up the whole ship. Things didn't get much less criminal when they set foot on American soil, Billington objected when he was told he would be required to participate in military service by Captain Miles Standish. This, of course was an offense, but he managed to wheedle his way out of the punishment.

He was also involved in trying to overthrow the Plymouth Colony's religious governance, but he denied any involvement, and was let off the hook again. The billington family worked their plot of land at Plymouth for ten years, and throughout those years they continued to make trouble for their fellow colonists. His final demise was the murder he committed, and the noose around his neck was probably long overdue.

Even after the death of John Billington, his family continued to make trouble. His wife, Eleanor Billington, was locked in the stocks and whipped after being found guilty of slandering one of her neighbors. His granddaughter was also sentenced to a whipping after she was found guilty of fornication. However, the Billington family were not the only one's committing crimes in that particular era, in Plymouth. There was an unusually high amount of sexual charges, considering the population was only 775 by 1690.