Posted on 09/30/2021 4:32:28 PM PDT by CheshireTheCat
On this date in 1630, Massachusetts’ Plymouth Colony held its first hanging — of a guy who’d come over on the Mayflower.
John Billington‘s John Hancock is on the Mayflower Compact, but he and his progeny had an ill reputation from the start.
Billington’s son almost torched the Mayflower while the pilgrims were still living in it; the old man himself achieved the distinction of “the first offence since our arrival … for his contempt of the captain’s lawful command with opprobrious speeches, for which he is adjudged to have his neck and heels tied together; but upon humbling himself and craving pardon, and it being the first offence, he is forgiven.”
(It wasn’t all bad. Another Billington kid gave the family name to an inland pond. (pdf))
Billington was condemned for shooting a neighbor....
(Excerpt) Read more at executedtoday.com ...
adjective: opprobrious
(of language) expressing scorn or criticism: opprobrious remarks.
Being charged for offensive speech seems unreasonable, but this was more than 100 yr before the Constitution and the 1st amendment.
I don’t remember if John Billington is mentioned, but here is a movie I found about the Mayflower/Pilgrims. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp2WsQPsTb0
Well they were living in tight quarters for semi-permanent, half of them had died on the trip and they still had winter to get through. He was probably saying things that were not going to help them get through that winter.
“We’re all going to bloody die!”
Could be. Makes sense. Even with the first amendment, you can’t just say anything. The classic example is you can’t yell “Fire” in a crowded movie theater.
or mutiny on a ship
I’m descended from thirteen people on the Mayflower including John Billington.
I’m also descended from Billington. For many decades you couldn’t join Mayflower Society if he was your link. Some one always “blackmailed” you.
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