John Billington

Not everyone who came to Plymouth on the Mayflower was a Separatist; the Separatists reduced the burden of cost by allowing "strangers" aboard the Mayflower.

One of those families that joined the Separatists were the Billington family, John, Elinor, John Jr, and Francis.

Almost immediately, this family became a thorn in the Pilgrims' side, when Francis Billington got a hold of his father's musket, and shot it off inside the gunpowder room on the ship, almost causing a chain reaction of explosions.

When the ship arrived in Cape Cod, John Jr, 16 years old, consistently became a nuisance to the group, finding himself lost in the woods and fraternizing with the local indians.

Elinor Billington was placed in Stocks for gossiping, a punishable crime in Plymouth.

Then finally, there was John Billington, who Governor William Bradford referred to as a "foul-mouthed miscreant", often times being charged with profanity, blasphemy, and challenging Myles Standish, the military advisor in Plymouth.

In 1624, John Billington was associated with a revolt against the rule of Plymouth Church, however claimed he was innocent.

In 1630, John Billington got in an argument with John Newcomen, in which Billington resorted to violence, shooting and killing Newcomen, the first murder in Plymouth. People are calling for Billington's death for this crime

At the trial, Billington claimed he saw Newcomen raiding his animal traps and stealing food.