The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-01-01 00:00:00

J.
WILLIAMS. AND HIS ASSOGIATES.

The accounts given or • William and his connec-
tions, on the authority of the Captain of the fox.
burgh_ Castle, shew that this desperado, and one at I
least of his companions,- were known, prArious to
the recent horrid murders, to he men of very bad
character ; and the discharge of dl/,bias (the particu-
lar associate of Williams) out of Custody, on the
deposition of a woman so directly interested in his
fate, is to be regretted. It is but justice to state,
as our belief,. that this fact did notappear before the
Magistrates at the time of his examination.
Williams (as. he has been called)• shipped himself,
in the name of John NVilliamson, in August, 181b,'
in the forburgh Castle,. :apt, Hutchinson; bouad
to the Brans, as in ordinary seaman, The Ihitf
having been detained' a 'king time at Rio:Janeiro,
. proceeded afterwards fora cargo to Demerara, from
whence, she returned- on.thelld or 4th of October
hint, at which time- Willianir was discharged, and
was paid ors:inlaid. 401. the balance of his wilges.
Capt. HutchitisOn• supposes,
~as
,he possessed an ad.'
dress superior te''his aiteadOal Wrote a good hand;
and had gene to seentan adianced ige, that he moat*
I.have been driven twihat line of life by his former'
bad conduct. As sailers on a long voyage, under
strict discipline, have ppt epportuaities of doing muck
Mischief, Captain IL. cannot relate much of Will
lisms's miscorlduct ; but mentions his attempting 1.
limpose himself upon a 'man at Rio Janeiro,• as kil
Claud ,mate.of the Roxburgh Castle, and by; that
means obtaining a small sum of *obey. It waathlao
circumstance thatdrew from €.4tpt..111-the'expieSsiciw
attributed •to him, "that IT koliposi to goon slior, i
he wonideaftably be hanged." . , • ,:. • • ,
1 Williams aliittys endeavoured te..pass..aso nati+4
, of Scetimsdl 'but Captain H. who :is laitamg.. treas..'
that couotrA rasa'', dikovered liftiqb ' Wall . 'That:. i
man, and supposes him:to be' frog tge'County.of
Down. Wheat paid his,wages by the Owners, he re-.
'resented himself to them.as coming front-CamPbel-.
toan, in Argyleshire. Besides the fraud. committed
on the second mate of the Ro.rburgh Castle, Wil-
liams was engaged iii a inutiny.„
... .
Captain% Win' his' lite 'Toys*, had.
.alcogotber a
very7bad Cfelty ands whllst proteididg chip :. Rio
,Janeire to Deetmatnyznhen off•Sailuatii,- they broke
into open skutisy• spew whichCaptaint:H: adibored
'itUdee the gips, Of tile Jost. at . Biltant'afpoint ; and
applied to 'Captain fet,ineciy, of his Majesty's brig
Forester', yawns, by Grata and pervasion. procured
1 their returh le ' thgr ditty: Irliree of ..tige,principals
in the business were .sent 'into confiuement at %li-
nen),
,for 24 hours; one of whom Was William
All6las, the same person who was apprehended on
suspicion of being concerued with Williams in the'
i late' murders: William ax
_On this occasion, escaped
punishment, having- Pleeded.that he was led astray
by his coutpanion&'`'' '7'l' ' .
From the evidence addne. ectbef. ore the Magistrates',
it appears, that two men were represented as having
been seen running from the house of Mr. Williaro-
son; when the murders were committed,--one a man
six feet high, the other shorter, Nilliams.(er Witi
liamson), was five.'feet eight inches high.; and A.ll-7
blas.is a stouttniii; about six 'feet. , So fer.ilteseasrlo
Alen answer the description of the fugitirei. Farthes,.
•Aliblas.states himself- to .be a native Of DanfriC, but
speaks very good it'Aglialu At Ms examination op
Saturday last, before Mr. MARALAND,•at Shadwell
Office, he acknowledged- he had beenAriaking iis
company with Williams, at three or four public..
houses, on the night of the murders at Mr. Wilt
I • liamson's. He said, that he left hii comrade, .Wil..
I hams, at half-past eight, when he went home, and
sat up till twelve, and then retired' to bed: •Beleat
asked by the Magistrates if. he could provefthisclo
said be could, by means of his landlady. -* lOsii
sent for, and attended with another worntn,. Alt
' story was, that the prisoner came flame from halfe
; past nine to ten o'clock, and Went to bed at tvielsl
' It was remarked to the Magistrates at the tinsic4iiir
the woman who attended with the landlady of Alittliiii
, had been in the habit of coming to, the' cottutirft..,
, house of the owners of the Roxburgh Custlo,,tc3.lll-
ceive a monthly" allowance of Ailblas. ;ad .alwor
I represented herself, and signed the receipt tia',:lis;
wife. Allblas denied, previous to this woMateli
' coming forward, thathe had any wife, and appeared'
to wish not to claim any intimacy with theAvittteiitia;'
Upon being asked how. he had suppurted.himself so
long without•ernpleyment, he said .he. bad .pawned
t his clothes, and livediapOn the bounty of some good
::friends. Under these circumstances, and upon the,'
!word of these.wonsen,(for we are informed that they •
;'wore not sworn) AUblas was discharged.
1 Joie Harris, the sail-maker, 'who was the first to,
itasiuthinicate his suspicions of the guilt of Williams,
I served on board the Roxburgh Castle in. that capabl
il city. 'He had the best opportunity of studying that
' character of the man. "Having been the only means
of pointing out one of the mrthort of these barbarous
i murders, and. baeriag n.-elainreter from tiro -Captain
the very reverse of. that 'of. Williams, he seemq, deil
i
;.serving of the reward.

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