The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1884-11-12
ACRIMINAL,s cAREER.
Iohn Wilson'S Deprased Life
All Over fhe World.

Wilson, q man whose history reads
like a romance, died q few days
ago, alone and forgotten, by the
banks Of the stream long since i'm.
monalised by Bryant, LeFteti
Beach and others, the beautiful
Green river Of northern New York.
Only the rude stone chimney and
fireplace remain 10, mark the spot
whore be was born, all further
traces Of the little log cabin haY.
ing succumbed 10 the combined
powers Of storm and time long
years ago. His parents came to
this country from Scotland just be.
fore the close Of The last century,
and settled about two miles below
the upper Green river hollow.
John Wilson, the fourth child, was
born there the evening Of the first
day Of the present century, and-af-
ter an unusually eFentful'life, dur.
ing which he had, owing to GER
tain irregularities, been deserted
BY kith and kin, it was quite nat.
ural that be should wander back
to lay down his life where he had
taken it something over eighty.
fouryears before.
As a boy be was stubborn and
impulsive; his father had left Scot.
land to escape punishment for
illicit dislilling, and soma Of this
freebooter tendency had been
transmitted to the son. So much
so that at sixteen years Of age he
was one Of the foremost Of n gang
of horse thieves then quartered in
that portion Of the Berkshire hills,
and the terror of the surrounding
country. U8}GI39f
Two years later he was welded
to the buxom daughter of a Hills.
dale farmer, whom he abandoned
for the sea In about eighteen
months, just after she had present.
ed him with a pair Of twin sons.
When next heard Of he was ship.
wrecked off the coast of Africa.
Here he fingered long enough to
enlist the affections of the daughter
Of an inland African chief, when
he departed form the dark cont.
nent she, too, was deserted moth.
or
In 1880 he joined the British
navy, only to desert when the right
moment came. Being a good sen.
man promotion was rapid and he
soon became mate ola fine, stanch
chip. But brute nature soon as
serted itself again, and a few
months after the awarding of this
last honor he instigated a mutiny,
murdered the captain and BULLDOG.
the crew into open piracy. His
career Of crime and plumber was
short.lived here, for exactly six
weeks after the black flag was first
run up ut his mast head the British
regained possession Of the craft,
capturing all on board but Wilson,
the man they wanted most.
Then for ten years he abandoned
the sea. Immediately after the ep-
isode last given he wandered into
the great Southwest and married a
Mexican lady with rare attain.
ments and vast wealth. With her
he lived in apparent contentment
for upwards of seven years. NJ.
merous children we're born to them,
and he seemed intent upon a bet.
ter life. Finally, in some un.
known manner, this woman obtain.
ed knowledge Of the early marriage
with the fOrsaken farmers daugh.
Ter. Wilson was accused of this
aud denied it stoutly. Convinced
that his denial was doubted, he
gathered everything available that
could be turned into money that
night, and the next morning he
wasgone.
lie next turned up in California
in the early days of the gold fever,
where he accumulated considerable
"dust." His conduct was such that
in year he was obliged to leave
the golden state for his personal
safety. His money was soon
squandered and he took to the sea
again, and this time under an as.
sumed name. After this he was
rowing constantly, sometimes
among the oriental deserts, some.
times among the "notland pines"
He never lost an opportunity to
make a dollar, even at the sacrifice
Of some ones, life. The most un-
selfish act of his whole life was the
ferocity with which he helped fight