Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-09-25
DEATH OF FRED WILLIAMS.
One of the Most Hardened Criminal
Known to Northern Wisconsin

One of the Most Hardened Criminals
known to Northern Wisconsin.
The death recently-at the state prison
in Waupun, Of Fred Williams. who was
convicted and sentenced for life in Taylor
county, for the robbery and murder of an
unknown stranger In the winter of 1854.
at Medford, removes from the peniten-
tlary one Of the most hardened criminals
ever known in the Northern Wisconsin
pine forests. Could the story of his life be
told it would doubtless dear away many of
the murder and robbery mysteries for
which this northern pine wilderness was so
noted IN its pioneer days.
It seems that Williams was the wild and
reckless son of wealthy parents who re-
sided In Massachusetts, and who wanted
their son to be a minister of the gospel
He was sent TO d Methodist seminary
where his bad habits and reckless nature
soon became manifest and resulte I in his
being expelled. He then came West. and
becoming involved in a difficulty with a
stranger IN Kansas he killed his man and
escaped into Missouri where he joined the
James and Younger gang and, as is sup
posed, participated with them in the
numerous bank and train robberies which
so terrorlzed the travellers in Missouri.
Williams was finally. in 1879. forced to
leave Missouri on account of having in
CURED the ennlitv Of Frank and Jessie
James and came to Northern Wisconsin,
which was then a favorite resort of harden
ed criminals. as the dense woods, few
railroads and teiegraphs and shifting
population made escape an easy task and
afforded almost complete immunity from
arrest. During a fight over a game of
cards at Meanwhile in 1880, Williams killed
a woodsman named Rust, but as the latter
was dangerous and 4uarrelsome man no
particular attention was paid to the mat
ter. Williams left, however for,
Ashland to keep out of the way of Rust's
friends, where he was shortly afterwards
arrested and convicted of the sand bagging
and robbery of printer named Vanader-
cook, but subsequently escape from the
Ashland jail and was for several months
a fugitive. Finally he was found at
Marshfeld, arrested and taken to Waupun,
where he was confined until pardoned by,
Gov. Smith, when he at once returned to
Marshfeld In 1888 after several person
had been waylaid and robbed a vigilance
committee was oraanized to rid the town
of the thugs and toughs who infested the
plttSS iiitt lCi1OllACu Ul1C CitILcuS, dllu d
notice was first served on Williams, who
at once left and went to Medford. where
the robbey and murder of the defenselesse
stranger took place and resulted in his
ultimate trial, conviction and sentence to
prison for life; after long and bitterly
contested trial at Wausau in Marathon
county-to which county the case has been
removed for trial, on change Of venue, on
account of the extremely bitter feeling
toward the defendant in Taylor county,
where the crime was committed. In per-
senal appearance Williams was a striking
ly. handsome man, with an athletic frame
and was we'll educated and a fluent talker.
On his trial at Wausau he stoutly main
tanned his innocence and at the conclusion
of the evidence made feeling speech in
his own behalf that brought to tears to
the eyes of 10th judge and jury He was
nevertheless convicted and sentenced for
life. His attorneys appealed the case to
the Supreme court which affirmed the judg
ment of the jury and the ruling of the
circuit Judge
The last act in the drama Of Williams
checkered and criminal career and one
which brought tears to the eyes of the
prison officials was when his poor. decripit
old mother, who mad journeyed all the
way from her Massachusetts home to visit
him, looked for the. last time on earth
upon the cold face of the dead and erring
son.