The Shropshire Examiner and all round the Wrekin advertiser. — 1874-12-19 (Wenlock, Shropshire, England)

MAN.  The following horrible story reaches us from Mexico. It is published in the Toronto Weekly Gle,e of the 27th Nev., having been furnished by a carreepondent of the IC,”. I orb Times :—Mazatlain, Mexico, Oct. 22.—An Englishman named Tom Adams, who, for the past eight or ten years has owned a low tavern and dancehouse in this plaee, and gained general notoriety as a desperate character, died on the 15th instant from the effects of a pistol.shot wound received in a fight several months ago. Just previous to his death, when assured that his doom was inevitable, he sent for Captain Verplank, the American commercial agent at this port, and intimated that he had some importent disclosures to make, which he desired should be given publicity in the Eastern States. Capt. Verplank having consented to comply with his wishes, and to take down wtiatever statements he had to make in writing, the dying man unburdened his conscience by confessing himself guilty of fourteen murders, all but one of which were committed in the United States and Canada. Adams commenced his narrative by stating that his proper name was George Worley. and that be was a native of Manchester, England. He commenced his career of crime by murdering the second mate of the American ship Cultivator, in the Liverpool Docks, about the year 1854. After this deed he went to Canada, and roved about through those provit ces for two years in pureuit of robbery. In the year 1855, at which tin.e he was known by the name of Orton 2 he was engaged as a sailor on the lakes. While lying 3n the American port of Oswego, he murdered a lean whom he understood to be a painter, by throwing him over a bridge. He met his vi. tim in a drinking saloon, where he went to collect is bill of the proprietor, and 'nod folle him until the opportunity was favourable, when he struck him down with a slung-shot, and disposed of the body in the way mentioned. After this, Adams returned to Canada, and assumed the name cf Townsend. With two accomplices, he commenced a campaign of robbery, aid rtrpetrated four trairde, in the country west of Toronto, ending with the killirg of a sheriff a few miles west of Niegara river. That country then lie-amp too warm for him,' in consequenee of the offering of large rewords for his arrest, and he eveaped on board a eehooner pe -sing through the Canadian canal to the American port of Toledo. From this port he , went to Chicago, and committed three murders in that ' place during the same summer. One of his victims , was the captain of a vessel, whom he followed from , the St. Charles saloon ; another was a German saloon-keeper, whom he killed in his bed at night in his place of business, which was sitnated near a railroad depot; and the third was some man unknown to him, whom he murdered after leaving a brothel. After [hese crime, he was arrested in Chicago. tried and convicted of a burglary, and served a term of three years in the ois State Prison. On obtaining his release Adams went to New York, where he remained about one year, during which time he committed two murders, both of his victims in that city being men unknown to him. One wait &countryman, whom he enticed to the outskirts of the city, and obtained about 2000 dole. on his body. After leaving New York he was engaged in a series of robberies through the Southern States. He returned to Baltimore and murdered a prostitute in that city. Subeequently be committed a murder in Louisville and one in Memphis, but of the names of his victims he had no knowledge. Adams left New Orleans about the time of the breaking out of the war, and went to Vera Cruz. From thence he went to the City of Mexico, and came to Mazatlan about ten years ago. Since his sojourn here he was widely known and generally feared, his place being one of the most notorious rendezvous of desperate characters on the coast. He finally met his fate at the hands of a Spanish gambler, named Gonzales, in a drunken quarrel over a throw of dice, He leaves between 15,000 and 15,000 dole, in cash or its equivalent, as the result of his career of atrocious crime, which he has willed to a sister, supposed to be his only living relative, who resides at Sheffield, England. The legatee needs to be devoid of any superstitions scruples to receive and enjoy such a legacy.