The Curious Case of “Bristol Bill”: Vermont’s Most Notorious Counterfeiter

In the quiet hills of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, where most 19th-century crimes involved boundary disputes or stolen livestock, one man brought international criminal flair to the Green Mountain State. His name was William Warburton, but history remembers him better as “Bristol Bill” — perhaps the most colorful scoundrel ever to ply his criminal trade in Vermont's rural communities.

From British Gentleman to International Outlaw

According to tales that swirled around him like autumn leaves, Bristol Bill was born around 1802 into a life of privilege in England. Some accounts claim his father once served in the British Parliament, and young William supposedly received an education at the prestigious Eton College. Whether these aristocratic origins were true or merely part of his elaborate personal mythology remains uncertain.

What is certain is that Bristol Bill's criminal career began in England, eventually landing him in an Australian penal colony. After serving 10 years of a 14-year sentence, he made a daring escape by swimming four miles to an American whaler – the first of many escapes that would define his notorious career.

America's Most Celebrated Criminal

Upon arriving in America, Bristol Bill wasted no time establishing himself in the criminal underworld. In the 1840s, the Police Gazette dubbed him “the most celebrated bank robber and burglar of our time.” New York City became his headquarters, where he joined what contemporaries called “the most extensive association of burglars, counterfeiters, and swindlers that the Western world has ever seen.”

Bristol Bill's Network of Criminal Masterminds

Bristol Bill's network read like a who's who of criminal masterminds. He became acquainted with Joseph C. Ashley, Samuel Drury, Catherine Davenport, Jim “Cupid” Downer, William Parkinson, James Honeyman, Dick Collard, and William “One-Eyed” Thompson – colorful characters who orchestrated some of the most audacious heists of the era.

The Poughkeepsie Barge Robbery & Boston Jewel Thefts

Before Vermont became his temporary home, Bristol Bill participated in several high-profile crimes that captivated newspaper readers across America. In 1845, he took part in the famous Poughkeepsie Barge robbery led by James Honeyman, who was already notorious for his role in the 1831 City Bank of New York theft.

Just two years later, Bill participated in another famous burglary, this time targeting the jewelry stores of Currier & Trott and Widdefield & Company in Boston. These bold heists established his reputation as one of America's premier criminals before he ever set foot in Vermont.

Margaret O'Connor: The Criminal's Companion

No account of Bristol Bill would be complete without mentioning his partner in crime and supposed wife, Margaret O'Connor. Reputed to be an operetta singer in New York, she was also known for trading in counterfeit money – buying items with fake bills and pocketing the real currency given as change.

In New York's criminal circles, she was known as “Gookin Peg,” and her relationship with Bristol Bill appears to have been both romantic and professional. Their criminal partnership would eventually bring them to Vermont in search of new opportunities.

Why Vermont? The Green Mountain State Becomes a Target

What brought such a sophisticated criminal to rural Vermont? The answer lies in a bankrupt merchant named Ephraim Low. Low, whose Groton store had failed, believed Vermont was an easier mark than Boston and invited Bristol Bill, along with skilled engraver Christian Meadows, to establish a counterfeiting operation in the Green Mountains.

The gang's scheme was relatively simple but ingenious for its time. As devised by Low, their plan called for Meadows to take authentic banknotes, erase the denominations, and print higher denominations in their place. Bristol Bill and another accomplice, George Green (also known as “English Jim”), would then pass these altered notes to unsuspecting Vermonters.

The Counterfeiting Haven in Groton

In 1849, Bristol Bill, Margaret O'Connor, and Christian Meadows settled at Ephraim Low's farm in Groton, Vermont. The timing was perfect for counterfeiters. Since no national currency existed in 1850, banks printed their own money, making it easier to create counterfeit bills or alter existing ones.

While waiting for Low to gather the necessary printing equipment, the impatient Bristol Bill used his time to attempt several burglaries and even tried to intercept funds intended for the newly established Passumpsic Bank in St. Johnsbury. He signed the hotel register as “William Warburton and Lady,” a gentlemanly touch that belied his criminal intentions.

The Failed Bank Robber

Despite his reputation as America's premier bank robber, Bristol Bill's Vermont crime spree was marked more by ambition than success. He attempted to rob banks in Montpelier, Danville, Chelsea, Irasburg, and across the border in Stanstead, Quebec – all of which proved better guarded than he had expected.

The Green Mountain State was proving less fertile criminal ground than the gang had hoped. Even their counterfeiting operation faced delays when Low's printing press arrived missing crucial parts, forcing him to return to Boston for replacements.

The End of the Line: Arrest in Vermont

The counterfeiting ring's undoing came from an unexpected source. On a tip from Meadows' former employer, who had tracked him to Goshen, police arrested the entire gang – Warburton, O'Connor, Meadows and his wife, along with Low and two local men.

The evidence was damning. Police seized burglar tools, presses, dies, and a banknote with its denomination chemically removed. The jig was up for Bristol Bill and his companions.

The Courthouse Stabbing: Bristol Bill's Most Shocking Crime

While being held at the Danville County Jail (known as the Old Stone Gaol), Bristol Bill committed his most notorious Vermont crime. In 1850, after being prosecuted for counterfeiting by State's Attorney Bliss N. Davis, Bristol Bill, upon hearing the guilty verdict, stabbed Davis in the back of the neck.

Witnesses reported that Davis cried out, “The rascal has killed me!” Fortunately for the attorney, the knife missed the jugular, causing only a flesh wound instead of a death sentence. Davis recovered and returned to his duties the very next day, when Bristol Bill was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Different Fates: The Aftermath

The members of the counterfeiting gang met various fates after their arrests. Charges against the two women were dismissed. Two local accomplices testified for the state and received lenient treatment. Low died of pleurisy before his trial.

Christian Meadows, the skilled engraver, had powerful connections that Bristol Bill lacked. While imprisoned, Meadows did engraving work for Dartmouth alumni, including U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster, who wrote requesting a pardon for him. Governor Erastus Fairbanks eventually granted the pardon, and even donated $100 to help the Meadowses buy a home in Vermont. They settled in Windsor, and the would-be counterfeiter returned to life as an honest engraver.

Bristol Bill, meanwhile, seethed with jealousy over his colleague's freedom. In December 1859, after serving his counterfeiting sentence and additional time for assaulting Davis, Bristol Bill was finally pardoned by Vermont Governor Hiland Hall.

The Final Chapter: A Criminal to the End

Freedom didn't reform Bristol Bill. Out of jail, he was arrested in January 1860 in Providence, Rhode Island for breaking into a grocery store and stealing a barrel of flour. He jumped bail and was arrested again in August in Boston and returned to Rhode Island.

His criminal career continued with more burglaries and jail time until his death in 1882 at the age of about 80 – an impressively long life for a man who had made so many enemies on two continents.

The Legacy of Bristol Bill in Vermont

Today, Bristol Bill's exploits are remembered as one of the most colorful chapters in Vermont's criminal history. The Old Stone Gaol in Danville, where he was imprisoned, still stands as a testament to a wilder era in Vermont's past.

While the Green Mountain State has certainly seen its share of outlaws and rogues, few can match the international notoriety, daring escapes, and dramatic criminal career of William “Bristol Bill” Warburton – the counterfeiter who brought a touch of criminal sophistication to Vermont's quiet hills, and whose knife narrowly missed changing the course of Vermont's legal history.

Next time you're traveling through the Northeast Kingdom, spare a thought for Bristol Bill and his gang of counterfeiters. Their ambitious scheme to fake their fortunes reminds us that even in Vermont's pastoral landscape, tales of intrigue and villainy are woven into the fabric of our shared history.

Additional Resources About Bristol Bill's Exploits

If you'd like to read more about the history behind “Bristol Bill” and his associates, check out the following sources.

• Groton Historical Society – Bristol Bill and his Gang of Counterfeiters
• Vermont Historical Society – The Notorious Bristol Bill
• Wikipedia

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