In October 1832 two men were drowned after the steamship William IV had landed passengers in a heavy sea at the newly constructed Cobourg pier. As she turned around to leave, large waves struck her broadside and washed overboard two men who stood on the gangway. Small boats were launched but they could do nothing in the storm and both of the men drowned. One body was washed ashore and found partly buried in the sand half a mile west of the pier. The body was recognized as an Irishman named James Demsey, who came from Queen's County and bore an infamous character.

By remarkable co-incidence, related by the Cobourg Star, Demsey was a leader of a band of revolutionaries called White Feet. The groups terrorism had driven many out of the Country to North America to avoid futher trouble. One such person was James Calcutt, who had moved to Cobourg and operated a successful brewery. It was on Calcutt's beach that Demsey washed up.