“John Sullivan (The Moncton Tragedy)”

Description

Sullivan kills a widow and her son, takes her cash, and sets the house afire. A daughter survives and blames Sullivan. He flees to Calais, is caught, brought back, tried, convicted and condemned to hang on Friday, March 12.

Supplemental text

John Sullivan (The Moncton Tragedy)
  Partial text(s)

          *** A ***

The Moncton Tragedy

From Louise Manny and James Reginald Wilson, Songs of Miramichi,
#35, pp. 152-155. From the singing of Arthur MacDonald of Black
River Bridge.

Ye men all over Westmorland,
  I pray you will attend,
And listen on attention
  To these few lines I penned;
For I will sing you of a song
  I just made up today
Concerning John E. Sullivan
  Ye Moncton Trageday.

(13 additional stanzas)

Notes

Manny/Wilson: "This sordid crime took place in mid-September, 1896, at Meadow Brook, eight miles from Moncton, New Brunswick."

Manny/Wilson note to "The Moncton Tragedy" has more details about the murder and trial, including further references. - BS

References

1. Dibblee/Dibblee, pp. 57-58, "John Sullivan" (1 text, 1 tune)
2. Manny/Wilson 35, "The Moncton Tragedy" (1 text, 1 tune)
3. ST Dib057 (Partial)
4. Roud #9267
5. BI, Dib057