“Pearl Bryan (IV)”
Description
A girl of Greencastle, Indiana loves a young man. (She becomes pregnant?, and) begs him to make good the wrong he has done her. He refuses and plans to depart. She follows him. He kills her. Young girls are warned by the example of Pearl Bryan
Supplemental text
Pearl Bryan (IV)
Complete text(s)
*** A ***
A Fatal Acquantance
The Fort Thomas Murder
From Mary O. Eddy, Ballads and Songs from Ohio, #105, Text A, pp. 241-242.
From Mrs. Rozetta Lozier of Perrysville, Ohio.
1. In Greencastle, Indiana, a fair young maiden dwelled
Beneath a mother's loving care, a father's lavish wealth,
A mother's pride, a father's joy, by many friends esteemed,
From out of her young handsome face the pure innocence gleamed.
2. One day she met a lover gay, she thought him kind and true;
"My love," she said, "I'd rather die than live away from you."
She loved him with a love that mothers give her only babe,
She saw him midst her sweetest dream, and thought of him awake.
3. The maiden soon of him did plead a great wrong for to right,
"I thought now you will not, dearest, leave me in my present plight;"
He only smiled and answered her, "Young girl, you loved too true,
I leave you now, farewell, we part, adieu, part, love, adieu."
4. Rather than face her many friends, she followed in his path;
He led her to a lonely spot, and awful was his wrath;
But little did he think that far above in the blue sky
A witness there who sees a crime with an all-seeing eye.
5. All night a headless body lay aside a lonely street,
Suspicion points to three young men as having done the deed;
The evidence does plainly implicate all three of them,
For more atrocious crime no man did ever hang.
6. This crime does teach a lesson true, young girls, I pray take heed,
Your mother is the truest friend you'll find in times of need;
The story will be often times told by friends from time to time,
Of Scott Jackson along a Walling, Will Wood, and poor Pearl Bryan.
Notes
This song is item dF51 in Laws's Appendix II.
To tell this song from the other Peal Bryan ballads, consider this first stanza (from Eddy):
In Greencastle, Indiana, a fair young maiden dwelled
Beneath a mother's loving care, a father's lavish wealth,
A mother's pride, a father's joy, by many friends esteemed,
From out her young handsome face the pure innocence gleamed.
Comparison with Eddy's other text (which also lacks a melody) would seem to imply that the two could be one -- but Laws separates them, so the Index does the same. - RBW
Historical references
- Feb 1, 1896 - Discovery of the headless body of Pearl Bryan, killed along with her unborn child by Scott Jackson and Alonzo Walling, near Fort Thomas, Kentucky
- Mar 20, 1897 - Execution of Jackson and Walling
Cross references
- cf. "The Jealous Lover (I), The (Florella, Floella) (Pearl Bryan II) (Nell Cropsey II) [Laws F1A, B, C]" [Laws F1], particularly the "B" subgroup of Pearl Bryan ballads
- cf. "Pearl Bryan I" [Laws F2]
- cf. "Pearl Bryan III" [Laws F3]
References
- Eddy 105, "A Fatal Acquaintance" (2 texts, but Laws assigns the B text to "Pearl Bryan III")
- ST E105 (Full)
- BI, E105