“The Millman and Tuplin Song”

Description

June 18 at Margate, Mary "went to meet her young lover, who a few nights before Said he'd make all things right when they'd meet on that shore." He shoots her and "sunk her body deep down" in the river. He is convicted in 1898.

Supplemental text

Millman and Tuplin Song, The
  Partial text(s)

          *** A ***

Young Millman (The Tuplin Song)

From Louise Manny and James Reginald Wilson, Songs of Miramichi,
#50, pp. 195-196. From the singing of Willie MacDonald of Black
River Bridge, 1947.

Come roll down your curtain and move slowly on,
  I'll sing you young Millman, and the Tup-a-lin song.
'Tis a tale of deep sorrow and suffering grief,
  This crime was committed at a place called Margee.  (Margate)

On the eighteenth of June, on a calm summer night,
  The moon from the heavens shone a play ray of light,
Little Maggie stepped out of her own father's door,
  Little thought she had gone to return there no more.

(6 additional stanzas)

Notes

Roud has at least five different numbers for this event:

Roud #1837: Creighton-NovaScotia 140, "Prince Edward Island Murder" [Laws dF59]

Roud #4129: Doerflinger, pp. 285-286, "The Millman Song" (also Ives-DullCare, pp. 180-181, "The Millman Murder Trial") [LawsdF60]

Roud #9179: Ives-DullCare, pp. 46-47, "The Millman and Tuplin Song" (also Manny/Wilson 50, "Young Millman")

Roud #9552: Shea, pp. 174-179, "The Millman Tragedy"

Roud #12463: Dibblee/Dibblee pp. 72-73, "The Murder of Mary Tuplin"

The Ives-DullCare text has the trial in 1898 instead of 1888. That's understandable since the rhyme still holds. [We note that the version in Manny & Wilson has the date right. - RBW] - BS

Historical references

• June 28, 1887 - Murder of Mary Tuplin by William Millman
• 1888 - Execution of Millman

Cross references

• cf. "The Prince Edward Island Murder" (subject)
• cf. "The Murder of Mary Tuplin" (subject)
• cf. "The Millman Song" (subject)

References

1. Ives-DullCare, pp. 46-47, 249-250, "The Millman and Tuplin Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
2. Manny/Wilson 50, "Young Millman (The Tuplin Song)" (1 text, 1 tune)
3. ST IvDC046 (Partial)
4. Roud #9179
5. BI, IvDC046