“The Murder of Pearl Bryan (Pearl Bryan V)”

Description

The Setters take on the Peal Bryan story: "A horrible crime was committed Soon was brought to light; For parents to look on their headless girl, What a sad and terrible sight." Jackson's insanity plea fails; he is to be executed; Walling's trial awaits

Supplemental text

Murder of Pearl Bryan, The (Pearl Bryan V)
  Partial text(s)

           *** A ***

From Jean Thomas, Ballad Makin', p. 131-135.

A horrible crime was committed
Soon was brought to light;
For parents to look on their headless girl,
What a sad and terrible sight.
The girl who was beheaded,
Pearl Bryan was her name.
It was done by dental students
a studying for fame.

(5 additional stanzas)

Notes

Thomas's version is rather a curiosity, since she learned it from Jilson Setters decades after the murder but he never updated the song. There is no evidence that it ever circulated in tradition.

Roud lumps this with Laws F1(B). But while it's just possible that that song inspired Jilson Setters, this is not a version of the Laws ballad. But my guess is that the song was inspired by the piece which Burt excerpts, since both songs end with a stanza about Pearl and her head being reunited in heaven. - 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Historical references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]
• cf. "Pearl Bryan (IV)"

References

1. Thomas-Makin', pp. 131-135, "The Murder of Pearl Bryan" (1 text, 1 tune)
2. Burt, p. 32, (no title) (1 excerpt)
3. ST ThBa131 (Partial)
4. Roud #500
5. BI, ThBa131