Murder is a subject that will always fascinate people. The evening news never fails to mention the most disturbing murder of the day and if a newspaper web site has an intriguing murder mystery, that article never fails to get a lot of hits. Bluegrass and Old Time music feature the subject of murder in countless classic ballads. It’s a topic that always entertains. And it’s one of the many reasons I like to listen to Bluegrass and Old Time.
When I was a youngster, I heard a very compelling family story about murder. If the story as told had turned out differently, I would not be here writing these words today. I grew up in South Carolina, where my family has lived for more than two hundred years. Back in the early 19th century my direct ancestor was making his annual trip on horseback to market his goods and make his bank deposits at the port of Charleston. The trip from Saluda took several days and he usually stayed over the last day just north of the city but for some reason he was in more of a hurry one particular day and he resisted the invitation of an innkeeper who said she and her husband had reasonable accommodation for him and he really should stay because he was obviously very tired.
Tired though he was, my forebear pressed on. A short time later he learned what his fate would have been had he listened to the siren’s song. The innkeeper couple were arrested because of the disappearance of a number of travelers who had vanished after last being seen at their inn. The innkeepers had been poisoning guests who had money and disposing of their bodies in their basement.
Many people believe that Mary Surratt, who was involved in the Lincoln assassination, was the first woman hanged in America but she was not. That distinction goes to Livonia Fisher, the same woman who tried to murder my ancestor. It is said that she went to the gallows with the words: “If you have a message for the devil, give it to me for I believe I am about to see him”.
Tales of murder can send a chill down your spine like nothing else. The ballads of traditional music make use of that in song after song. Here’s a tip. If you’re living in a virtual world of murder ballads, the guy you need to watch out for is a guy named Willie. Who initiated the double suicide in Silver Dagger? Willie. Who offed Pretty Polly? Willie. Who gave a poisoned glass of wine to Molly? Willie. I rest my case. Your prime suspect at the banks of the Ohio has to be Willie and I’d be willing to bet that guy they caught in Thomasville after little Sadie’s murder was named Willie Lee.
Life would be so much safer if you only knew who to really watch out for. Maybe my ancestor had a sixth sense about Mrs. Fisher or maybe he was just lucky. Most murders are committed by people who already know their victim. How many times have you seen a story about a murder and read that the perpetrator was a seemingly normal guy, a good neighbor?
I’m here to tell you, a murderer could be in your midst and you might not even know it. About thirty years ago my family’s guest for Thanksgiving was a music teacher from our local high school. Everybody felt sorry for Rusty because his wife had left him. He was a really nice guy and he played piano while my mom sang old Broadway show tunes. We had a really great time together that holiday.
A short time later, Rusty’s wife was found. She was found in a steamer trunk Rusty had rented at a storage facility in Saint Louis. She was dead and Rusty was arrested for murder. Everybody in Greenwood who knew the guy was speechless. Murder can send a chill up your spine. Think about that next time you sing one of those classic murder ballads.
