Recent Kanab Tragedy, The

DESCRIPTION: "In Kanab they will remember This Twenty-Fourth of July." "For two of the town's best men are lying In their coffins awaiting earth." "It happened because of hot anger -- A quarrel about their water right." Roundy kills Seegmiller, then kills himself
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1958 (Burt-AmericanMurderBallads)
KEYWORDS: homicide suicide family farming
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
July 23, 1899 - The Kanab murders
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Burt-AmericanMurderBallads, pp. 243-244, "(The Recent Kanab Tragedy)" (1 text)
Cheney-MormonSongs, pp. 194-195, "The Kanab Tragedy" (1 text)
Roud #10881
NOTES [86 words]: In Utah, water was (and is) a precious commodity; Burt-AmericanMurderBallads explains that each farmer was given a certain period of time to use the water in irrigation ditches. The Roundy/Seegmiller quarrel arose when Roundy accused Seegmiller of withholding some of the water he was due. Roundy murdered Seegmiller, and took his own life when he heard that one of Seegmiller's hands was coming after him.
Burt-AmericanMurderBallads believes her mother, who certainly transcribed the piece, might be the author. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.6
File: Burt243

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