Sarah Mariah Cornell

DESCRIPTION: Reverend Avery seduces and then murders Sarah. He flees from justice, but is recaptured. Sarah's ghost (?) pleads for justice, warns girls not to be decieved by men, and asks for the listeners' prayers.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1845 (Journal from the Sharon)
KEYWORDS: homicide clergy seduction betrayal trial escape
FOUND IN: US(MA)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Huntington-SongsTheWhalemenSang, pp. 156-158, "Sarah Mariah Cornell" (1 text)
Thompson-APioneerSongster 66, "Sarah Maria Cornell" (1 text)
Forget-Me-Not-Songster, pp. 195-196, "Sara Maria Cornell" (1 text)
Cohen-AmericanFolkSongsARegionalEncyclopedia1, pp. 63-66, "Sarah Maria Cornell" (1 text plus a photo of a broadside with two pieces about her)
Roud #2044
NOTES [41 words]: Huntington can find no other versions of this song, which I usually take to indicate that it is not traditional. But I feel sure I've seen it somewhere else. And it wasn't from the version in Cohen, which had not been published at the time. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.0
File: SWMS156

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