Hayseed (I)

DESCRIPTION: The hayseed finishes his work and decides to go on a spree. He goes to town and takes an expensive ("five dollars a minit"!) room in a hotel. Before going to bed, he blows out the gas -- and dies of the fumes
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (Sandburg-TheAmericanSongbag)
KEYWORDS: death corpse technology money
FOUND IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Sandburg-TheAmericanSongbag, p. 50, "Hayseed" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, HAYSEED*
Roud #12498
NOTES [81 words]: The story of a visitor from the country blowing out the gas in a hotel and dying of the fumes seems to be common. According to Charlie Maguire, it really did happen at least once, to an Indian chief from the Itasca area named Busticogan, who died in 1910 (according to a historian named Bill Marshall). Details are hard to come by, and Busticogan has become largely a figure of cheap folklore. In any case, Busticogan was not on a spree; he was trying to obtain help for his people. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.5
File: San050

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