Death of Roy Rickey, The

DESCRIPTION: "Little Roy was missing, Where was he found? A-hangin' by the roadside ...." He was hangin' on a whiteoak.... Where he could have saved himself If he had not been dead." His parents are accused of killing the boy then hanging the dead body
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1939 (Thomas)
KEYWORDS: death homicide father mother children crime
FOUND IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Thomas-BalladMakingInMountainsOfKentucky, pp. 163-164, "The Death of Roy Rickey" (1 text) (OakEd, pp. 168-169)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Mary Phagan" [Laws F20] (tune)
SAME TUNE:
Mary Phagan [Laws F20] (File: LF20)
NOTES [75 words]: This is so feeble a piece that, after the first two verses, I thought it intended to be humorous. But it evidently wasn't so meant. The outcome of the case apparently was not known to the informants, but rumor had it that Roy had discovered his mother in a compromising position with Jim Andy Day (who later discovered Roy's body). The two disposed of Roy to make sure no word reached Roy's father.
Amazing no one made a movie out of that plot.... - RBW
Last updated in version 6.7
File: ThBa163

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