The story of Tom Dooley

The song begins with these words

Throughout history

There have been many songs written about the eternal triangle

This next one tells the story of a Mr. Grayson, a beautiful woman

And a condemned man named Tom Dooley...

When the sun rises tomorrow, Tom Dooley... must hang...

• Brutal Murder
• Dooley was sent for trial in Statesville
• I didn’t harm a hair
• The Johnny Rivers version

Brutal Murder

Stabbing

Tom Dula and Anne Melton were lovers, Anne was known as a very jealous woman and when she found out that Tom had another lover and possibly even fiancée namely ‘Laura Foster’ she planned and brutally murdered her using a large knife, the murder was particularly brutal and resulted in many reports of it in the New York Times.

The fact that the murder was so brutal and so widely reported the national interest in the trial was enormous.

The trial and subsequent arrest of Melton came about because of certain comments made by her, and it was these comments that led to the discovery of Laura foster body.

After a statement made by Dula, Laura Melton was acquitted and in fact died insane a few years later she was a very troubled and jealous woman and it is thought it was this insane jealousy that finally instigated her death.

Dooley was sent for trial in Statesville

Hanging

Tom Dula name was commonly pronounced Dooley as the part of the country where he came from often pronounced a final ‘a’ as a ‘y’ Dula was arrested in Wilkes County but was sent to Statesville after he appealed he could not get a fair trial in Wilkes County,

He was given a new trial in Statesville and was convicted and hanged on May 1, 1868 for the murder of his fiancée Anne Melton as he stood on the gallows he made a statement to the effect that he was innocent but still deserved his punishment, and this led to much speculation that it was, in fact, Anne Melton who was the murderer.

I didn’t harm a hair

H.M.V

On the gallows, Dula reportedly stated, "Gentlemen, do you see this hand? I didn’t harm a hair on that girl’s head."

The ballad ’Tom Dooley’ written by A local poet named Thomas Land was probably first sung shortly after the execution and is still commonly sung in North Carolina.

Hang down your head Tom Dooley
Hang down you head and die.
I met her on a mountain
There I took her life
Met her on a mountain
Stabbed her with my knife

The song was first recorded by Grayson and Whitter in 1929 by The Victor Talking Machine Company and was well know at the time, in 1958 the song was re-recorded by ‘The Kingston Brothers’ in the states and sold over six million copies, in the UK it was given a skiffle slant and became a hit for ‘The Lonnie Donegan Trio’

The Johnny Rivers version

So in a way when the lyrics say ’Poor boy you’re bound to die’ in a way it's not true, he might have died but his name will live on forever

I apologize if you now find yourself humming this tune all day.