B:From Patrick Gainor, Folk Songs From the West Virginia Hills
M:2/4

X:164
T:Rowan County Crew, The
S:Digital Tradition, rowancrw
B:From Ozark Folksongs, Randolph
B:Collected from Jim Cherry, AK 1942
Z:dt:rowancrw
M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:2/4=100
W:Come all young men and ladies, fathers and mothers too
W:I will relate to you the history of the Rowan County crew
W:Concerning bloody Rowan and many hideous deeds,
W:My  friends, please give attention, remember how it reads.
W:
W:It was in the month of August, all on the election day,
W:Johnny Martin he was wounded, they say by Johnny Day,
W:But Martin could not believe it, he could not think it so,
W:He thought it was Floyd Tolliver that struck the fatal blow.
W:
W:They shot and killed Saul Bradley, a sober and innocent man,
W:Left his wife and loving children to do the best they can,
W:They wounded young Ad Sizemore, although his life was saved,
W:He seems to shun the grog-shops since he stood so near t' his grave.
W:
W:Now Martin did recover, some months had come and passed
W:All in the town of Morehead those men they met at last,
W:Tolliver and a friend or two about the streets did walk,
W:They seemed to be uneasy, with no one wished to talk.
W:
W:They stepped into Judge Carey's grocery and stepped to the bar,
W:But little did they think, dear friends, they had met their fatal hour,
W:The sting of death was near him, Martin rushed in at the door
W:A few words passed between them concerning the row before.
W:
W:The people were soon all frightened, began to rush out of the room,
W:When a ball from Martin's pistol lay Tolliver in the tomb,
W:His friends did gather round him, his wife to weep and wail,
W:Then Martin was arrested and soon confined in jail.
W:
W:He was put in the jail of Rowan, there to remain a little while,
W:In the hands of law and justice to bravely stand his trial,
W:The people talked of Iynching him, at present they did fail,
W:The prisoner's friends soon moved him to the Winchester jail.
W:
W:Some people forged an order, their names I do not know,
W:Their plan was soon agreed upon, for Martin they did go,
W:Martin seemed to be discouraged, he seemed to be in dread,
W:They've sought a plan to kill me, to the jailer Martin said.
W:
W:They put the handcuffs on him, his heart was in distress,
W:They hurried to the station to get on the night express,
W:Along the line she lumbered at her usual speed,
W:There was only two in number to commit this dreadful deed.
W:
W:Martin was in ehe smoking car, accompanied by his wife,
W:They did not want her present when they took her husband's life,
W:When they arrived at Farmer's they had no time to lose,
W:A band approached the engineer and toid him not to move.
W:
W:They stepped up to the prisoner with pistols in their hands,
W:In death he was soon sinking, he died in iron bands,
W:His wife she heard the horrid sound, she was in another car,
W:She cried oh Lord, they've killed him! when she heard the pistols fire.
W:
W:Now the death of those two men have caused great trouble in our land,
W:Caused men to leave their families and take the parting hand,
W:Retaliating still at war, and it may never cease
W:I would that I could only see our land once more in peace.
W:
W:They shot the deputy sheriff, Bumgardner was his name,
W:They shot him from the bushes after taking deliberate aim,
W:The death of him was dreadful, it may never be forgot,
W:His body pierced and torn with thirty-three buckshot
W:
W:Now I've composed this as a warning, beware all you young men,
W:Your pistols will cause you trouble, on this you may depend,
W:In the bottom of the whiskey glass a lurking devil dwells,
W:It burns the breasts who drink it, and sends their souls to hell.
K:Eb
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