The Mournful and Pathetic Ballad on the Murder of John Love

The Mournful and Pathetic Ballad on the Murder of John Love
A ballad of the murder of John Love in New York, 1824.


The story: The Thayer Brothers


The Mournful and Pathetic Ballad on the Murder of John Love

Anonymous, 1825 (original spelling)

In England some years ago
     the sun was pleasant fair and gay
John Love on board of a ship he entered
     And sald in to a merica

Love Was a man very perceverlng
     in making trades with all he see
he soon ingaged to be a sailor
     to sail up and down Lake Eri

he then went Into the Southern countries,
     to trade for furs and other skins
but the cruel French and saveg Indians
     came very near to killing him.

but God did spare him a little longer
     he got his loging and come down the lake
he went into the town of lockport
     Where he made the grate mistake

with Nelson Thayer he made his station
     thrue the summer for to stay
Nelson had two brothers Isaac and Israel
     Love lent them money for thare debts to pay

Love lent them quite a sum of money
     he did befriend them every way
but the cruel cretres tha couldent be quiet
     till they had taken his sweet life away

one day as tba ware all three to gether
     this dreadful murder tba did contrive
tha agreed to kill Love and keep it secret
     and then to live and spend thare lives

on the fifteenth evening of last december
     in eighteen hundred and twenty four
tha invited Love to go home with them
     and tha killed and murdered him on the floor
first Isaac with his gun he shot him
     he left his gun and went away
then Nelson with his ax chopt him
     tell he had no life that could perceve

after tha had killed and most mortly bras’s him
     tha drawd him out where tha killed thare hogs
tha then carried him of a pease from the house
     and deposited him down by a log

the next day tha were so very bold
     tha had Loves horses riding round
some asked the reason of Loves being absent
     tha sed he had clered and left the town

tha sed he had forged in the town of Erie
     the sheriff was in pursuit of him
he left the place and run awa
     and left his debts to collect by them

tha went and forgd a power of turney
     to collect Loves note when tha was due
tha tore and stormed to git thare pay
    and several nabors tha did sue

after tha had run to high degree
     In killing Love and in forgery
Tha soon were taken and put in prison
     Where tha remained for thare cruelty

Tha were bound in irons in the dark dunjon
     For to remain for a little time
Tha were condemd by the grand jury
     For this most foul and dreadful crime

Then the judge pronounced thare dredful sentence
     Whith grate candidness to behold
You must all be hanged untell your ded
    And lord mursey on your souls