The True Story of Tom Dooley: From Western North Carolina Mystery to Folk Legend

by John E. Fletcher PhD, Edith Marie Ferguson Carter (Foreword by)

Overview

In the wake of a love affair and a mysterious chain of events, Tom Dooley was convicted and hanged for the murder of Laura Foster.

At the conclusion of the Civil War, Wilkes County, North Carolina, was the site of this nationally publicized crime of passion, the nation's first. This notorious crime became an inspiration for musicians, writers and storytellers ever since, creating a mystery of mythic proportions. Through newspaper articles, trial documents and public records, Dr. John E. Fletcher brings this dramatic case to life, providing the long-awaited factual account of the legendary murder. Join the investigation into one of the country's most enduring thrillers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626190436
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	05/07/2013
Series:	True Crime
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	527,883
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

John Fletcher is a writer and genealogist from Banner Elk, NC. A retired research scientist with the National Institutes of Health, Fletcher holds degrees from the University of Maryland and North Carolina State University. He has published numerous genealogical articles and makes his home in Berryville, VA. Edith Marie Ferguson Carter is the curator and owner/operator of the Tom Dooley Museum at the Whipporwill Academy in Ferguson, NC.

Table of Contents

Foreword Marie Ferguson Carter 7

Acknowledgements 9

Introduction 11

1 The Murder of Laura Foster 13

2 The Trials of Tom Dula 59

3 The Adultery 81

4 The Pox 87

5 The Trial Documents and Witnesses 95

6 The Evidence, the Trial and the Conclusions 111

7 Myths, Errors and Lies 119

8 The Ballads 137

Epilogue 157

Bibliography 165

Index 171

About the Author 175