307. Nellie Cropsey


307

Nellie Cropsev

Nellie (Ella Maude) Cropsey was the daughter of a truck farmer
who, in 1901, was living with his family at Elizabeth City in a
house beside the Pasquotank River. Nineteen years of age and
pretty, she had many admirers. Favored among these was James
Wilcox, a shipyard worker, son of a former sheriff of the county.
Early in November a lovers' quarrel between the two occurred, and
for two weeks Wilcox stayed away from the Cropsey home. On
the evening of the twentieth he called again and conversed with
the family. As, shortly after eleven o'clock, he was taking his
leave, he said, 'Nell, I want to see you in the hall for a minute.'
She complied. Her family never again saw her alive. Missed
before morning, she was sought in vain. Wilcox, not being able
to giye a satisfactory account of her whereabouts, was arrested
next day. Nellie's disappearance aroused the interest of the whole
Atlantic seaboard, and search for her was systematic and wide-
spread. Not until December 2-j was her body found, in the Pas-
quotank River, about 150 yards in front of her home. (Raleigh
News and Obseri'er, Nov. 22 — Dec. 31, 1901.)

A coroner's jury turned in a verdict of death by violence and
recommended that Wilcox's probable guilt be investigated. Public
feeling against him, aggravated by his cold and impassive attitude
throughout the investigation, ran so high that the local naval re-

 

7l8 NORTH CAROLINA FOLKLORE

serve was called out to guard him. At the March 1902 term of
Pasquotank court he was convicted of murder in the first degree
and sentenced to be hanged. From this judgment he appealed to
the Supreme Court on the ground that in the course of the trial
demonstrations within the courtroom and disorders outside occurred
to influence the jury and prejudice his rights (North Carolina Re-
ports, 131:490-92). Granted a new trial with change of venue, he
was tried at the March 1903 term of Perquimans Superior Court,
found guilty of murder in the second degree, and sentenced to
thirty years in the state penitentiary. Losing a second appeal
(ibid., 132:791 ff.), he began serving his sentence. On December
20, 1918, he was pardoned by Governor T. W. Bickett (letter from
the office of the Governor of North Carolina). On December 4,
1934, Wilcox committed suicide (letter from W. G. Gaither, Eliza-
beth City, N. C, to his daughter, Bettie Gaither — letter given by
Miss Gaither to A. P. Hudson).

The horror, indignation, and sympathy aroused by the murder
of Nellie Cropsey left a partial record in folk song. Mrs. Steely
108-9 includes two fragmentary variants of the 'Nellie Cropsey'
ballad adapted from The Lexington Murder.' In FSRA L. W.
Chappell prints four songs about Nellie Cropsey, two of which have
their counterparts in our collection. One of the two counterparts
(pp. 1 12-13), as Chappell points out, is an "adaptation, by asso-
ciation at least, of The Cruel Miller," and corresponds rather closely
to North Carolina K, lacking only the allusion to the penitentiary
sentence. The other (No. 61, pp. 108-9), dated 1912, has the first
two stanzas substantially in common with the following North Caro-
lina texts.

 

'Nellie Cropsey.' From L. W. Anderson, Nag's Head, without date, as
collected from Alva Wise.

1 On the twentieth of November,
A day we all remember well,

When a handsome girl was murdered,
Of her story I will tell.

2 Girls, I pray you all take warning :
Be careful how you trust a man.
For they will pretend they love you
And will kill you if they can.

3 She had scarcely passed sixteen summers,
Eyes so blue and shining curls ;
Handsome was her lovely figure

With her lovely golden curls.

4 Last night her lover called to see her,
But they scarcely spoke a word.

For they'd had a lovers' quarrel.
So the neighbors all had heard.

 

NORTH CAROLINA BALLADS 719

5 He stayed until half past eleven,
And he arose to go, saying,
'Nellie, may I see you at the door
Just to speak a word or so?'

6 They stept out on the veranda
Just to have a little talk,

For she really thought she loved him
Till she found it was too late.

7 Weeks went hy. They searched for Nellie.
But the search was all in vain ;

But they thought perhaps she was living
And would soon come home again.

8 But when they hrought the hal)y [sic] homeward,
Oh, how sad it was to see, mother, father.
Sister, brother, all beside her on their knees.
And behind them stood her lover,

9 With his cold and hateful smiles
Making fun of her dear parents
Weeping over their darling child.
'Tell me. Jimmie, ah ! pray tell me,

10 'Tell me now, I do implore.' Saying
Jimmie, ah! so coldly, 'I left her
Crying at the door.' — 'Tell me, Jim,
For God's sake tell me.'

11 Says Jim, 'I've told you all that I know.'
We feel sure that Nell's an angel
Shining brightly as the stars.

As for Jim, her jealous lover
Stands behind the prison bars.

 

'Song of Nellie Cropsy and Jim Wilcox.' From N. L. Stack, a
sophomore at Trinity College, January 1923.

1 It was on the twentieth of November,
The day we all remember well,

'Twas then a handsome girl was murdered.
Of this story I must tell.

2 To girls, I pray you all take warning:
Be careful how you trust a man.

For they all pretend to love you
And will kill you if they can.

 

720 NORTH CAROLINA FOLKLORE

3 She had passed but sixteen summers ;
Eyes of blue and sunny curls ;
Perfect was her handsome features
With sad lips smiling over pearls.

4 One night her lover came to see her,
But they scarcely spoke a word,
For they had a lovers' quarrel,

So the neighbors all had heard.

5 He stayed there until half past eleven,
And when he arose to go he asked her,
'May I see you just to speak a word or two?'

 

6 They stepped out on the upper veranda,
Little dreaming of her fate,

For she truly thought that he truly loved her.
Until she found it was too late.

7 When everything at home was silent,
And all around was fast asleep,

Jim took her to the lonely place

And there he plunged her into the deep.

8 Little was her sisters thinking
As they lay upon their bed

Of their handsome sister Nellie.
Little did they think she was dead,

9 When the news came home to mother
That her darling girl was gone.

She sent for her false lover.

He with stammering lips did come.

10 'Tell, oh tell me, Jim, for God's sake,
Tell, oh tell me, I implore !'

T don't know,' said Jimmie coldly ;
'I left her crying at the door.'

1 1 He did look so pale and nervous
As the mother held his hand.

Tell, oh tell me, Jim, for God's sake.'
Say, 'I have told you all I can.'

12 Days went by ; they searched for Nellie.
But the search was all in vain.

For they thought perhaps she is living
And will soon be home again.

 

NORTH CAROLINA BALLADS 721

13 When they brought her body homeward
Oh, how sad it did seem.

Mother, father, brother, and sister.
All bowed down on their bended knees.

14 Just behind them stood her lover,
Did not even drop a tear,

For he knew that he had robbed her
Of her life, that was once so dear.

15 All because she loved another;
And was faithful to her trust ;

And he swore that he would kill her
If from her he had to part.

16 We are sure that Nell is an angel.
Shining brightly as a star.

As for Jim, that jealous lover,

He is placed behind the prison bars.
----------------------

 

 

307
Nellie Cropsey

 

'Nellie Cropsey.' Sung by Miss Lucy Dunnegan. Recorded as ms score at
Durham in 1921. Measures 3-8 are closely related to those of 'Lexington Mur-
der,' 65A(i) above.

 
Scale: Hexatonic (4). Tonal Center: e-flat. Structure: ab (4,4)-