DESCRIPTION:
Ellen Smith was a motel worker in North Carolina who fell in love with a man named Peter DeGraff, a drinker and womanizer. Ellen soon became pregnant and DeGraff rejected her. She began following him around town, until he sent her a letter asking her to meet him in an isolated area. There, DeGraff shot Ellen through the heart, leaving her to bleed to death. DeGraff was soon apprehended and several variations of the ballad spread through the region, some condemning DeGraff, some sympathetic to him. Throughout DeGraff's trial and up to his hanging, all versions of the song were banned over the fear they would incite riots. As DeGraff stood on the gallows, his last word were, "...beware of bad women and whiskey...don't put your hands on cards, bad women and dice. Hear my dying words."    

Olentangy John, Amanda Jo Williams, and Horse Thieves performed "Poor Ellen Smith" at The New Los Angeles Folk Festival's MURDER BALLADS event for Halloween. Oct 26, 2010, at the Echoplex.

http://lafolkfest.com