The Kingston Trio_Tom Dooley (1958)

The Kingston trio sings Tom Dooley on The Milton Berle Show in 1958. The sound is low. This haunting folksong is based on a real murder that took place in 1866 (in N. Carolina) when Tom Dula (pronounced Dooley) stabbed lover Laura Foster to death. Poor Laura was carrying his unborn child at the time. There was speculation that he didn't actually kill her but was covering for the real killer, Laura's cousin Anne who was also Tom's lover. Whoever actually committed the murder, Tom Dula paid with his life when he was hanged for the crime. Just before the rope was placed around his neck, Tom stated that he had not harmed Laura but that he deserved the punishment.