Bob Nelson (deckman) here in the Seattle, Washington USA, area.

My maternal roots go back to the small town of Skidmore, Missouri. I spent some time there in 1955 with my great Uncle Allen. He gave me much history of my mother's family roots, as well as one incredible ballad.

There was a well documented murder that happened on the main street in downtown Skidmore on July 10th, 1981. Just got to Wikopedia (sp?) and plug in "Skidmore, Missouri, Ken McElroy" to read about it.

For many years I've been pondering about whether or not to write a ballad about this killing. Because of family connections, I know the identity of the murderer. Even though the U.S. Justice department held the town siege twice, no one squealed on the murderer. To this day, the murder is "unsolved."

Here's my question to my fellow catters: Has anyone else out there been curious about this event? And more importantly, has anyone else already written this murder ballad?

I look forward to your feedback ... bob(deckman)nelson