And #3 in the Ballad Index:

Ashland Tragedy (III), The [Laws F27]

DESCRIPTION: A loose account of the murder of three children (Fanny and Bobby Gibbons and Emma Carico) in the Gibbons home in Ashland. It describes the crime at some distance and with some inaccuracies and generalities
AUTHOR: Bill Terrell?
EARLIEST DATE: 1939 (Thomas)
KEYWORDS: homicide children
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1881 - Ellis Craft and William Neal hung for their part on the "Ashland Tragedy" (the third robber, George Ellis, had earlier been lynched)
FOUND IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Laws F27, "The Ashland Tragedy III"
Thomas-BalladMakingInMountainsOfKentucky, pp. 160-162, ("The Murder of the Gibbons Children") (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 802, ASHLAND3
Roud #2265
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Ashland Tragedy (I)" [Laws F25]
cf. "The Ashland Tragedy (II)" [Laws F26]
NOTES [44 words]: It's not clear to me why Laws accords this full status as a traditional ballad; as with The Ashland Tragedy (II), the only source is Thomas. Her text begins,
Oh have you heard the story,
It happened long ago,
Of the Gibbons's children murder
And Emma Carico. - RBW
File: LF27

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And the third version in the DT (Laws 27) is also from Thomas. This is the only version in the Digital Tradition that has a melody, and the only melody listed among the three Ballad Index. See the detailed message above from Bob Waltz, editor of the Ballad Index.

ASHLAND TRAGEDY (III) (DT Lyrics)

Oh, have you heard the story
It happened long ago,
Of the Gibbons' children murder
And Emma Carico

They lived in Boyd County
Ashland was their home;
Their parents went one evening
And left them all alone.

They went to bed these children,
They had no thought of fear,
And little dreamed that danger
Was surely lurking near.

For a while they slept so sweetly;
Three fiends in human guise
Came in and slew those children!
Sweet heaven, hear their cries.

Hear crippled Bob and Fanny,
Hear little Emma cry;
Oh may their murderers hear them,
When they are called to die.

They left those murdered children;
They did not lose no time,
But set fire to the building
To hide their awful crime.

But neighbors saw it burning,
They came from far and wide.
Dragged forth those murdered children
And laid them side by side.

Oh look upon these children,
Oh see them as they lie;
A crime has been committed,
Some one must surely die.

Go forth and search the country!
Go search both far and nigh!
And find the guilty culprit,
We'll surely hang him high.

From Ballad Makin' in the Southern Highlands, Thomas
Reportedly composed by Bill Terrell
DT #802
Laws F27
@murder
filename[ ASHLAND3
TUNE FILE: ASHLAND3
CLICK TO PLAY
RG
Oct96

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The Digital Tradition MIDI seems to be corrupted. I'll transcribe another one on request.