JAIL HOUSE POETRY - Forsyth, Taney County, Missouri


         JAIL HOUSE POETRY

            Written by

ERNEST KEITHLEY AND HADEN CASEY

We are standing in the jail house window
    Looking out through the bars
We see lots of people go riding by
    In several makes of cars.

We guess you all are wondering
    How came us to be here,
It was a Federal officer
    In whom we had no fear.

We've been in jail in Green county, and
    We've been in jail in Stone,
We are now in jail in Taney
    But we'd rather be at home.

We've made lots of whiskey and
    We've sold many a quart,
But we sold the wrong man whiskey
    And that's where got caught.

We have spent lots of money
    And tried to be real sports,
But we sold too much corn whiskey
    And we had to go to court.

Our trial was set for Friday,
    Our lawyer could not stay
He spoke to Mr. Moore
    To be there on that day.

We went up to the court house
    We had to face the judge,
He said "Six months in jail, boys,"
    We thought he had said enough.

They took us to the jail that day
    Mr. Smith lead the way,
And for a bed that night
    Upon the floor we lay.

We now live a Forsyth
    Upon the northeast hill
And as we sit here loney
    We think of the old distill'.

This is on Sunday morning
    We're lonely you all know,
If we were out of this place,
    To see our girls we'd go.

Our Sheriff is Mr. Simmons
    He treats us mighty nice,
He feeds us a plenty
    At morning, noon and night.


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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Audie & Denise Canida <audiec@swbell.net>
(© 1997 Audie & Denise Canida)

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