ON THE TRAIL OF NEGRO FOLK-SONGS

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	RAILROAD SONGS	249
	local names, names of towns, or trains, but agreeing for the most part in the accident, the bravery of Casey, and the grief he left behind at his going. I learned the history of this famous ballad only recently. Irvin Cobb was at my home one evening when a party was assembled to hear some of these folk-songs sung. He told us that Casey Jones was written by a Negro in Memphis, Tennessee, to recount the gallant death of "Cayce" Jones, an engineer who came from Cayce, Tennessee. He was called that in order to distinguish him from others of his name and calling, there being three engineers named Jones, one called "Dyersburg," one "Memphis," and one "Cayce," after the towns they hailed from. Professor Odum gives the following version of Casey Jones, according to the Negro translation in an article spoken of before: CASEY JONES



	Casey Jones was engineer; Told his fireman not to fear, All he wanted was boiler hot; Run in Canton 'bout four o'clock.