This was written by my grandmother's Uncle Joe, otherwise known in the family as the man who had her write letters to him in Latin while she was in high school.
I got this book from the library in my search for information about murder ballads. In my research I've found that most murder ballads are not based on actual cases, but the ones referenced in this collection are documented court cases. Unfortunately, the full text of the ballads are not included - quotes are cited as pertaining to the details of the cases. I was able to find the full text online in most cases.