Of the case against Jane, there’s little known “It wasn’t recognized as fact or truth or even admissible in the court,” said Keaton. “Maybe this prominent man killed him and made sure she would get the blame for it,” suggested Keaton.Įight years before the start of the Civil War, Jane’s word meant little.
Keaton believes she had no motivation to lie. She did not have any rights,” said Keaton.Īccording to a Galveston Daily News article written in August of 1880, it was Jane who reported the murder and accused “a prominent citizen of the county” of committing the crime.
THE BALLAD OF JANE TRIAL
It is remarkable Jane received a trial it is unlikely, Keaton believes, it was a fair one. “I feel that she was falsely accused,” said George Keaton, founder of Remembering Black Dallas, a nonprofit dedicated to memorializing victims of racial violence.Īctors playing Jane Elkins and Andrew Wisdom (credit: Soul Rep Theatre) “It was a reality and it has to be explored.”īut, not everyone accepts Jane was guilty. “Not having control of anything – your life, your mind, your children, your body,” said McMillan-Herod. The short play explores the theory Jane, like many enslaved women, was a victim of rape. That’s the first line of the play,” said McMillan Herrod. “Her spirit was broken long before they broke my neck. McMillan-Herod’s “The Ballad of Jane Elkins” shows her convicted of murdering Wisdom with an axe.Īctress playing Jane Elkins (credit: Soul Rep Theatre) On May 27 1853, she became the first woman legally hanged in Texas. Jane was a slave accused of killing Andrew Wisdom, a widower in northwest Dallas County who’d leased her to care for his children. “Because the play opens with her hanging, it’s a shocker,” said McMillan-Herod. Playwright Anyika McMillan-Herod first heard the tale from her grandmother and brought it to the stage. Then, there are stories, like Jane Elkins’, largely forgotten and nearly erased by time. articles and REVIEWSĭALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – There’s the history of Dallas everyone knows. Artistic Director, Cora Cardona served as the director. Teatro Dallas featured THE BALLAD OF JANE ELKINS in its Festival of Death in October 2014. The play was first produced for Soul Rep Theatre Company's 8th New Play Festival in July 2014 and was directed by vickie washington. Wisdom, a widowed man from Farmers Branch, in 1853.
Jane Elkins was a slave girl that was tried and hung for killing Mr. Signed to PolyGram in '87, the band's self-titled debut, with Phil Lewis replacing Rose, sold over a million copies, as did "Cocked and Loaded" (1989) and "Hollywood Vampires" (1991).THE BALLAD OF JANE ELKINS is a historical drama that tells the true story of the first legal hanging in Dallas, Texas. The original singer, Michael Jagosz, was replaced by Axl Rose. But musically, I think I've played those songs enough in my life." I don't know, really, why I would do it, you know what I mean? It's not like the band is big enough to have, like, a comeback where it would make some crazy financial sense or something like that. And I played those songs for so many years.
He said: "My heart's just not into it, man, you know. Tracii Guns in 2013 ruled out the possibility of a reunion with Phil Lewis and L.A. John ( X-DRIVE, BURNING RAIN, MONTROSE, QUIET RIOT) and drummer Shane Fitzgibbon. GUNZO's lineup is completed by singer Keith St. Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below. GUNS) and legendary bassist Rudy Sarzo (ex- QUIET RIOT, OZZY OSBOURNE, WHITESNAKE) - on stage on April 29 at Counts Vamp'd Rock Bar & Grill in Las Vegas, Nevada to perform the L.A. GUNS singer Phil Lewis joined GUNZO - the new band featuring guitarist Tracii Guns (ex- L.A.