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Thomas C. Dula (June 22, 1845 – May 1, 1868)〔〔 was a former Confederate soldier, who was convicted of murdering Laura Foster. National publicity from newspapers such as ''The New York Times'', turned Dula's story into a folk legend. Although Laura was murdered in Wilkes County, North Carolina, Dula was tried, convicted, and hanged in Statesville. Considerable controversy surrounded the case. In subsequent years, a folk song was written (entitled “Tom Dooley”, based on the pronunciation in the local dialect), and many oral traditions were passed down, regarding the sensational occurrences surrounding Laura Foster's murder and Dula's subsequent execution. The Kingston Trio recorded a hit version of the murder ballad in 1958. ==Early life== Tom Dula was born to a poor Appalachian hill country family in Wilkes County, North Carolina, most likely the youngest of three brothers, with one younger sister, Eliza.〔 The young Dula grew up, attended school, and "probably played with the female Fosters", Anne (later Melton) and her cousins Laura and Pauline. As the children grew up, Tom and Anne apparently became intimate. Anne Foster's mother found Anne and Tom in bed together when Anne was 14 years old and Tom was 12. Three months before his 18th birthday, on 15 March 1862, Tom joined the Confederate Army. Dula served as a private in Company K in the 42nd North Carolina Infantry Regiment until the war ended in 1865.〔 There is evidence Dula was literate, as according to accounts at the time, he wrote a 15-page account of his life as well as the note that exonerated Anne Melton. His literacy is highly unusual given his station in life and the harsh poverty of his upbringing.〔 Tom played the fiddle and was considered from a very young age to be a "ladies man".〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tom Dula」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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