The year was 1896, and nineteenth-century journalists called the murder of Pearl Bryan the "Crime of the Century." From the day Pearl's headless body was found to the execution of her murderers on the gallows, the details of the murder fascinated newspaper reporters and ballad composers alike. Often glossing over the facts of the case, newspaper accounts presented the events according to stereotypes that were remarkably similar to those found in well-known murdered-girl ballads, such as "Pretty Polly," "Omie Wise," and "The Jealous Lover." Events, characters, motivations, and plot were presented through this framework: the simple country girl led astray by a clever degenerate. Nearly all variants of the Pearl Bryan ballad point the same moral: Young ladies now take warning Young men are so unjust, It may be your best lover But you know not whom to trust. Representations of this formula appear in such diverse genres as the ballad "Poor Ellen Smith" and the novel An American Tragedy. As Anne Cohen demonstrates, both newspaper accounts and ballads tell the Pearl Bryan story from the same moral stance, express the same interpretation of character, and are interested in the same details. Both distort facts to accommodate a shared pattern of storytelling. This pattern consists of a plot formula—the murdered-girl formula—that is accompanied by stereotyped scenes, actors, and phrases. The headless body—surely the most striking element in the Pearl Bryan case—is absent from those ballads that have survived. Anne Cohen contends that a decapitated heroine does not belong to the formula—a murdered heroine, yes, but not a decapitated one. Similarly, newspapers made much of Pearl's "innocence" and tended to downplay the second murderer. Only one murderer, the lover, belongs to the stereotype. Poor Pearl, Poor Girl! is a ballad study conducted on historic- geographic lines; that is, it seeks to trace the history and interrelations of a series of ballad texts and to relate the ballads directly to their ideological and historical context in the American scene. It also compares the narrative techniques of ballad composition with the techniques of other forms of popular narrative, especially newspaper journalism.

In 2015, a world hidden from view came into sudden, sharp focus for Heather and Kristin as they began their pursuit of the paranormal; this is the extraordinary beginning of their quest to Unlock the Unknown. Join them as they take you into a world that has silently coexisted and patiently waited to be explored. “Heather and Kristin have done a fantastic job of offering the readers a chance to go behind the scene of paranormal investigations and letting them see first-hand what it’s like to search out the haunted history of the sites. In this book, they take us on the hunt for ghostly evidence and provide the real stories that created the hauntings in the first place. I recommend this one and know you’re going to want to add it to your collection of spirited books!” Troy Taylor American Hauntings Ink Each investigation, each brush with the unknown, becomes a stepping stone on their path to knowledge as they confront their fears, preconceptions, and limitations. Unlock the Unknown is more than just the tale of a paranormal investigator; it’s an ode to the human spirit’s relentless pursuit of truth. Through countless hours of research, Unlock the Unknown meticulously unveils history and personal interpretation into each location, piecing together the fragmented accounts of the past. “I’d say this is the best writing on the school I’ve seen so far.” Justin Libigs Owner of First Ward School Journey into uncharted territories and unveil the mysteries of locations, both occupied and abandoned. From First Ward School, Bobby Mackey’s Music World, and Vaile Mansion, to the Sheboygan County Hospital, Stone Mansion, and Morse Mill. In a world that prefers the comfort of the known, join them on their journey that defies the boundaries of traditional understanding. Heather and Kristin push the boundaries of conventional wisdom as they chart a course and begin to Unlock the Unknown.