An Incident of Love

The Ballad of Yermo Red

Yermo Red is a sadistic cop employed by a western railroad who delights in beating up hobos and finally kills one. The hobos want to avenge the dead man by killing Yermo. But one of them who hates violence prevails on them to try something else. He composes a song, "The Ballad of Yermo Red", which everybody up and down the railroad line begins singing.