Moses Stigall (abt. 1767 - 1806)

Born about 1767 in North Carolina, British Colonial America

Died 1806 at about age 39 in Kentucky, United States

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Biography

Stigall met the Harpes on Deer Creek and said he owed a dollar, don’t remember what for so Stigall sent them to his wife and when they saw she had $35.00 tied up in a sack in pocket of her apron they went back got the money killed her and baby and William Love whose horse had played out and ask to stay there. We all took in settlers. When Stigall come back home and found out what happened he never got off his horse but went to Colonel Luper a brave and good man everybody liked and told him this. They said fire popped in his eyes and sweat begin to stream down his forward mixed with tears.

Benjamin said he new the Harpes was at our spring - one was red headed . looked like his hair was never combed, wore durty, raggy clothes and was a big man - looked mean and honory. He had a knife, rifle, bow and arrow and tomahawks but every body had them. You would have to be uneasy he looked so kruel. They called the women Honey and Tunny and said Sissy was their child, They said they was cousins trying to find the Harpes boys that had just killed a little girl. Benjamin and me knew her family -James Hank and Christy the only child they had, Dolbaby, she was picking wild berries and wandered further from home as you know children will do, Her head had been cut off and one leg to her body, and all the toes on her other foot. Christy finally lost her mind and jumped in the stream and drowned.

The country was not settled and was wild so they could do such deeds and be away before it was found out. Jim Hank and Christy and Dolbaby left us and moved on as he wanted lots of land.

The Other Harpe boy or at least Benjamin thought they was mutch smaller and did not look as wild and wolly and acted like he was afraid of the other. They had good good horse one was lame and wanted to trade with Benjamin. When he told him no - the big man jumped up and down - the women calmed him down but he looked wild and wooly. They told him your brother, the preacher has not prayed enough for you. They asked Benjamin to let them have some gun powder but he did not as he knew they had some but a good ole man Jim Thompson who they met said he did not have any powder to kill for his meat so they gave him some of their so it was this powder that Harpe was almost killed with. He said the wives looked mean. They was dirty and let some bad language slip out. Then they tried to be preachers wives. John Ruby saw the Harpes pass and followed them past Mr. Stigalls to where they camped. When John went back to alarm his brother to get the men together but when they got back -they were gone after they murdered Mrs. Stigall, her baby and a teacher William Love and burned them house and all. The men thought they had hid out of their sight, then done that awful deed. Gilmore and John Hugeon camped on their way back with salt to so cover up what they had done to the Stigalls they accused these men of it and shot Charley Gilmore. Then caught John Hugeon and killed him. Benjamin herd Hunny and Tunney tell the law men this.

After John Leeper and his men set out to find them, Moses Stigall was wild mad they got to a creek where Little Harp was going to shoot Jim Smith as a horse theif across came Big Harpe's facing Leeper and his men, Big Harpe's was riding William Love's horse but Jim Thompin was on his fine Virginia horse Nance - Just as Big Harpe started to shoot Jim Smith he saw Leeper and his men, hit his mare and away they went.- Little Harpe ran off and was never found. The men that Smith was lined up with Harpes so after he proved he was not - they started after Big Harpe and found him at his camp getting his women so they could get away but lo and behold he left them so with his rifle and guns he left. Leeper left a fat man Richard Magby and Pluopie Hank to guard the women such lies they told not being Harpes, had not killed anyone - was trying to get across the river to their people.

No one could keep in sight of Harpes for five miles only Thompson riding his fast Virginia thoroughbred. They could easy follow in the horses tracks. At the bottom of creeks Thompson caught Harpe hid behind the big trees. Thompson told Harpes to give up but he said no - Just then he saw Judge Leeper and ran off fast as his horse would run. Leeper was mad because Thompson did not shoot him - he said his mare was so high strung, jumping he knew he would miss Harpe so Leeper got on Thompson Virginia Steed got his gun and pouch as his was wet - soon Leeper was in sight of Harpe when he got about fifteen feet from him jumped off threw the reins over Nance’s head he shot Harpe in the back and come out at his breast bone - but Harped fired at Leeper jumped on his horse and away he went again. Harpe first told him to stop or he would kill him but Harpes gun snapped.

Leeper got back on Nance soon in sight of Harpes holding on to the horn of saddle, all bent over, caught up with him, pulled him off his horse - Harpe begged him not to shoot but take him to cort. Leeper told him the shots was going to kill him about that time, but first Harpe wanted a drink so Leeper went to the creek and filled one of his shoes with water and looked up saw Jim Thompson and all there and Moses Stigall pulling out his knife and cutting Big Harpe's head off. Harpes said something first but I can not remember now what it was. I hope I can and write it later.

After they brought his bloody head here with his tongue sticking out and put it on the cherry tree, the men come over here, we were all scared to death and told about their ride over plane around the wooded tall trees over ditches and all to catch him, and when they got out in the open Mr. Leeper said he knew Nance could catch him. Moses said I want people to know - who that head belongs to and went back took his knife and cut u - “Big” - H. Mr. Leeper said if Harpes gun had not snapped it would not hit him which he said Big Harpe was not the markman people thought he was. Harpe throw his gun down and took off without it as he new he was shot bad - people thought he wanted to get to river and drown. Sunny, Tunny and small babies and the other women was taken to Red Banks and put them in a log dungon on the river bank and guarded them. They had there trial in September 1799 as helpers in murdering - Moses Stigalls wife and baby James and the school teacher William Love; he taught the children around her on August 19 or 20 I forgot the day Samuel Hopkins and some man was Justice of Peace found them guilty and stayed in jail but soon the grand jury opened at Ruselville so Sheriff Rowan Andrew Jno Stanley and Harden Gibson and somebody else. They wanted Benjamin to go and tell where Harpes head was put but I was in the family way and begged Benjamin not to go. When they got there the court set them free we all new they had big part in it but they said there men made them take part. Little Harpe got away to some state. Some people thought Moses Stigall turned out bad because his wife and boy ended life so awful and he cutting Big Harpe's head off was cause of it to. He took to being drunk and doing everything so in the next year he married Ellen Jane Vane just come from Virginia and got Vera Maddox to slip away and go with Josh Fleehart a mean mean man. Peaker Fletcher was in love with Vera so he and Vera brother Jake followed them to Ilinois Territory in a log cabin. Vera was on Josh lap loving him they could see Moses and Vera there Moses kicked Vera in the stomach she fell to the floor,. They was looking through the logs. Both fired same time. They left them there after dragging them out of cabin for wild animals to eat and started back with Jane and Vera, they did not want to come back and mad because they killed there men, when they put up to camp at night Josh and Peaker got stupid drunk so at daylight the women was gone and nobody ever new where they went. Some thought maybe they all got in a fight, and something awful happened - I don’t know.

Sources

• FamilySearch entry for Moses Stigall (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:MYH8-NYQ).
• Revolutionary Killers: Harpe Brothers, Serial or Spree?
• The McClendon Letters - Early 1800’s Henderson County Kentucky
• Killing Cousins