"Daily life in Colonial America was hard, and travel was dangerous. One could easily be robbed or killed by any number of outlaws or people simply driven to desperation by poverty. There was also the very good chance of being murdered for no reason at all, and if one were unfortunate enough to meet up with the Harpe brothers, that was the most likely outcome."
"The Harpe brothers, now known as America's first serial killers, were two cousins - Micajah Harpe (birth name: Joshua Harper, later known as Big Harpe) and Wiley Harpe (birth name: William Harper, later known as Little Harpe) - who terrorized communities in Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, the Natchez Trace, and Tennessee between 1797 and 1799, murdering at least 39 people (probably 50 or more) for no reason other than their own bloodlust."
"In 1799, the two men and their three wives and children took refuge with the Stegall family - Moses Stegall, his wife, and their four-month-old son - at the Stegall home. Another guest, Major William Love, was also in residence. During the night, annoyed by Love's snoring, the Harpes killed him. The next morning, they murdered the young boy for crying and then killed his mother when she dared to object."
Micajah Harpe (Big Harpe) and Wiley Harpe (Little Harpe) were cousins who murdered at least 39 people, likely fifty or more, across Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, the Natchez Trace, and Tennessee between 1797 and 1799. Their crimes included random killings, robbery, kidnapping, and terrorizing travelers and settlements. In 1799 they murdered Major William Love, a four-month-old boy, and the boy's mother while staying with the Stegall family. Moses Stegall and John Leiper formed a posse that captured and decapitated Big Harpe. Little Harpe escaped but was later captured in 1804 using aliases, recognized, and hanged. Three kidnapped women bore their children and were later acquitted and reintegrated into society.
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