Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-10-27
NARP'S HEAD.
A Thrilling Tragedy in the wilderness
,4r Of Kentucky u u q
A New Version Of the Old Traditions
about BIG Harp and Little Harp


CEon. Joseph r. Underwood in the Bowling
Green Democratl
In October, 1888, l called on John B.
Ruby, surveyor, living in Hopkins county,
Ky., to engage his services in surveying
lands. In going to the house, Ipassed the
farm where John Leeper lived and died.
Nv recollection is, that it was not more
than a mile from the residence of Mr.. Ruby.
In the course of our conversation, Inquired
who owned the plantation, alluding to that
where Leeper lived and died. Mr.. Ruby
informed me that it had been the residence
of man who acquired much celebrity as
the person who captured the notorious rob-
Der and murderer, (Big) Harp, to-wit:
Mr.. John Leeper, and that he had settled
on the place and resided on it until his
death. ............-. '.---.
As soon as Mr.. Ruby made the statement,
| became anxious to learn more about |
Leeper and the capture and death OF Harp.
immediately asked him how long he and |
Leeper had lived near each other as neigh |
bors; whether they were intimate friends, |
and whether Leeper had frequently told !
him the particulars attending the capture |
and death of Harp. My excitement and |
anxiety grew out of the following facts:
When / was a small boy my home was
with nv maternal uncle, Edmond Rogers,
near Edmonton, in Metcalfe county.
When nv uncle brought me from Virginia,
| was informed that little mlll-boy
named Trabue had been met on his mill
path by the Harps, and murdered, and that
a man named Dooley had been murdered
by them few miles above my uncle's
residence on the creek upon Which his resi-
dence was situated. These things made a
deep impression on my young mind and
heart Not long after | heard OF them
was put to school in Danville, Kentucky,
and there was informed Of the murder of
Landlord on this side Of the Cumberland
| Gap, in what was then called the Wilder
ness, by the Harps; their arrest and impris-
onment in the jail at Danviile; their break
ing Jail and flight through the Green river
| country, numbering as they went
had heard of the murder of Love, and
Stgalls family, and burning the house over
| their dead bodies. These stories of horror
| flashed through my mind at the mention of
Leeper's name, as the captOr and slayer Of
the Big Harp.
In answer to my question, Mr.. Ruby in
| formed me that he had lived in the neigh
borhood forty years, and most of the time
almost in sight of Leeper's residence; that
they were intimate friends that Leeper was
as honest as any man that ever lived brave
| and truthful, and that he often related to
| him and others all the particulars attending
the capture and death of Big Harp.
dined with Mr.. Ruby. After dinner We
left his house and went to the hospitable
! residence of gentleman named James
Armstrong, and there wrote, as Mr.. Ruby
| dictated the following facts, detailed to him
! Inv Ieeper and other pioneers
There were two Harps. They were
brothers. One of them was a large,
athletic man. named Micajah, the other
small and active, named Wiley. They were
| better known, and scarcely ever called by
any other names than Big and Little Harp
Big Harp had two wives, Little Harp but
one. These women had children, but how
MANY, / did not learn from Mr.. Ruby.
Their wives were detained with their chill
dren at Danville for some time after their
husbands broke jail and fed. When they
. were released they moved aud located them
selves about eight miles from the present
site of the town of Henderson, where they
lived in the winter of 1889 and
spring Of 1879, and passed them
selves as widows. In the summer OF
1899, the Big and Little Harp passed
through what is now Hopkins county, on
their way to join their wives. At that
period the country in Kentucky on the
south side of Green river was wilderness,
with but few scattered settlers in it. The
/, word settler has d technical meaning IN
consequence of the Legislature OF Virginia
and Kentucky granting lands to those VINO
settled and improved the wilderness. The
, Harps rode good horses, were well dressed
in broad-cloth coats, and armed with rifles
. oFT Rfcfnlc Tho wild nnlD-
habited condition of the country was theil
: apology for such equipments. They stop
!. ped and got dinner at the house Of settler
named James Tompkins, who resided neal
: STUDENTS lick. This lick was named atte
u the Baron Stuben, of revolutionary mem
\ orv. Mr.. A. Towns told me thai
there was a tradition among tn
II II early settlers that the old Baron had visite
u Kentucky soon after the close of the wal
= and had been wounded by the Indians a
y this lick, hence its name. While restln
= themselves and enjoying the hospitality c
:, Mr.. Tompkins, they passed themselves a
I; Methodist preachers, and one OF them sal
y a long grace at the dinner table. The cor
y versation with Mr.. TOmpkins related moStl
TO the general character of the country an
:. the great quantity of game it furnished
~ One of them asked him whether he hunte
p! and Killed many deer. Mr.. Tompkins II
70 piled that he did when we had ammunition
= Int for some time past he had been withOl
u powder: that it was difficult to obtain SUI
;, Sblv. and, consequently, abundant as was d
u deer. he had no vensOn to eat. Thereupo
:. the Harps, with affected generosity, made
u liberal division of their stock of pOwdt
" with Mr.. Tompkins.
1t will be seen in the sequel that, by
NEST singular providence, the Big Harp WI
y mortally wounded by the explosion,
- shooting with his own powder, given
az AZ Tompkins. After the Harps had rested al
~ refreshed themselves and horses, they lie
= Mr.. TompkinS and resumed their journt
Vi toward the Ohio river. The first cabint tn
10. passed after leaving the house of Tompki
:" was that of Moses Stigall, then occupied
"a his wife and child, he being from HON
:: Stigalls settlement was five miles from tn
"a of Tompkins. Tie next settlement tn
-, =" passed was Peter Ruby's, eleven miles fro
- Stigalls. NV informant, John Il. Ruby, W
70 at the house of Peter Ruby, and saw L
nd IIarps as they passed. They were seen
an more until after they had joined their wly
Il" and children. There were only two fan
ILS lies living betwe enlPeterRuby and the re
ioI dence Of the Ha women, near the 81
OF the tllN III I1EllNltloOi- ~ hA''f ~ -
1aS the HarpS passed around these two famhi
or so as to conceal themselves from obSerN
-. y, ton. 1t is supposed that the Harps had {
rs termined to remove their wives and chi
o rem from Kentucky and locate somewht
in the South. II is certain that, on JONI
mo their wives, they lost no time in packing
IL, and leaving the place where the women a
~, children had resided. In moving Sou
P'' they camped for the night few miles fro
: the residence of Stigall, who owed one
the women dollar. Stigall met the party
alb the fate of Deer creek, as he was going
aid his way to the Robinson lick, north of
2 of Ohio, for sat,and told the woman to call
ure his wife and tell her TO pay The dollar.
ems also told the woman that his wife did ]
eek know where he hid or kept his money, a
its that he would inform her where it was
ace be found, and when she found it. accord
Tern TO his directions, she would know that
de had authorized the woman to call and
lion the dollar due her. In pursuance OF th
an instructions, one, or all of the wives of
the Harps, went to the house of Stigall {
,lin- told his wife what her husband had s.
lcli- She found his purse where Sue was direc
SEN TO look for it. II contained about $40
and silver. out of which Mrs. Stigall paid