The Harpe Brothers
By: Katarina M.
Tags: Violence, Serial Killers, True Crime, Murder, History

The Harpe Brothers

Known as the first serial killers, Micajah “Big” Harpe and Wiley “Little” Harpe killed anyone that stood in their way, annoyed them, or were sent after them. They are notorious for the cruel way they slaughtered their victims and how many they killed in a relatively short amount of time.

It is said that the brothers, though actually first cousins, were born around 1760–1762 as Joshua and William Harper, and they traveled around the south (Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Mississippi) during their young life. During the American Revolution (1775–1783), Captain James Wood gives testament to the brothers who had joined a gang taking advantage of wartime, the Mason Gang.

Joshua later kidnapped Captain Woods daughter; however, they eventually were married. William also married Sarah Rice, who was a minister’s daughter, in mid-1797. During that time, where they traveled is unknown, but the murders started in 1797, estimated to be close to that time.

In 1795, the Harpe family cleared some land outside of Knoxville, TN where they built a cabin, obtained horses, and a few acres of the land dedicated to cultivation. However, the brothers were not known for their green thumbs, so it was assumed to be a front. They sold various goods in Knoxville to finance their lives, and when crimes were committed, fingers were pointed to the family although no evidence could link them.

The brothers are accused of murdering their first victim in 1797, where they had a very recognizable M.O. that matched their ruthless personalities. They would disembowel their victims and weigh them down with stones in a nearby water source.

When the brothers were captured on Christmas day in 1798, they confessed to killing a total of 27 people, but the actual number may never be determined. The Jail was in Kentucky, but they were able to escape and fled north with their pregnant wives. They stayed in a hideout on the Ohio River and continued their murderous rampage. “Big” Harpe confessed to killing his daughter because her crying bothered him.

“Big” Harpe was captured in 1799 by being shot in the leg and was decapitated where his head was hung to warn other outlaws. “Little” Harpe was able to escape and would not be found until 1804 in Greenville, Mississippi. He was also decapitated and hung as a warning.

Little is known about what happened to the Harpe’s families, but once the wives were cleared of charges related to “Big” and “Little”, they disappeared and lived on quietly.

Want to learn more? Here are my sources that go further in-depth with the murders, families, and the gang’s activity.

Goldfarb, K. (2020, June 28). The Harpe Brothers Were America’s First and Maybe Most Psychopathic Serial Killers. ATI. https://allthatsinteresting.com/harpe-brothers

Edwards, W. (2019). America’s First Killers: A Biography of the Harpe Brothers. Golgotha Press: Hustonville. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=zPL6DwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA9&dq=The+Harpe+Brothers&ots=j6N1wezUfX&sig=NBuQXVCwHDjk9zU0NBxCYWP9100#v=onepage&q&f=false

Willard, M. (2019, April 29). Knox County: America’s first serial killers The Harpe Brothers. Middle Tennessee Mysteries. https://www.middletennesseemysteries.com/article/482/knox-county-americas-first-serial-killers-the-harpe-brothers