ground and hurried to the people we could now put names to. As we closed on them, Sarah Thompson sank to her knees and cried. Vernon Pitchford squatted and put his arm around her shoulder and hugged her close.
Morgan panted from the exertion of jogging the short distance, "Food and water? Got any with you? We've been walking three days and haven't eaten anything but some wild berries along the road and a couple of roasted squirrels."
Several women ran to our wagon where it was parked in the shade of a giant black oak. We encouraged our visitors to follow and sit in the shade to cool down. The women carried water jugs and food left over from our lunch to our friends. Able Jones moved to stand by his uncle Richard.
With trepidation, Richard spoke to the group in general, "What's happened? You didn't walk here just to be sociable."
Several spoke at once until the youngsters gave way to Morgan's deep, commanding voice. "Our compound was wiped out. A gang hit us a few mornings back and killed or captured everyone but us. I wasn't there until it was over and they'd left. I was back in the woods where I make my wine when I heard the gunshots. I knew it was trouble, but I had no idea how bad it was. Vernon was there, tell them what you saw."
"It started the day before. A guy in his early to mid-twenties rode in near supper time; he was all smiles and friendly. Verlie and Morgan fed him, and then he spent the night in the horse barn loft. He had a long line of bull about where he was from. Said he lived with a small group over the other side of West Plains and was out exploring the countryside alone. The next morning, he had breakfast, thanked everybody profusely. Even said they'd come and visit soon before he rode on. All of our people were tickled to learn there were other people nearby and that they were friendly. A while later, an hour or maybe two, we heard horses approach on the road and stop. Then loud voices were raised. People were shouting and cussing like mad. Sarah and I were in the cow barn. We heard a couple of shots. She wanted to go back, but I talked her into waiting until we knew what was going on. It didn't look or sound right to me. We climbed to the loft and could see everything; that guy that left earlier was with those people. I counted five riding horses and two wagons. Two young women had their hands tied to the back of the first wagon on a long tether, so they could walk but not run away. I knew then it was going to end badly. The thieves all had guns and cleared everyone from all the cabins. They gathered them into a single group up by Doc's cabin. They tried to separate people into smaller groups, but John resisted strongly. One of the women gut shot him. He wasn't dead, but he was hurt bad. Marcie tried to help him and wouldn't leave him, so that same woman shot her, too. People screamed, but then they did what they were told. Adults went in one group and the kids were herded into another; there were five kids. Then they grabbed Molly, Merriam and Elizabeth and pushed them aside. As soon as that was done those bastards shot all of the other adults. The girls and the kids screamed, but there was nothing they could do. Those animals killed them for no reason. They laughed and kicked the bodies and shot some again to make sure they were dead."
I knew more atrocities were about to be revealed from the tears and fearful to hateful looks on the survivor's faces. "There were eight men and three women and they...they gang raped Molly, Lisbeth, and Merriam. The girls screamed and fought, but they were no match for that wild bunch. Even those women took part in raping them."
I asked, "How did all of you escape?" Vernon said, "In all the commotion of what was happening, me and Sarah snuck out the back door of the barn and made it to the woods. We made it to near the top of the ridge and hunkered down where we could see but not be seen."
He nodded at Adam to speak. "I was squirrel hunting and heard the large
Morgan panted from the exertion of jogging the short distance, "Food and water? Got any with you? We've been walking three days and haven't eaten anything but some wild berries along the road and a couple of roasted squirrels."
Several women ran to our wagon where it was parked in the shade of a giant black oak. We encouraged our visitors to follow and sit in the shade to cool down. The women carried water jugs and food left over from our lunch to our friends. Able Jones moved to stand by his uncle Richard.
With trepidation, Richard spoke to the group in general, "What's happened? You didn't walk here just to be sociable."
Several spoke at once until the youngsters gave way to Morgan's deep, commanding voice. "Our compound was wiped out. A gang hit us a few mornings back and killed or captured everyone but us. I wasn't there until it was over and they'd left. I was back in the woods where I make my wine when I heard the gunshots. I knew it was trouble, but I had no idea how bad it was. Vernon was there, tell them what you saw."
"It started the day before. A guy in his early to mid-twenties rode in near supper time; he was all smiles and friendly. Verlie and Morgan fed him, and then he spent the night in the horse barn loft. He had a long line of bull about where he was from. Said he lived with a small group over the other side of West Plains and was out exploring the countryside alone. The next morning, he had breakfast, thanked everybody profusely. Even said they'd come and visit soon before he rode on. All of our people were tickled to learn there were other people nearby and that they were friendly. A while later, an hour or maybe two, we heard horses approach on the road and stop. Then loud voices were raised. People were shouting and cussing like mad. Sarah and I were in the cow barn. We heard a couple of shots. She wanted to go back, but I talked her into waiting until we knew what was going on. It didn't look or sound right to me. We climbed to the loft and could see everything; that guy that left earlier was with those people. I counted five riding horses and two wagons. Two young women had their hands tied to the back of the first wagon on a long tether, so they could walk but not run away. I knew then it was going to end badly. The thieves all had guns and cleared everyone from all the cabins. They gathered them into a single group up by Doc's cabin. They tried to separate people into smaller groups, but John resisted strongly. One of the women gut shot him. He wasn't dead, but he was hurt bad. Marcie tried to help him and wouldn't leave him, so that same woman shot her, too. People screamed, but then they did what they were told. Adults went in one group and the kids were herded into another; there were five kids. Then they grabbed Molly, Merriam and Elizabeth and pushed them aside. As soon as that was done those bastards shot all of the other adults. The girls and the kids screamed, but there was nothing they could do. Those animals killed them for no reason. They laughed and kicked the bodies and shot some again to make sure they were dead."
I knew more atrocities were about to be revealed from the tears and fearful to hateful looks on the survivor's faces. "There were eight men and three women and they...they gang raped Molly, Lisbeth, and Merriam. The girls screamed and fought, but they were no match for that wild bunch. Even those women took part in raping them."
I asked, "How did all of you escape?" Vernon said, "In all the commotion of what was happening, me and Sarah snuck out the back door of the barn and made it to the woods. We made it to near the top of the ridge and hunkered down where we could see but not be seen."
He nodded at Adam to speak. "I was squirrel hunting and heard the large
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