It was a blazing, sweltering Sunday afternoon on August 12,1863. The two cousins, Hannibal, age 10, and Jedediah, age 8, were enjoying a lazy day of fishing on the banks of a crystal clear stream that ran along the edge of the Heyes family farm outside of Lawrence, Kansas, a town of 3000 people.
"It's burning hot. I'll bet it's over 100 degrees out today," said Hannibal, a handsome, dark-haired, dark-eyed boy. "How about we take a break and go for a swim, Jed?"
"Good idea, Han, let's do it," replied Jed, who was the opposite of Hannibal in looks, with curly blonde hair and light blue eyes.
The two boys quickly peeled off their clothes and splashed around in the creek, laughing, in the cool, refreshing water.
"This feels great. Come on in, King, and swim with us," Han called out to his dog, a German shepherd mix.
The boys were happy to have a chance to have a bit of fun and relaxation time; there were always so many chores to be done around the farm. Finished with their swim, they went back to their fishing rods and hooked them with the grasshoppers they caught that morning to use as bait. The two cousins were the best of friends and, Jed, the younger boy, looked up to Hannibal as the leader of the two.
The boys' mothers were sisters, the former Anne and Catherine Blake, who grew up in Lowell, a mill town in Massachusetts. Anne had married Thomas Heyes, whose family came from Lincolnshire, England, and Catherine had married Patrick Curry, whose family came from the province of Ulster in Northern Ireland. In Lowell, everyone worked in the textile mills. It was a grueling job with long hours and little pay, and the families were quite poor. The Heyes and Curry families were growing in number as well. By 1853, Anne had given birth to three boys, Jesse, Eli and Daniel, and Catherine had given birth to a son, Josiah, and two daughters. Sadly, the two little girls had died of fever before the age of five.
It was at this time that the families heard about a great opportunity which lifted their hopes for future prosperity. In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was created to open the Kansas Territory for settlement. The New England Emigrant Aid Society was offering each family 160 acres of farmland, and the only requirement was that the settlers had to vote against the establishment of slavery in the new territory.
The issue was the following: The anti-slavery forces contended that rich slave owners would buy up all the good farmland and work it with black slaves, leaving little opportunity for non-slaveholders. In turn, the pro-slavery forces believed that every settler had the right to bring his own property, including slaves, into the territory. These differences in ideology were going to be the cause of much bitter fighting and bloodshed in the ensuing years.
The two families arrived in the anti-slavery town of Lawrence, Kansas, in June of 1854, and little Hannibal was born just two weeks later, and then two and a half years later, Jedediah.
"How many fish did you catch so far, Han?" inquired Jed.
"I've got five now - three blue gills and two green sunfish," replied Han.
"And I caught seven sunfish," said Jed.
"That should be enough for dinner. Let's go back now and I'll ask Ma to cook them," said Hannibal. "Then I'll ask Pa if you can stay overnight."
They walked back to the house leisurely, hot and tired, but feeling content. It was a beautiful late summer afternoon on the treeless prairie under an endless azure, cloudless sky, with tall green rows of corn stretching out for miles in every direction.
"Hey, Han, school is going to be starting in a couple of weeks. Do you think your father will let you go back?" asked Jed.
"No, I can't. Pa says he needs me now to help out on the farm."
Hannibal was an intelligent boy who had done well in school, loved to read and excelled in arithmetic. But in May of that year, he was forced to quit attending the little schoolhouse on the edge of town after tragedy struck the family. His two brothers, Eli, 15, and Daniel, 13, had died when a yellow fever epidemic swept through Kansas. The only children now left in the Heyes family were Hannibal and his older brother Jesse, age 20.
"Oh, but it won't be any fun without you there, Han," said Jed.
"I really don't mind that much. I hate trying to sit still all those hours," replied H. "Besides, they can't spare me."
The little house came into view as they walked beside the cornfield. The house was composed completely of sod. It had been difficult to build, but it was the only material available when the Heyes first arrived. The benefit of a sod house was that it remained cool in the summer and warm in the winter and would never catch on fire. Anne attempted to make it as homey as possible, having the family dog, and recently purchasing a little yellow canary from a traveling salesman in town. The roof of the house was adorned with an array of colors and abundant blooms, Anne having thrown wildflower seeds on the roof when the house was first built.
"Hey, Han, how do you think we got out of being punished this morning? I can't believe we were allowed to go out and play," said Jed.
"I don't know. Ma and Pa don't punish me as much now that Eli and Daniel are gone. I just have to get up a little earlier tomorrow to feed the chickens and horses and milk the cow," Han replied.
The family was reeling from the deaths of the two middle boys, especially Anne, who remained grief-stricken. She tended to be a little more lenient with Hannibal, the youngest and her favorite, who was a pleasant boy, but a bit mischievous. The deaths placed a great strain on her and now she worried constantly about her two remaining children.
"Hi, Ma, look at all the fish we caught!" said Hannibal, proudly. Anne, a dark-haired, petite, nervous woman, smiled fondly at the two boys. "Thank you, boys, this will make a delicious meal."
Anne, Thomas, Jesse, Hannibal and Jed sat down for supper. Along with the fresh fish, there were green beans and potatoes from their vegetable garden, freshly baked bread and rhubarb pie for dessert.
"I went into town today to check on corn prices," said Thomas, Hannibal's father. "We had no problems at all this summer and now we have a good healthy crop to sell. I believe we are going to make a profit this year."
"That's wonderful," said Anne. "Maybe we will have enough money left over to build a two-story house made out of wood," she said hopefully.
"And how about a real horse for me now that I'm ten years old, and not just a pony," said Hannibal excitedly.
"All right, now don't get greedy, we have plenty of other things we need to buy around here. Your pony is good enough for now," said Thomas curtly. His father tended to be a bit gruff and strict with the children, and Hannibal cast his eyes down at the table and said nothing.
"Well, it's really been quite a struggle. Almost every year something bad happens to the crop," said Anne.
"I know, last year we almost packed it in and moved back East," said Thomas.
"Remember last year when all of those grasshoppers came and ate our corn?" said Hannibal.
"And I remember one summer when I was little we had no rain at all and the corn didn't grow," said Jesse.
There were numerous obstacles to overcome on the prairie farms, including droughts, high winds, tornadoes and grasshopper plagues. The winters were brutally cold as well, with frequent blizzards dumping feet of snow.
"Well, I feel good this year," said Thomas. "Things are finally looking up for us."
The boys left the dinner table to play a game of marbles while Jesse and his parents remained talking. Josiah, Jed's 18-year-old brother, had just stopped by to see Jesse.
"What are you boys up to tonight?" asked Anne.
"Josiah and I are going to a militia meeting in town tonight, Ma," answered Jesse. "We need to stay in practice so that we're ready in case of any trouble."
Jesse and Josiah were members of a vigilante group formed for the protection of the anti-slavery proponents. Ever since the families arrived in Lawrence, they had contended with the Border Wars that took place between the anti-slavery and pro-slavery groups. The rivalry had been so violent that the territory was referred to as "Bleeding Kansas." Most of the pro-slavery supporters came from the bordering state of Missouri and were known as the Bushwhackers. The anti-slavery supporters were nicknamed the Jayhawkers. There had been numerous skirmishes between the two groups throughout their nine years on the farm. Both sides had committed atrocities, including shootings, knifings, hangings, kidnappings, burning houses, ransacking stores and tarring and feathering people. In 1861, Kansas became a non-slave state, and yet the fighting continued.
"But Jesse, things have been so quiet lately. There haven't been any attacks for months. Do you have to go? I worry so much about you," said Anne.
"Yes, Ma, I know, but we can't let our guard down. We never know when they're going to attack," answered Jesse.
"But Jesse, think of us and your little brother. You might bring retribution down on the whole family," said Anne. "I'm on edge all the time - I can never relax."
"Look, Anne, Jesse has to do what he feels is right. Don't you interfere," said Thomas. "Besides, look what just happened in town last month. The sheriff in Lawrence put those women that helped the Bushwhackers in jail, and even their children. Now we don't know if they're going to take revenge."
Josiah said, "Yes, I heard it's terrible in there. They're all crowded together and rats are running through the place."
As the older folks talked, Hannibal and Jed listened closely. They knew all about the fighting, as their parents talked openly about it, and it frightened them.
Hannibal said to Jed, "I remember the last attack they talked about in Topeka. They took some men who helped the slaves and jumped them by surprise on the road. Then they took big swords and hacked them all to death."
Jed shuddered. "Stop scaring me. I'm afraid they'll come out here and get us."
Hannibal replied, "Don't worry, Jed. It won't happen here. We have Jesse and Josiah to protect us."
The next day was August 13, 1863. Thomas had been in town trading goods and came home quite agitated.
"Anne, you wouldn't believe it. All hell broke loose in town today. The jail building was so old and weak, it collapsed with all those women and children in it. I heard five women were killed and dozens more injured. People are outraged and they're coming into town to protest. They think the jail was weakened on purpose. Everyone is going wild."
"Oh, Thomas, I knew there would be trouble!" said, Anne, alarmed.
The next week passed uneventfully and the family went about its daily routine. But their peace was shattered mid morning on August 21, 1863 when they heard Jed galloping towards the house on his pony. He jumped off and ran into the house, shaking and out of breath.
"What's wrong, Jed?" asked Han as he ran over to his cousin.
Jed could barely get his words out. In between gasps, he said, "Our neighbor came to the house this morning. He said the raiders are in town setting fires and killing people. They think it's because of the women killed in the jail. Now they're coming out to the farms to get us. Pa told me to run over here and warn you and he's going to get ready to fight back. What's going to happen to my Ma and Pa?" cried Jed. Anne went over to him and took him in her arms.
"Anne, I want you to take the boys and hide out in the closet," ordered Thomas. "Jesse, get our guns and all our ammo and we'll wait for them here."
"Why don't we make a run for it?" asked Anne. "We'll be trapped here if we stay in the house."
"No," replied Thomas. There is only one road out of here. If they see us in the open we'll be as good as dead. Besides, we have to protect our property. We have a better chance staying put."
Anne acquiesced and led Hannibal and Jed into the closet. The cousins were so frightened they could barely breathe. Hannibal felt panic rise up in the pit of his stomach.
"Come on, boys. Let's try to keep calm and don't say a word," Anne said as she huddled the boys close to her.
It was an agonizing, excruciating wait, only a half an hour, but it felt like hours until they heard the pounding of horses' hooves approaching the house.
A group of 20 men with guns dismounted from their horses. The leader of the group shouted, "Everyone out of the house. Come out with your hands above your head!"
There was complete silence from the house. Thomas and Jesse were crouched down by the window, their guns ready.
Thomas said, "This is hopeless, Jesse. Look at all of them out there. We're just too outnumbered. We're not going out - as soon as we get outside they're going to kill us. We just have to start shooting, that's all."
They began to fire their weapons out the window towards the raiders, and the men commenced firing back. A bullet struck Thomas in the chest. Anne heard him groan and fall to the floor, killed instantly.
"Come on, we're going in," shouted the leader of the gang. The men rammed down the door and stormed into the house. Jesse stood there facing them, still firing his gun. Anne was watching through a crack in the closet door. As she saw Jesse get shot, she panicked and ran to her son, but was caught in a crossfire of bullets, shot in the stomach. The boys were watching the scene unfold in horror, crying hysterically and clinging to one another. Hannibal couldn't believe his whole family was lying dead on the floor.
One of the men spotted the boys in the closet. "Get those children out of there and tie them up." Han struggled against being tied up and struck the man with his fists and kicked him, but the boys were quickly overpowered.
The men were investigating the rest of the house. "All right. That's it. There don't appear to be anyone else here," said the leader. "Look through the house for anything of value - money, jewelry, anything we can use. Round up the horses, too. We're taking them."
Hannibal cried out, "No, you can't have our horses!"
"Shut these kids up. I don't want to hear them anymore," said one of the men. They tied bandannas over Hannibal and Jed's mouths. After they ransacked the house, the boys were placed in a wagon. They took off and traveled to the outskirts of Lawrence, where they were let out. "You boys walk into town and someone there will help you," said one of the men.
Finally untied, the two cousins were in a state of shock after what they had witnessed back at the house. Speechless, they held hands and walked the two miles into town. When they arrived, they were astounded by the devastation before them. The town was in total chaos. Clouds of smoke pervaded the air, choking them. They could see remnants of buildings in flames everywhere, broken store windows and goods scattered out on the streets. People were running about in a state of confusion.
"It's looks just like a war broke out," said Hannibal.
"Where should we go, Han?" asked Jed. Hannibal didn't answer, and the boys sat down on the steps of a house. The Union army had already arrived to take control and pick up the pieces. The boys overhead snippets of talk from the people passing by. What had happened was that William Quantril of the Bushwhackers and 400 of his guerrillas had attacked the town at dawn while everyone was still asleep. They set fires, looted stores, went from house to house executing people, and then
made their way out to the farms.
The boys were approached by a soldier. "What are you two doing out here on the street? Where are your folks?"
"They were all killed out on our farm and the men brought us back here," said Hannibal sorrowfully.
The soldier felt sympathy for the boys and took them back to the army camp. The cousins lived there for a month, getting special treatment and attention. Jed had found out from the soldiers that his family had also been murdered. But the army had to pull out of the area after the town got back to normal, and arrangements had to be made for Hannibal and Jed, who were getting used to living in the army camp with the soldiers who took good care of them. Since they had no living relatives, it was decided to place them in the Valparaiso Home for Waywards. So there they were shipped off to start the next chapter in their lives, their formerly happy home life gone forever in an instant. The boys, already close, were now bonded together for life through this experience.