well,” A.J. said. “Soph after you empty that first barrel on that shotgun head for the back window and send some shot out it. No need in aiming just shoot to keep anyone down that’s out there. Then reload and shoot again. Try and keep them pinned down if there is someone there until Bub and I make sure the front and sides are cleared.”
“Ok A.J.,” Soph replied. “I am ready when you are.”
Everyone had their targets in sight and waiting for A.J. to give the go ahead to shoot. “One,” A.J. said. “Two...Three!” The sound of all three guns firing almost simultaneously seemed like it shook the small stone house.
Mike Farland was the first to be hit. A.J. with the lack of support from his left arm pulled the shot some. Mike was thrown violently back against the barn as the .44 slug tore straight through his right shoulder and into the barn barely missing the two goats. The impact of the round disabled Mike instantly as he fell to the ground in agony, still alive, but barely.
Soph didn’t even know for sure if the shadow she aimed at was a person or not until she pulled the trigger on her shotgun. She had thought ahead and aimed slightly low of the target so that some of the buckshot would hit the target and the rest would throw rocks and dirt from the ground in front of it at the target as well. Once she fired she knew instantly it was a person as a God awful scream was let out. After she fired she hurried to the west window facing out the back of the house and fired the second barrel blindly out into the dawn.
Sophs initial shotgun blast struck Levi in the mouth and chin, as he was lying on his stomach aiming at the house. The blast almost tore his jaw completely off as he screamed. Several pieces of shot from the shell had punched holes into his neck cutting off any means to breathe. He laid face down as he tried desperately to inhale. Before long he gave in and died.
Bubs first shot found its mark on Jim Farland. The Sharps model 1874 Bub used primarily for hunting fired a huge .45-70 round. It entered Jim about an inch below his chest then exited out his back taking almost a half foot of flesh and backbone with it. He fell immediately back on his knees and to the ground dead as the round ripped through him.
Owen ducked behind the barrels near the horse corral as he seen his brother almost ripped in half beside him. There was a second round that just barely missed him as it flew over his head as he ducked. A chill went through Owen as he heard someone scream to the south of him through the shots being fired. He knew his oldest son Levi was the only one to the south of the house and had either been wounded or was now dead.
Aaron Farland was lying in the grass at the back house aiming at the window. The initial shots that went off made his heart jump as he ducked his head in anticipation of being hit by a round. He immediately knew the first shots weren’t at him as he looked back up at the house and seen the window was still closed. Looking at the back window, it flew open and a shotgun blast went off out the window. Aaron heard buckshot fly just above his head. He knew he had to get out of there and to another location as fast as he could before someone shot again.
Aaron jumped to his feet and ran as fast as he could cutting across the side of the house towards the southwest, as came around the south side of the house he seen the dead body of his older brother Levi. He tried to avert his eyes at the sight of his dead brother as his fear grew inside of him. He rounded the southwest side of the house and hoped he could join up with his dad and uncle at the front of the house to try for an escape.
Aaron felt the pain rip through his legs as they were taken out from underneath of him. He fell to the ground hard and yelled out in misery as he realized he couldn’t move his legs any more. Lying on his back he pried himself up onto his elbows as he lifted his head to see what had just happened to him. He glanced down and noticed that his legs were torn to shreds in parts to the bone and blood was everywhere. He looked up as the sun had brightened the morning sky to see what had mangled his legs. As he lay dying he noticed a man sitting in a small horse drawn wagon with the reins in his hands, staring back at him in sad disbelief. Standing next to the man was a short woman with curly blond hair pulled back in a small pony tail. He just stared at her as she looked back at him momentarily. She then closed her left eye to re-sight the shotgun at him. He swallowed hard knowing he was about to die, rather she was going to shoot him or he laid there and bled to death. Aaron smiled at her as he seen the blast leave the shotgun almost in slow motion, he felt his chest take the impact, and then was instantly dead.
After their initial shots at the Farlands A.J. joined Bub at the front of the house to help keep pinned down whoever was still out there behind the barrels. Soph cut lose with the shotgun at the back window then yelled at the boys that someone was headed towards the south of the house from her direction. She got up and started to run towards the south window when they all heard a shotgun blast from outside.
They all took cover at the sound of the shot from the south of the house. “What the hell was that?” Bub yelled. “Nothing hit the house! Soph what’s going on over there?”
“It wasn’t me!” Soph yelled back at Bub. “It came from outside the house!”
“We know it came from outside Soph!” A.J. said. “Window isn’t hit in there?”
“No!” Soph replied.
As they yelled back and forth in confusion they heard another shotgun blast go off and then a rifle repeatedly fire. Bub and A.J. looked outside and saw pieces of barrel splintering everywhere next to the horse corral. Bub and A.J. changed their angle and looked to the south out the window. When they noticed the source of the shooting they both looked at each other and smiled as big as they could. “It’s Ma and Pa Soph!” A.J. yelled.
Soph joined A.J. and Bub at the front of the house as the boys reloaded and started firing at the barrels next to the horse corral. She opened the front door slightly as she reloaded the shotgun for the third time. When she opened the door she saw her Pa and Ma shooting at the barrels from the front seat of a wagon.
Owen knew that his family had been caught off guard and they were all either dead or wounded badly. He stayed ducked down as he heard round after round hit the barrels he was hiding behind. His rifle lay across his thighs as he tried best he could to keep tucked behind the barrels. Owen knew that he himself would either hang for all of this or he would be shot and killed here today. He cradled his head in the palms of his hands as he looked down towards his rifle sitting in his lap. He only now realized what his greed had cost him and his family. He had more than likely lost all of his sons now, left his wife all alone to defend for herself, and cost him his own life.
Owen took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. He shook his head as he finally decided what it was he had to do. He grabbed his rifle in both hands then stood as quickly as he could aiming it at the house. As his upper body cleared the top of the barrels he was hiding behind Owen was hit with several shots and fell dead immediately.
Once everyone seen Owen Farland fall to the ground they stopped shooting. They let the smoke clear before Soph opened the door and she and the boys walked out of the house. To the south of the house they saw Pa helping their mother off the wagon, both still grasped their firearms firmly in their hands.
“Dam boys!” Pa yelled out to them. “I didn’t expect to ride into this mess,” he continued as he limped towards the house with Ma. “That all of them?”
“That should be all of them that we knew about,” A.J. said nursing his arm. “We sure are glad to see you both.”
Pa and Ma both noticed A.J.s arm at the same time as he spoke. “Any of you been hit?” Ma asked.
“No I don’t think they even got a shot off Ma,” A.J. replied as he noticed his parents glancing at his shoulder. “This happened yesterday out in the pasture.”
“They didn’t even get a shot off?” Pa asked them starting to smile. “You’re all ok now then?”
“We are doing just fine now Pa,” Soph said as she hugged her parents. “What made you all come out here anyways? You never leave tow
n much anymore.”
“Well Sheriff Bob Merkel stopped by the other day after Soph brought those bodies to town,” Ma said. “Your father…Well ok I decided we needed to come out and see if you all needed some help,” she continued. “We had a few things to get ready around the house before…”
Ma cut herself off when she noticed over Sophs shoulder a man moving on the ground beside the barn. As everyone else looked to see what she was staring at they noticed Mike Farland crawling next to the barn. Although he was severely wounded he was not yet dead. Covering him with their rifles the Davises hurried over to aid the only surviving Farland boy.
“He is injured badly but I think he will live,” Ma said. “Soph you hook that horse of yours to the wagon in the barn, you and I will haul Mike into the town doctor,” she continued. “You boys help your sister then help me get this boy into the back of the wagon.”
“After they get you all set Ma,” Pa said, “the boys can help me load these dead bodies and we will take them into town also,” he said. “We will drop them at the undertaker then go see the sheriff. Tell him what happened here today.”
19
Three days later the sheriff showed up with Mrs. Farland to talk to Bub, A.J., and Soph at their