November 15, 1959 Holcomb, Kansas Richard “Dick” Hickock and Perry Smith break into the Clutter home and kill the family’s mother, father, and two teenaged children Hickock and Smith had been serving time for unrelated offenses when they heard from a fellow inmate, former Clutter farmhand Floyd Wells, that Herb Clutter had a safe filled…
Man shoots at audience at concert after believing town was mocking a failed relationship (1903)
August 13, 1903 Winfield, Kansas Gilbert Twigg fires a shotgun at a bandstand, killing 9 and wounding at least 25 before killing himself Twigg used a double-barreled shotgun to fire at the band and its audience, killing six at the scene; another three died of their wounds later. He then pulled a revolver to end…
The Potawatomi Massacre: 5 pro-slavery men killed by abolitionists
May 24, 1856 Franklin County, Kansas John Brown, 4 of his sons, and 2 accomplices (one of whom later claimed to have been forced to assist) kill 5 pro-slavery men with broadswords and guns in retaliation following a pro-slavery attack against abolitionists Prior to the Potawatomi Massacre, a group led by a sheriff and containing…
Woman born with stunted limbs commits suicide because of her condition
From The Topeka Daily Herald (Topeka, Kansas) Publish May 16, 1903 A young woman named Dollie Delaney (her full name was Dora Amanda Delaney) killed herself by leveraging a rifle against a wall and using a crutch to pull its trigger. Delaney had been born with malformed limbs, and was missing her hands and feet.…
Student accidentally shot by nun before school play
April 27, 1911 Flush, Kansas An 18-year-old student was accidentally shot by a nun before a school play Another student had brought a real, loaded gun to use as a prop during a play. The girl who was to use it in the play, Pearl Reedy (18), held it briefly before putting it down saying…
