The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1873-05-24

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syWe have heretofore published accounts
81 the discovery OF nine dead bodies on
she peemisesoi - family named Bender,
VINO lived Dear Oherryvsle. Kansas; the
fight sofsthe murderers, and the great
kexcitements that followed the horrible
Edissovery. The following particulars of
the: process BY which the Bender family
deceived their victims is copied from the
|. Kansas City Times, of the 18th instant,
and will be. read with painful interest:
as time passes and new light is thrown
upon the murderouR deeds of the Ben
der faHi!y OF aends, tie horrer deepens.
aid the crimes committed by these mon
sters assume even q darker hue. New
facts are almost daily developed, which
show that these people were not alone in
the section OF the State in which they
live ia their plots against the lives OF
way farefs. Already. twelve arrests have
been made OF people living in the neigh
borhood, and who. there is good reason
to believe, were the accomplioes Of the
musderers. in disposing OF the horses
that there are other bodies, in addition
to those .hss have bsoa found, concealed
in the orchard, only one part Of which
has been explored. It is the purpose OF
the County authorities to continue the
search. On Sunday, two special trains
we're run to the scene of the murders.
Ooe went from Independence and the
other from OoRsyyiile. They brought
oown Iuiiy 1866 sight.seers, vino weut
about peering into the holes whence the
bodies bad been taken, and on their re-
turn. carried away with them pieces OF
the wretched shanty, which has resound-
ed with the means and groans of go many
murdered men.
The DEVILS kitchen-otherwise tbs
Bender house-is admirably situated for
the purpose to which the fiends put it.
1t is in the Northwest corner OF Labette
County, and is so placed that it COM
mands full view OF the approaches to
it for distance OF half mile in all di.
reotions. Woe, then, to the single ira
veler who was seen from it's door-ways or
Its windows approaching, for then was
the hammer placed in position and the
knife sharpened to finer edge againet
his coming. Parties Of two or three
might escape. but tho solitary stranger
was doomed. The house is nothing but
q mere shanty, twenty -four feet long and
sixteen feet wide. The roof is painted,
and not sign of lath, plaster or white
wash is to be seen. The interior is one
long room, aud while the .Benders ocou-
pied it, it was divided off into apart.
ments by white cotton cloth, which
hung ACROSS the whole length of it. In
the front room was small counter, and
across this counter, the Benders made o
pretence OF selling groceries. On the
other side Of the curtain was table, q
stove, three chairs and miserable sort
OF bed. In the floor. near the cloth
partition, in this rear room, was trap
door. Over this trap-door was placed
the chair OF the victim who stopped at
the don for food or refreshments. He
was 30 arranged that in leaning back, the
impression OF his head and beck was
made in the yielding cloth. The watch
fui viiiains-the two male Benders-on
tho other side of the curtain, holding
the heavy slodge-hammer in their hands,
outlined. Then, with one terrible blow,
the victims skull would be crushed In,
and as the murdered man would fall for
ward heavily on the table, the trap-door
would be sprung and the helpless body
would full into the cellar or aperture
below. Then would come the work of
the women, which was to descend, and
with sharp knife. to cut the throat of
the unconscious man. This was the
probable course of events that accompa.
MED the commission Of the crimes of the
Benders. Here and there, il the walls
Of the shanty, are visible, however,
holes made by pistol bullets. and it is
clear that some of their victims, at least,
made attempts, however Intellectual, to
avenge their murder before conscious.
ness left them.
1t is related as among the incidents
connected with this death hole that one
night about three months ago poor wo-
man on her way on foot to Independence,
about fifteen miles distant, stopped ut
the shRnty and asked it's inmates for
food and shelter. She lay on the rude
bed for while and dropped into an
uneasy sleep. Suddenly she was awak-
ened by tap on her shoulder. She
opened her eyes and saw before her the
old hag OF the place. tho wife of the
elder Bender, who pointed to the table
on which lay glittering array Of knives
o Id pistols, and said sardonically. "Look
there at your supper; it is ready" The
poor woman, seized with murtal fear, yet
managed to dssemble her true feelings
| Maxi no an ayouca W 1oouo yl,o 49,.