The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1873-05-22

4
into the earth, which soon developed
the fact that there were many mort
graves Oh this half acre of ground,
and by nightfall eight bodies in all
were exhumed, OF which the folio W
ing is partial list, so far as they could
be distinctly Identified w. f. Nc
Grouty of the l23d Illinois Infantry,
Company d; Brown; Henry
Mckenzie, OF Hamilton county, Ind.
land Mr.. LOnchore aud his little girl.
The latter had recently buried his
wife, and was about starting to Iowa.
.bIoi THE SCENE THURSDAY
Was horrible to give even faint
description. OF. Seven bodies in va
Iirious stages of decomposition, were
Lying on the ground by the side OF
their open graves, their skulls broken
i'm and their throats cut from ear to
lear, except the girl, eighteen months
Iold, who must have been strangled or
else thrown into the grave alive. She
was in full dress, as her grandmother
Ildressed her that morning. She was
Iin the bottom of the grave. and her
iather was lyiug upon her. The child Is
body showed ...,-.
Il NO MARKS OF VIOLENCE.
The manner in which they accom-
Iplished these terrible deeds was this !:
On the house was posted the sign
l"Groceries,D but they kept nothing
but some wines. The sign called in
their victims. In the floor near the
listove was trap-door, two feet square,
(which opens into q rude hole in the
ground, seven feet deep, six feet wide
at the top and three feet at the bot
tom.r The earth outside of the house
does not show any. sign of excavation.
Into this horrible hole was plunged
the unfortunate victims whom they
MURDERED IN DAYLIGHT.
The hammer used for breaking the
skulls were such as are used by stone
breakers on our streets, and the ham
dies are about twenty inches. Upon
examination it was found that the
skulls were all broken on the back and
right side of the head, showing that
| the desperate deeds have been done
! by a right t-handed man.
/ The bodies have all been identified
but two.
The Bender family have lived al
this place for more than two years,
yet all
TIE BODIES FOUND
Have been killed within the last nine
months, and the skill shown in this
terrible work, and the neatness with
which all traces OF their crimes were
blotted out, is the best evidence that
their bloody work did not CON-
inence so recently. Several hun
dred persons were at the scene of hor
ror yesterday, and the excitement is
intense. Every one is confident that
half is not yet unearthed.
THE WORK OF SEARCHING
The premises still goes on, and what
may yet be developed none can tell,
but the people are prepared for any
thing. In an old Bible which was
found in the house, and on the family
record page, was written in German,
the following memoranda: Big
slaughter day, Jan. eighth g." And
another which read ''Hell departed"
These were interpreted by a German
citizen who was present yesterday.
Ji9i. A CATHOLIC PRAYER-BOoK
Was also found in the house, which
contained the following, written in
German: johanna Bender, bora July
30, 1S48. John Gebhart came to
America July l, 1S-."
'.'4#" r. STRANGE, ESQ,
The Deputy Prosecuting Attorney of
Labette county. appeared on the
ground at the beginning of the search,
and tor some time insisted on all the
rules of 'sred tape" and did not want
anything done until the coroner and
other officials came. His desires
were overruled very decidedly. and
speedily the examination proceeded.
Great excitement prevails all over
the country, and a strong effort is be-
ing made to discover this family of
murderers.
How Detective Beers did his work-The
Bender Victims.
from the ST. Louis Times, I'LL
Detective Beers went from Inde-
pendence to Cherryvale by rail, and
then taking wagon, rode out to the
Bender claim, few miles off. The
place had been deserted hastily, but
there were plain evidences that great
efforts had been made to burn cloth
ing, pieces of harness aud papers,
There was small stock of groceries
in the front room. Between this and
the next room only joists had been
put up, and a sheet was hung upon
these for a screen. The Benders had
gone, apparently taking nothing but a
little wearing apparel with them. As
they searched the house, Beers told
young York to keep q sharp lookout
for anything that might have been his
brothers. He did SO, and before they
had gone far he picked up a piece of
his brothers bride. Then the search
began in earnest. In cropping about
in the room back of the grocery, Beers
found little trap-door and raised it.
There came up sickening, stencil pc
culiar to decomposing human remains.
Almost nauseated, Beers and his little
posse examined the place. The trap
opened into pit about Tx feet deep,
and this had a passage opening out
under the foundations. They made
careful examination of the pit, and
found the soil saturated with what
was plainly human gore. Back ofthe
house was piece of ground, perhaps
an acre and a half in extent, which
had been broken up, and apparently
recently plowed. Beers subsequently
learned that Bender had plowed this
ground over the day after Senator
York and his friends had been there
on their search. The detective at
once began the eXaminatlOu VI tuIs
ground, and, taking young York with
him, started diagonally for the south
west corner, intending to begin in
systematic search. looking carefully
for any appearance of subsoil or dis
turbance. s-i
A few rods from the corner Beers
stopped and looked about him. Young
York, who was on his right few feet
from him turned and came toward
HIM Glancing down, Beers saw be-
tween them little depression, and
some appearance of subsoil. Both
noticed it, and the detective said -.
''There's something here, York go
and get wagon-rOd." York COM
piled and soon returned. Beers took
the rod and gradually pushed it down
until it s1ruck hard ground. just as it
reached the ring. Then drawing it