Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-05-28
THE KANSAS MURDERS.
A Terrible Tale of Crime.

Through special dispatches the readers
Of the Times have already gained some
idea of the atrocious murders recently
perpetrated by the Bender family, near
Cherryvale, in Southeast Kansas It is
now known that the Bender family fed in
this direction. A detective, Mr. Thomas
Beers, of independence, Kan, who has
done more than any one else to ferret out
the mystery, arrived yesterday morning,
having traced the Benders to St. Louis.
A Times reporter called upon Mr.. Beers
during the day and obtained the inside
history and full particulars of the Benders'
bloody career.
For several months different persons
have been disappearing very mysteriously
on the route between Independence and
Usage Mission. Nearly dozen people
had suddenly dropped out of sight in this
way, and the matter was exciting a great
deal of talk throughout Southeast Kansas.
About month ago, DR.. William A.
York, brother Of Senator York, disappear
ed in the same way, and efforts to find
him were in vain. DR.. York lived in
Fort Scott, and had gone out on a collect
ing tour, riding a valuable roadster He
finally rode down to Independence and
visited his father, then he started home,
passing along the treacherous route to
Usage Mission, and nothing more was
ever seen of him.
The York family is one of considerable
influence in that part of Kansas, and the
affair caused great excitement. The other
disappearance were recalled to memory
and the people began to talk of the exist
ence Of a gang Of murderers and robbers
ho+y i,0 Tn,
dependence.
On the route between these places is a
dismal stretch of prairie, sparsely settled
Two of the landmarks of this prairie are
Drum Creek and Big Hill. Midway be-
tween them lived the Bender family, con-
sisting of the old man and old woman, a
young man who passed as a son of Bender,
and a young woman who passed as the
daughter of the old woman. The young
people passed as married, although the
younger Mrs. Bender bore very slippery
character on the point of morality.
Bender had a frame house Of several
rooms, which he had built upon claim
He prOfessed to keep grocery in the front
room of the house, and an eating-room for
travellers. The place was considered a
kind Of halfway stopping place. The
house stood in the midst of prairie, with
nothing to break the view for mile
around
The younger Mrs. Bender protested to
be spiritual medium, and held occasion
al seances. She also had card in one or
two of the county papers, inviting calls
from those who desired to have the future
revealed.
About two weeks ago or more, Senator
York organized party and secured the
country far and wide to find some trace of
his brother. In the course of their ride
they halted at the Bender place to feed.
Young Bender, when he heard of their
mission, volunteered his services to aid in
the search. The visit occurred on Wed
nesday. The younger woman also called
Senator York aside and, telling of her
powers, proposed to hold a seance on
the next Friday night, saying that if he
would come she would reveal the Wherea-
bouts of his brother.
York paid little or no attention to this,
and the party soon passed on.
About two weeks ago, Mr. Thomas
Beers, who has been Kansas detective
for ten years or more, was urgently re-
quested by Senator York to take hold of
the case and he did So
Day and night he travelled the route
between Usage Mission and Independence,
seeking to solve the mystery. He soon
struck the trail of a desperate with whom
he was acquainted. The man had served
several times in the penitentiary, and
there was nothing to show that he had re-
formed Beers found that this man was
travelling back and forth between the Mis-
sion and independence, and he Swallowed
him closely. Wherever the man stopped
Beers waited and learned his conversation.
He found that the villain was talking free
ly about mysterious disappearance.
At one place he told woman about the
murder of little girl seven or eight wears
old, and when the Mortified listener ex-
claimed, Chow could they do it?" he ex-
claimed, "Why, they strangled her" This
was told to Beers, and he knew he had a
clue.
At another place the disappearance of
York was the topic, and the man con-
fdentially said they would never find
York, for he had been burned in a corn
field and the ground had been plowed
over.
Beers heard this, too, and some other
things. Then he learned that the Blenders
had suddenly disappeared, and he began
to see light. He went back to Indepen-
dence, told York his suspicious, asked
him to go with him in order to identify
anything that might be found, which had
belonged to his brother. York put but
little confidence in the detectives suspic-
IONS and sent a younger brother with him.
Beers went from Independence to Cher
ryyale by rail, and then taking a wagon
rode out to the Bender claim, few miles
off, The place had been deserted hastily,
but there were plain evidences that efforts
had been made to burn clothing, pieces of
harness, and papers. There was small