The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-05-23

of the recent discovery of the atroclous
murders committed in Labette county, that ,
State, by the Bender family, all of whom !
are reported to have been captured near
Dallas. Texas The Atchison Globe says ]
Mr.. T. S. Rodabaugh, formerly of this
county, and now of Montgomery county,
called at the Globe office to-day, and gave
us the following additional particulars con
celniuQ the late horrible discoveries near
Cherryvale. AIr. Rcdabaugh was on the
ground on Friday, and saw from ninety to
one hundred persons plowlng and digging
in search for bodies.
rEN BODIES
tIlad already been found, seven Of which
were found buried, the other three being
taken from creek near by. toJh only
had been identified, one as that of Mr.
York, as alrcauy reported another was
identified as a man who came to EmTorla
last fall, and worked until he had made
money enough to enter a piece of land
He telepraphed TO his wife to come On to
Emporia and meet him. He vert out to
find land, got rs far rs Chenyyaie an's
WAS never heard Of more. In one grave n .
man was found buried with little girl
/ underneath lTim. The man recognized
as one Encore who formerly lived on
/ Union creek, sonle twenty-five miles from
the scene of the murders. He lost bis wife
and started with his little girl for iowa,
since which time nothing more has hccn .
heard Of them. From All Indications the
work has Decn done within the last sixty
days.
HOW THE WORK WAS D0CE.
The manner in which the n3m ders we're
committed shows beyond doubt that it
was all done by the same parties. No
bodies were found under the house. Al
those discovered thus far were found in the
orchard, about one hundred feet from the
Il. Ill l..,sr l..4a
not been moved yet, but it is to be soon.
4 bible was found. in which were written
some startling records, such as good
slaughter day ''onc victim to-day" etc.
The young man Bender, it is said, bore n
good character.
SCENE OF THE HORROR.
The Atchisou Patriot says the scene OF
the horrible tragedy is one mile east and
two miles sodth Of Morchcad station, and
six miles northeast of CheTyvale. The
hOEsc is situated in beautiful valley,
rounded on the northeast and north by 4
range of low mills and III fair view OF tho
L., l.. v q. railroad and many farm houses,
though not nearer than half u mile to any
one. The house is about sixteen by TWEEN
ty, shingle roof and neither ccilCd nor
plastercd.
SCREENING SIGHT.
The scene on Thursday WAS too horrible
to give Il faint description of. Seven bodies
in various stages of decomposition were
lying on the ground by the side Of their
open graves, their skulls broken III, and
their throats cut from ear TO ear, except
the girl, who must have been straDEled, ur
else thrown into her grave alive. She was
in full dress, as her grandmother had
dressed her that morning. She wGs in the
bottom of the grave. and her father lying
upon her. The child's body showed no
MARKS OF VIOLENCE.
! The manner in which they accomplished
d. I l. l = yN,.s . l. u.
was posted the sign 'GroccricS," " but they
kept nothing but some wines. This sign
called in their victims. In the tluOr near
the stove was II trap door, two feet square,
which opens into a rude hole III tho ground
seven feet deep, six feet wide at the top
and three feet at the bottom. 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 hammers used for breaking the
t skulls were such as arc used by stone
breakers on our streets. and the handles
4 are about twenty inches long. Upon cx-
animation it WAS found that tho skulls
were all broken on the back and right side
} Of the head, showing that the desperate
e deeds havo been done by right-handcd
t mau.
/ TUE HALF UNTOLD.
= scene OF horror yesterday, and the excite
: ment is intense. Every one is confident
c that half is not uneaIthed. The work of
y searching the premises still goes on, and
= what may yet be developed mono can tell,
Il but the people are prepared for anything.
= TUE FIRST INTIMATION.
j The Independence Republican, says: On
D Monday last brother of the lately mUr-
, Gcred DR.. York received intelligence that
e a family named Bender had left their claim
t near Big Hill creek, in Labette county.
: Their departure was discovered by some
: one who passed discovering that n calf
5 which had been tied up had starved 10
: death. MIR. Ed. York Immediately pro-
= ceeded to the ground, and had not been
there more than half an hour, when, in
passing over dead furrow III the little
G garden patch which had been plowed over
: his attention was attracted to a piece of
G sab soil on the surface. Looking more
, / closely he discovered straight mark across
o the furrow where the ground was slightly
5 sunken. By looking closely he was able
) to trace the outlines of grave. The end
h | rod OF wagon was used to probe the
5 ground inside the lines discovered. 1t was
. found that inside the lines it was not diff
il cult to thrust the rod in its full length,
y while outside these lines it would not pen
h citrate deeper than the plowed ground with
f out great pressure. Digging was immedi-
I. ately commenced, and the
+ BODY OF DIR. VIZ. II. YORK
E, was discovered. On its being uncovered
: 1t was found that he had been killed by
e blows on the head with blunt instrument
f one on the back of the head at the base of
$ the brain being sufficient to produce in
: slant death. There were two others on
e either side of the head, and his throat was
: cut from ear to ear, and deeply that
h the head was nearly severed from the body
: AFTER THE FINDING OF YORK
n it was determined to make a further search
Il tho next day. This Was done, and the hor-
f rIble disclosure was made that there were
n at least seven other graves on the same
o piece OF ground. Willing hands were soon
i'm =,