Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1873-05-20
'BUTCHERY IN SOUTH KANSAS
A Farm Planted with
Corpses.
Eleven Bodies Already Found.
(From the Kansas Tlmss.)

clIal OF some nOfrlDle dream, where
in nightmare mirrors upon the dis
tempered brain q countless number
of monstrous and unnatural things;
yet what is set down in the narra-
tive is as true as the sun.
From the information furnished
to us last night by gentleman just
from the scene of the butchery, and
from dispatches and accounts al
ready published, we are enabled to
give tolorable detailed account of
the monstrous series of murders up
to date.
The beginning Of the end came
about in this wise: On the 9th of
March, DR.. VIM. Ii. York-the broth
er of that other York, famous now
for his penetration of the guilty SCI
crets of Pomeroy and his betrayal
in this supreme moment of the Sem
atorial crisis of the trusts confded
to his keeping-left Fort Scott, on
horseback for his homo in Independ-
ence, Kan. He did not come home.
His friends watched and waited for
him, his family prayed and prayed
for him, the talk OF the town dealt
day after day with him, expectation
at last deepened into downright
earnestness about him, until, on the
18th day of March the Lawrence
Tribune gave brief account of the
mysterious disappearance. All at
once thereafter oil the papers in the
State took up the tale of his Journey,
and of bis non arrival, of the fears of
foul play, and of all the little details
circumstances that might 90 to show
that he had been murdered. The
most thorough search known to
finite skill was then commenced
His neighbors turned out en- maSSe
HIS brother, Colonel A. NJ. York,
rested neither by day or night in his
labors, but followed what seemed to
him trail with the tenacity of an
Indian, and the devotion of q saint.
Rivers were dragged, spots fit for an
ambush were probed foot by foot,
lonesome places were quested as a
keen hound sents q trail that is cold,
the route he was supposed to have
followed had scouts upon it from
city TO city, the tracks of his horse
even were attempted to be identified,
but all to no purpose. Not sign
anywhere told how he came to his
death, if death, indeed, had overtaken
him unawares. He was traced to
Cherryvale, but no further. There
the trail was no longer a trail, but
a myth, a mystery, an enigma, eth
err the unwearied patience of friends
nor the sacrificing devotion of a
brother could solve.
Cherryvale is small town on the
Leavenworth, Lawrence and Calves.
ton Railroad, and is in Dabette coun-
ty, about fifty miles from the south
line of the State. To the south OF
Cherryvale, some two miles or less,
stands frame house, having in front
q large room where the meals were
served, and in rear a sleeping room
furnished with two beds and some
scant additional furniture besides.
WILLIAM AND THOMAS BENDER
lived in this house with their wives.
TO the right of the dwelling house
was an clubhouse, and in the rear
was an inclosed garden of possibly
two acres.
The search seemed to end suddenly
at Cherryvale. Suspicion, if ever
entertained, fell upon no one. There
were various surmises, conjectures
and expressions of opinion but for
the life of any man he could not say
what had become Of DR.. York:
One day, early in April, some
men from Cherryvale rode over to
the Bender House-a tavern, too, it
was, whore entertainment was fur
nished TO tray elers-to inquire con-
corning DR.. York, and to learn, if
possible, some tidings of his fate.
They learned nothing, however.
None of the Benders had seen him,
CT heard of him, nor his mysterious
disappearance, nor anything that
pertained TO him. Very well, the
men said, and they rode back again
as fully Informed as before.
VIM. Bender, tae eldest of the
brothers had a wife who was a
spiritualist. The balance of the
Benders called her a medium, the
neighbors a she-devil She was 40,
with iron gray hair ragged at the
ends, and thin over the temples
Her eyes were steel gray and hard.
The light that came from them was
sinister and forbiddlng. She had
not single progressing feature.
Her form, angular and tall, seemed
to lift itself up when the spiritual in
fluences took possession of it, and to
become not only gigantic in height,
but supernatural as well. AT times
she dealt in incantations and the
boiling of herbs and roots that had
charms and spells about them. Her
will was indomitable. All the house
hold feared her, dreaded her, obeyed
her, and as the sequel proves, did
the devils work for her beyond all
the atrocious devils work ever done
in Kansas.
1t would seem as if the visit of the
Cherry vale party alarmed the Bend
ers. VIM. Bender, now that the ter
rible secrets have come to light, and
now that the shallow graves have
given up their CHASTITY and mutilated
occupants, can be remembered as
having acted very strangely. Twice
he had come into Cherryvale and
had been noticed, upon the occasion
of each visit, to loiter upon the out
side of crowds, seemingly having no
business, but eagerly intent all the
time in listening to everything that
was said.
Time went slowly by, and man
riding in one day from the prairie
saw no smoke arising from Bcnder's
chimney. The windows were down.
the doors were closed, there were no