The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1873-05-17
A Tale of Horror.

In all the annals of modern crime, we
doubt whether a PARALLEL can be found to
the awful series Of cold-blooded butcheries
by the Bender family, near Cherryvale, in
Southern Kansas, the discovery Of which,
as the telegraph has shown, has thrown ali
that part of the country into the widest
excitement. The details transcend in
naked horror anything that could be at
tempted, even by the most adventurous
writer of fiction. A few weeks ago
March 9th0 DR.. William II. York, the
brother of that other York, famous now
Tor his penetration of the guilty secrets of
Pomeroy and his betrayal in the supreme
moment Of the Senatorial crisis of the
trust confded to his keeping, left Fort
Scott, on horseback, for his home in hide
pendence, Kansas. He did not come
home. His friends, becoming alarmed,
Instituted search for him, and the search
brought them to the lonely dwelling of
family named Bender, about two miles
south ofCherryvale. The family consisted
OF four persons, two brothers and their
wives. One of the women is described as
a sort of she devil:
She was ~, 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 torbidding. She had not single
prepossessing feature. Her form, angular
and tall, seemed to lift itself up when the
spiritual influences 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 household feared her, dreaded her,
obeyed her, and, as the sequel proves, did
the devils work for her beyond all the
atroeious devils work ever done in Kan
sas.
To oil inquiries as to the missing man,
the Blenders returned negative answers ;
but when il was discovered that all four of
them had fed from the house next day.
suspicion was aroused afresh, and it was
resolved to revisit the place in the hope of
making some discovery that would clear
up the mystery. What follows we copy
from the Kansas City Times:
A long and thorough examination led to
the discovery of a trap-door in the floor of
one Of the rooms of the house, under
bed, Beneath was pit some six feet
deep and Eve feet in diameter, and here
and there blood, thick, fetid, and clammy,
was found. Nothing further, however,
rewarded their search in the pit. Taking
a long, sharp rod of iron, they went next
to the garden, where, after prodding about
an hour, something was found on the end
Of the rod Shovels soon uncovered a
corpse, buried face downward. The flesh
had dropped from the limbs. One look at
the face and dozen voices cried out, sit is
DR.. York, and they spoke truly. He had
been murdered by blow from hammer
upon the head The iron rod was again
put in requisition, and seven other bodies
were discovered, six of which have been
identified. They were N. Lonchos and
his little girl n child of Is months; w.
+. Mccarthy, d. Brown, and John Geary.
All had been killed by blows with ham
mer upon the back of the head, and were
otherwise mutilated. The throats of all,
with the exception of the little child, were
also cut. Other bodies will doubtless be
unearthed. The people were so aroused
by their discoveries as to at once hang a
man named Brockman, whom they sus-
pected of knowing something of the muir
ders. Death was within reach of him each
time he was cut down, but he said not
word at any time, although called upon to
confess, and was at last allowed to crawl
away after being pulled up three times.
1t is believed that the wife of the elder of
the Bender brothers is the chief one in
the murders, since the family dreaded and
obeyed her in all things. The country is
thoroughly aroused, and effort is making
to bring the guilty ones to justice,
The latest dispatches state that three
more graves were discovered on Sunday.
Over 5000 people were on the ground.
The excitement was intense. Nearly all
the bodies of the dead were indecently
mutilated. 1t is considered certain that
the little girl was thrown alive into the
grave with her father, as no marks of
violence were found on her body 1t is
scarcely possible that the murderers can
escape the popular vengeance.
The above family were arrested on
Thursday, thirteen miles north of Dallas,
Texas.