Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1873-05-22
THEKANsAs MURDERS.
Narrative of the Horrible
C'rLos Of the Bender
Family.
Discovery Of lse EOdteS OF
Their VictineS.
CORRESPONDENCE n. Y. Times.

Correspondence n. Y. Times.l
KANSAS Chr, NJ. Friday, May Sd, 1873.
The accidental u'scovery of a va
vale, Kansas, has led to a search,
which has finally resulted in the dis
closure of series of the most horrible
crimes on record, it being clearly evil
denced that wholesale system of rob-
berry and murder has been going Cn
within a short distance of that town
for some time-a system of bloodshed
and plumber almost unequaled except
in the extravagant stories ofsensationai
novels.
1t is well known In this vicinity that
during the past year number of per-
sons have disappeared in very re-
markable manner, and all traces OF
many of them have been lost, in the
vicinity of Cherryvale. The cause of
their disappearance could not be def
nitely ascertained, and the inquiries of
friends were always fruitless. In many
cases the search for the missing ones
has been most thorough, especially in
the case of DIR. York, well known
citizen; and this is supposed now to be
the cause of the flight of those suspect
ed of the murders. 1t was the sudden
vacation of property which led to the
search that has resulted in this terrible
discovery.
For some time past family, con-
sisting of two men and two women, OF
the name of Bender, occupied one
story frame house, or rather cabin
fourteen feet by twenty, on the south
side of the Usage Mission road, about
two miles or less from the town OF
Cherryvale, in Labette county, short
distance from the south line of the
State, and on the direct line of the
Leavenworth, Lawrence and Calves
ton Railroad. The house is on the
open prairie, and not at all concealed
by timber. The Benders kept this
house as kind of wayside tavern, and
closer to the road is building that
was used as a stable The main build
ing was divided iI.O two rooms, the
| front and larger room being used for
the purpose of serving the meals, and
the rear room as sleeping apartment,
in which were two beds and some few
articles of additional furniture. At
tached to the house in the rear is a
garden, and the land on which the
property is located is about two acres in
extent. The Benders were not visited
by the neighbOrs to any great extent,
as they did not bear good reputation,
especially one of the women, supposed
| to be Johanna Bender, but better
known by the name of Katie Bender,
who is described as red-faced, unpre.
possessing young woman. She pro.
feSSed to have power to cure al
| diseases, although her general reputa
| ton was that she had more of the devil
in her composition than any saving
qualities. 1t was generally believed
! that she terrorized over all the other
portion of the family, and few ever
| cared to be associated with her. The
| following circular shows that she pre-.
tended to cure what has heretofore
been considered as incurab diseases
DROF. MISS KATE BENDER CAN
I heal all sorts of diseases; can cure
blindness, fits, deafness and all such
diseases, also deaf and dumbness. Res
idence fourteen miles east oeIndepend.
ence to Usage Mission, one and a hall
miles southeast of MOrehead Station
June IS, 1872. KATIE BENDER.
The other woman is described as be-
ing about forty-twoIyears old, with iron
gray hair, ragged at the ends, and thin
over the temples, hard and sinister.
looking steel-gray eyes, tall, angular
form, and spiritualist, and engaged ex'
tensively in the distillation of charms
FROM the boiling of roots and herbs
The people or miles around dreaded
her.. The two men were brothers and
bore the names of William and Thomas
Bender Katie Was reputed to be the
| wife of Thomas, while the other wO.
man was supposed to bear the same
relationship to William, the elder
brother. Both brothers are said to be
bad characters, and the neighbors kept
them at distance.
The first disappearance that attracted
public attention here was that of an
old man and his granddaughter, who
left Cherryvale, about three months
ago, in a two-horse wagon, to go tC
Fort Scott, but whe' never reached that
place. All inquiries failed to elicit a
clue to the cause of their disappearance,
until, about the beginning of March,, DR.,
William III. York, brother of Senator
York of this State, recognized the team
and wagon at Fort Scott. DR.. York
ascertained that the wagon &c. had
| been purchased at the fort from some
person who came from Cherryvale,
and he resolved to ferret ont the mys-
terry. For this purpose he left the fort
on March 8, and went in the direction
of Cherryvale; but he, in like manner,
disappeared, and all aftersearch foI
him by his brother and host OF
friends was fruitless, Notwithstanding
| the fact that large reward was offered
| for any intelligence of his fate. The
search, however, for DIR. York led tC
the finding of the bodies of the old
man and child and the ravine near
Drum Creek, with their throats cut
from ear to ear. Further search al this
time resulted in the discovery of a
wagon wedged in between two trees,
| the horses having been unable to liber-
ate it, and from the half-Starved cOndi-
| ton of these animals it is supposed
they must have been thus held for
several days. The marks of bullets
and blood upon the wagon indicated
that conflict had taken place; and ii
was surmised that while the owners Oi
the wagon were beng murdered the
horses doubtless become alarmed and
made their escape, finally getting fast
ened in the manner described. Who
these persons were has not yet been
| found out.
While making the search for DR..
York, the house of the Blenders wa;
visited by several parties; but to all
the answer returned that no one had
seen the missing man. The persist
ence with which these inquiries were
made, and the constant advertising
through this State of the strange dis
appearance of DIR. York, doubtless
caused some alarm in the minds of the
Bender family, although no one al
this time had any definite information
which traced the disappearance to theil
agency. About q week ago, q man
riding from the prairie noticed that nc