The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1873-05-22

the slightest possible creak within few
feet OF her pillow, however, and produced
by the door of wardrobe which she clos
ed every night just before getting into bed
The door, about a quarter of an hour after
being closed, recovered its position of rest
slightly beyond which it had been pushed
in closing. In another case the crawling
of snail across window produced
sounds which were mistaken for the strains
of loud but distant music.-CornhsW Maya
zine.
The Kansas Butchery.
What follows in its facts may read like
the recital Of some horrible dream, where
in nightmare mirrors upon the distemper
ed brain countless number of monstrous
and unnatural things, yet what is sci
down in the narrative 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 already published, we are
enabled to give tolerably detailed &C.
count of the monstrOus series of murders
up to date.
The beginning of the end came about
in this wise: On the 9th of March, DIR.
William H. York, the brother of SEN
ator York left Fort Scott, on horse
back, for his home in Independence, Kan.
He did not come home. His friends
watched and waited for him, his family
prayed and prayed for him, the talk Of
he town dealt day after day with him. Ex-
pectations at last deepened into down.
right earnestness about him, until on the
18th of March the Lawrence Tribune gave
a brief account of the mysterious disap-
pearance. All at once thereafter all the
papers in the State took up the tale of his
journey, of his non-arrival, of the fears
of foul play, and of all the little details
and circumstances that might 60 to show
that he had been murdered. The
most thorough search known to
finite skill was at once commenced.
His neighbors turned out en- masse.
His brother, Colonel A. NJ York, rested
neither by day nor night in his labors, but
followed what seemed to him trail with
the tenacity of an Indian and the devotion
of saint. Rivers were dragged, spots fit
for an ambush were probed foot by foot,
lonesome places were qucsted as keen
hound scents 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
a shadow of evidence rested anywhere to
say that DIR. York had been murdered
not sign anywhere told how he came to
his death, if death had indeed overtaken
him unawares. He was traced to Cherry
vale, but no further. There the trail was
no longer trail, but myth, a mystery,
an enigma neither the unwearied patience
of friends, nor the sacrificing devotion of
brother, could solve.
Cherryvale is small town on the Leav.
enworth, Lawrence s. Galveston Railroad,
and is in Labette County, 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
large room where the meals were served,
and in rear sleeping-room furnished with
two beds and some scant additional furni.
ture 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 enclosed 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, where entertainment
was furnished to travelers-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, nor 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 in.
formed as before.
VIM. Bender, the eldest of the brothers,
had wife who was a Spiritualist. The
balance of the Benders called her me-
dunn, the neighbors o she-devil. She
was AZ, 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 forbid
ding. She had not q single prepossessing
feature. Her form, angular and tall,
seemed to lift itself up when the spiritual
influences took possession of it, and to be.
come not only gigantic in height, but
supernatural as we'll. 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 ali
the atrocious devils work ever done in
Kansas. -, 4 - =
1t would seem as if the visit of the
Chefryvale. party alarmed the Blenders.
William Bender, now that the terrible
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 strange.
ly.. Twice he had come into Cherryvale,
and had been noticed, upon the occasion
of each visit, to loiter upon the outside of
crowds, seemingly having no business
but eagerly intent all the time ip listening
to everything that was said. 49,.
Time went slowly by, and q man riding
in one day from the prairie saw NO smoke
arising from Bender's chimney. The
windows were down, the doors were closed,
there was nc. sign Of life anywhere. These
evidences of emigration did hot even
interest him. So absolute was the stupor
over the, disappearance of DR.. York that
an awakening had to depend upon an
absolute discovery. This man, however
in riding by q pen to the left Of the house
saw,s dead calf in the lot, and upon fur.
ther Investigation, and with the practical
eyes. Of a practical farmer, used to guessing
the weight of live stock upon the hoof
he knew that the calf had died, of starva;
ton. =. ~ - - 't ,T7.. 'flsT
Then the truth ca,nA nc an = ovorNnvu
comes often ,toa Kansas creek. all Of 9
sudden and overwhelming. Such death
suggested-hight; fight. meant guilt, and
the nature Of the guilt was surely murder
He galloped into Ohsyvale and related
wha@he had seen, The town aroused