The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1873-05-30


commenced. About four feet below
the surface they came upon q body
partially decomposed, and lying fsel
| downward. Then they stopped the
disinterring and began to dig down ;
trench two feet wide on one side. O
the grave, toward which the face wa:
turned q little.
| While they we're thus employed S
party arrived from Cherryvale, hav
ing gained an inkling of what wai
going OF. Among the newcomers
was . doctor who had been sent out
by Senator York.
The trench was lowered below the
level Of the bottom of the grave and
the dirt ding away carefully from the
face and head of the body. Then
the detective, seeing that from the
condition Of the corpse the utmost
care would be necessary in order to
insure recognition, told the doctor he
must detach the head from the trunk.
It was done, and having been care
fully cleared, was lifted out and
placed on sheet brought from the
house. The countenanee was ex-
posed to view, aud in an instant the
features of DR.. York were recognized.
Some OF the men there sat down
and cried like children, others turned
away sickened, while with others the
sight only nerved them to continue
the search.
While the detective was telling
this heart sickening story to the Times
reporter he would stop as he cane to
this horrible scene, at the finding of
DR.. Ycrk's body, and seem to forget
the present and 90 back in his agita-
tion to that terrible morning OF the
9th Of May.
The work went on and other bod
les were found, until in all, nine had
been unearthed when Beers left, In
every case, except that of the little
girl, the skull was broken III the back
OF the head.
The detective is OF the opinion
thas the murders were done in the
following manner:
The parties either came or were in
ticed to the house, where the young
woman engaged them in conversation,
for she had the reputation in all that
part of the country Of being q good |
taIker. Then, one Of the men would |
strike the visitor on the back OF the
head, telling him to the floor, when
the other would strike him with a
heavier sledge-like instrument. Then
it would be but the work of an instant
to drag the victim to the trap and cut
his throat. In every case, except
that OF the little child, these terrible
wounds were found in the back of the
head, and the throsts were gashed
from ear to ear. Two hammers were
found in the house, which had evil
IDENTIFY been used in the manner de- !
;crihed. 4
There was also something very
peculiar about the manner Of burial.
The grave were all from three to five
eet deep. The bodies were straight {
,ned out, with the right hand drawn
md laid flat upon the right breast. !
The left arm and hand were stretched 4:
straight beside the body. This Mr.. I
Beers informed the reporter, has 7
,een pass sign between . large {
,and OF cut-throats and horse thieves {
working along the route from the i
Mission TO Independence.
The news OF the finding IF York's |
,ody spread like fire, and befor e
light scores of men had locked to I
he place to aid in the search. Among 4
hem camo q German, wholly inno- |
:ent OF wrong, but because he happen g
d TO be OF the same nationality as |
he BendeIs,th crowd strung him up 7
hree Zines to make him confess, and &
.nally desisted upon Beers declars- l
ion that tie man was innocent. S
About three year ago there was {
mother member Of the Bender family, t
young man, but ne I'll at once dis
ppeared. The suppositiOn IS, that
q attempting to dispose of some VIC
i'm this Bender was either killed or
nortalIy wounded and thea secretly :
iuried.
Ofthe bodies found thus far near !
= all have been missed since last
october. II. LOngcher, one OF the
ictims, was q farmer Of Howard !
oun:y. He sold out his claim, and !
aking his little girl, about eight !
ears old, he started for Iowa. The
lst known OF him was when he camp !
d Cn Drum Creek lie could be !
raced no further, and the finding of :
IL body in Bender's field with the
snains of the child, a littl eHay of,
My solved the mystery. A day or
To after Longcher was lost his team
-ss found about sixteen miles south
{ the Bender place. II had evident
: been driven there in great haste
nj abandoned. At several points On
he line between the Bender place and
le spot where the team was found
.verai persous told Of seeing of
le team go past at furious rate, :
nd en- this line were found at inter :
ais the end-board OF Longcher's
agon and his guns, which had fallen !
ut in the hasty drive.
The Benders talked boldly about
lis disappearance, and insinusted
lat the man must have been shot
own on Drum Creek. z
w. +. Mccarthy, smother Of the .
iclims, was Howard county farmer. \
Ie formerly belonged to the 123d Ill. P
lfantry. He had had lcng dispute .
bout his claim with man who be- a.
,nged to the Bender gang. The latter 81 y
ad taken him away to have q set =
ement and he was never seen after- ~ ~
ard until his body was unearthed. ~ u-
ne supposi.iOn Is that be was en-
ced TO Bender's and murdered tie
.ne as the others :
B.F. McKinzie was farmer from OF
bio- who was looking about for uic
ads He had $1,000 or 81, ,OOO, and flo
i.anpeared as nysteriously as the gre
80 His body was found also ant
s.o,her man, named Boyle, vino eas
= -,ed from Independence to the mir
ission with 500 in his possession ou
a. found also. wa
Two others were identified, but the ab