The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1873-05-22

was kept by family of four named
Bender-two women, mother and
daughter, so.called, and two men,
father and son, so-called, both coup
les of whom were thought to be mar
ried. Directly the object OF the visit
was made known, the young man Of
fered his services to the party, and
the young woman, who was profess
siopal spiritualistic medium, sugges-
ted an appointment with Senator
York when she would reveal through
the aid of the spirit world, the man.
ner of the sudden disappearance of
his brother. Declining the kind Of
fers of the Bender family, the party
advanced for several days, but were
finally compelled to return without
the slightest clue of the destiny of
the missing York.
Senator YORK then employed a
detective named Beers to make a
vigorous search and to leave undone
no effort in the investigation. by
some reason the attention of the de-
tective was extracted to the Bender
house, which upon approach was
found deserted. Beers entered the
house, and lifting trap door in the
floor was almost stified by the putrid
stencil of decaying bodies which
came rushing through the opening.
AT the back of the house a piece OF
ground had been recently plowed
over, and to this Beers notice was
drawn. Observing spot which APP
peared as though earth had been
thrown up, he plunged wagon
rod into the ground to depth OF
about four feet which pierced what
he believed to be a human body.
He set mento digging and a body
was found which afterwards was
identified as that of DR.. York. Thus
alarmed a search was made for 9TH
ers, and nine bodies were discover
ed in short space of time, several
of which were identified as those OF
persons who had mysteriously disap-
peared during few months past. 1t
was noticed that a regular system OF
interment had been employed, each
body being buried by tree, which
had been pruned in. a manner to indi-
cate its place of rest; it was also
manifest from the manner of arrange
ment that it was intended to fill up
the entire patch of ground thus laid
out with corpses. Last Monday
three more bodies were discovered,
making twelve in all, and the search
is still progressing, with what further
result it lie impossible to surmise.
From the wounds on the heads OF
all the bodies that have been un.
earthed and the arrangement Of the
house, the manner of death is plain.
The travellers were seated at table
in the back room near which hung a
curtain. Some one behind this cur
tain struck the victim on the back OF
the head with some kind of an in
strument, who was then dragged to
the fatal trap.door, his throat cut,
and the body dropped into the Gel,
lar uuLll IL WAS udIh cuOuSh " Jul
it. This mark is observed on all the
bodies save one-that of little girl
who had accompanied her father ;
and not bruise marring her little
delicate form it is supposed that she
was buried alive. Many arrests have
been made of supposed confederates
of the Blenders along the road, but
the Infamous four have not yet been
found. When last heard from, de.
tective Beers had traced them to St.
Louis, and it is probable that they
will yet meet their rich deserts. This
is one of the most cold. blooded,
blood. chilling chapters of crime in
all the record of gory-steeped wick
edness and death too intensely ter
rible, too cruelty shocking, too inhu-
manly brutal to be called the work
of anything less than demons.-Reg-
aSter.