Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-05-28

tween this and the next room only the
joists had been put up, and sheet was
hung upon these for screen.
The Benders had gone, apparently tax
ing nothing but little wearing apparel
with them. AS they searched the house,
Beers told young York to keep sharp
lookout for anything which might have
been his brothers.. He did so, and before
they had gone far he picked up piece of
his brothers bride.
Then the search began in earnest. In
cropping about in the room back of the
grocery, Beers found a little trap door and
raised it. There came up a sickenlng stencil,
peculiar to decOmpOsing human remains.
posse examined the place. The trap open
ed into a pit about six feet deep, and this
had a passage opening out under the foun-
dations They made careful examina-
ton of the pit, and found the soil saturat-
ed with what was plainly human gore.
Back of the house was piece Of ground,
perhaps an acre and half in extent, which
had been broken up and apparently re-
Gently ploWed.
Beers subsequently learned that Bender
had plowed this ground over the day after
Senator York and his friends had been
there on their search.
The detective at once began the examina
ton of this ground, and, taking Young
York with him, started diagonally for the
southwest corner, intending to begin a
systematic search, looking carefully for
any appearance Of suhsoil or disturbance.
A few rods from the corner Beers stopped
and looked about him. Young York, who
was on his right, few feet from him,
turned and came toward him. CHANGING
down, Beers saw between them little de-
preston, and some appearance Of subsoil
Both noticed it. and the detective said :
"There's something here, York; 90 and
get wagon rod" York complied, and
soon returned.
Beers took the rod and gradually pushed
it down until it struck hard ground just
as it reached the ring. Then drawing it
out he found that he had plunged the iron
into what appeared to be human remains
The others, who had in the meantime
been rummaging the house, were sum-
moned, and digging was commenced
About four feet below the surface they
came upon body partially decomposed,
stopped the disinterring and began to dig
down a trench two feet wide on one side
of the grave, toward which the face was
turned little.
While they were thus employed party
arrived from Cherryvale, having gained
an mixing of what was going on. Among
the newcomers was a doctor who had
been sent out by Senator York.
The trench was lowered below the level
Of the bottom Of the grave, and the earth
dug 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. 1t was done, and having been
carefully cleaned, was lifted out and
placed on sheet brought from the house.
The countenance was exposed to view,
and 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
notwithstanding story to the Times report
er, he would stop as he came to this horri
bic scene, at the finding of DR.. York's
body, and seem to forget the present and
60 back, in his agitation, to that terrible
morning of the 9Th of May
The work went on and other bodies
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 in at the back of the head.
The detective is Of the opinion that the
murders were done in the following man
ner:
The parties either came or were enticed
to the house where the young woman en-
oroCr tlnr, cl,o L. II
the reputation in all parts of the county of
being good talker. 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 heavier
sledge-like instrument. Then it would be
but the work Of an instant to drag the vic
tim to the trap and cut his throat In
every case, except that of the child, these
terrible wounds were found in the back of
the head, and the Threats were gashed from
ear to ear. Two hammers were found in
the house, which had evidently been used
in the manner described.
There was also something very peculiar
about the manner of burial. The graves
were all from three to five feet deep. The
bodies were Strengthened out with the
right hand drawn up and laid flat upon
the right breast. The left arm and hand
were stretched straight beside the body.
This Mr.. Beers informed the reporter has
been pass-sign between large gang of
cut-throats and Aorse-thieves working
along the route from the Mission to indie
pendence.
The news of the finding Of York's body
spread like wildfre, and before night
scores of men had f1ocked to the place to
aid in the search. Among them came a
German, wholly innocent Of wrong but
because he happened to be of the same ma
tionality as the Benders, the crowd strung
him up three times to make him confess,
and finally desisted upon Beers declara-
ton that the man was innocent.
About year ago there was another
member of the Bender family, young
man, but ne all at once disappeared. The
supposition is that, in attempting to dis
pose of some victim, this Bender was
either killed or mortally wounded and
then secretly buried.
Of the bodies found thus far nearly all
have been missed since last October III.
Lonchor, one of the victims, was farmer
in Howard County. He sold outhis claim,
and, taking his little girl eight years old,