The Lincoln County herald., 1873-05-21

tueH HtCIeteIy Uuiieu.
or the bodies found thus far nearly all
have been missed since last October. IL
Longchor, one Of the victims, was n
farmer IN Howard county. He sold out
his claim, and taking his little girl about
eight years old he started fos Iowa with
his team. The last known Of hin was
when he camped on Drum Creek. He
could be traced no farther, aud the find
ing of his body in Bender's field with
the remains of the child little way off,
only solved the mystery. A day or two
after Longchor was lost his team was
found about sixteen miles south of the
Bender place. 1t had evidently been
driven there in great haste, and aban
doncd. At several points on the line be-
tween tho Bender place and the spot
where the team was found several persons
have told of seeing the team go past at
furious rate, and on this line were found
at intervals the end board of Longchor's
wagon and his guns, which had fallen out
10 the has,y drive.
The Bendcrs talked boldly about the
disappearance, and insinuated that the
man must have been shot down on Drum
Creek.
W. +. Mccarthy, another Of the vic
tins, was Howard county farmer. He
was formerly in the One Hundred and
Twenty third Illinois infantry. lie had
had long dispute about his claim with
man who belonged to the Bender gang
The latter had taken him away to have
| Al al ha
wards until his body was unearthed
The suppositior is that he was euticed to
Bender's and murdered in the same man
ner as the others.
b. L. McKensie was a farmer from
Ohio, who was looking about for lands
He had Sc 900 or 81 900 and disappeare
as mvsteriously as the others. His body
was also found.
Another man named Boyle, who
started from Independence to the Mission
with 500 in his possession was a'so
found.
Two others were identified, but the
rest of the bodies were not recognizable.
Nearly all of the victims had teams or
saddle horses. In two instances the
wagons we're found on the prairie and in
one instance horse which had been
peculiarly marked was left with the
wagon.
Ia other cases the horses we're run of
, by some members of the gang and disap
, peared as mysteriously as their owners.
DR.. York when he disappeared had with
him very feet and valuable roadster.
Ii seems that after the visit of Senator
York and his party the Benders took the
, alarm. The next morning the old man
poughcd the field, and shortly afterwards
| they htched up and drove to Thayer,
, station on the Gulf road, twenty ol
twenty five miles away where they were
, not known, arriving there in time to take
, a night train. 1t tseems that they stepped
= little way out of town, embarrassed the
horses and tied them to the wagon.
Then leaving the dog with the team
, they went to the depot and feft.
! The team remained out of town two OF
e three days, no one knowing to whom il
0 belonged. Finally the town marshal
). went out and brought 1t in.
A day or two after that some country
people were in town, and one Of them
Y noticing the dog which had been left
: with the team, exclaimed: why,
there's old Bender's dog
3 This led to sone explanations, and tho
= team was readily identified. This led te
$ a visit tc the Bender place, and then i
:. was discovered that the whole family hac
E departed. This was just before or abou
o the time that the detective made hi
visit to the claim.
8 As soon as the bodies were unearthod
n Beers entered upon his search for th'
= criminals. He found that the Bender
Q were co operating with a band Of thieves
!. and Just before he left Kansas, hat
/ sworn out warrants for the arrest o
2 twenty two parties, many Of them pro
fessedly farmers, holding claims in South
= ern Kansas.
: Beers himself has assumed the diff
r cult task of hunting down the four mer,
# bers of the Bender family. lie succeeded
:. in tracing them until they left the state
Q and then had an interview with the Gov
? ernor Of Kansas, who authorized him t
d 60 ahead and hunt down the murderer
Q regardless Of expense.
Q With this understanding he started an
O arrived 10 st. Louis yesterday, havin
q followed clear trail to this place.
e The Bendcrs left Kansas with abou
K 10000, and Beers thinks they have gon
d straight to the seaboard with the 'uteu
Q ton of hiding across the ocean,
y He will follow as fast as the trail ca
be picked up. Chief McD1nough vii
!. render every assistance possible. 10
o formation has been received already o
It parties here who havs told more sbou
It the murders than they ought to know
d innocent people.
f. Detective Beers says that tho people
It Southern Kansas are terribly excite
!. over the discoveries, and it would be
% difficult task to keep the Benders out
d the hands of a mob if they should b
Ie taken back now.
Tho claim upon which the bodies wer
" cound ha sovs IA being visited bv hun