The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1877-05-23
THE FATE OF THE BENDERS,
NARRATIVE BY ONE OF THE MEN WHO
LYNCHED THEM.

The Blenders might have continued
their bloody work in peace and pros.
perity for an indefinite length oftime
had they continued planting their
victims in the garden. BIT previous
to the killing of DR.. York they had
murdered a man named Jones. In
February man named Conklin, in
company with another farmer, while
riding along Drum Creek saw the
dead body of a man caught in some
drift wood. Improved to be the body
of Jones. He had had his skull
smashed in with a hammer, and his
throat cut from ear to ear. The body
had no clothing upon it save shirt.
Some ten or a dozen farmers met
quietly on the banks of Drum Creek,
and after viewing the body of Jones
held Council. At this meeting the
Blenders were spoken Of suspiciously,
and it was determined to keep the
discovery of the body quiet until fu-
ture developments. The next day a
man who was evidently a tramp and
had footed it from Independence on
his way to Fort Scott, stopped at Du
troit's house and asked for some
thing to eat. Ia conversation with
this man, Dutroit learned that late
the previous evening the tramp had,
while looking around for place to
pass the night, come across small
hay stack back of the Benders' house
into which he quietly nestled him
self. 1t must have been midnight
when he was awakened by voices,
and, quietly looking out from his nest
be saw the dim outline of three per
sons, evidently at work digging,
short distance from him. 1t was so
dark that he could not distinguish
them, but he could hear them speak
in German, a language he did not un-
derstand. His first impulse was to
go out to them. But something
seemed to withhold him, and after a
time they finished whatever work
they were at and withdrew into the
house. The tramp departed early
in the morning, and had tramped on
until he had stopped at Dutroit's for
breakfast. He concluded his tale by
remarking that it ':looked mighty
like rs if they were burying some
one" Mr.. Dutroit said nothing at
the time, but when the party of
twelve met by appointment on Drum
Creek he related the circumstance to
them, and it was determined to give
the Bender mansion a quiet lnvesti.
CATION. A wagon track was discov-
cred leading to the Bender place, from
where Jones body had been thrown
into the creek. The party struck
out on the wagon trail, and at about
sunset it brought them within view
of the tavern. 1t was then determi
ned to forego proceedings until the
morrow, when in the morning the
entire party would meet on Drum
Creek, well armed, and ride oyer to
the Bender place.
On the morrow, at about eight
O'Clock, the party assembled on the
creek and Immediately proceeded
over the rrairies to the suspected
house. But when they arrived there
they found the Bender ranch desert
ed. The Benders had noticed the
squad of horsemen riding upon the
wagon train the previous evening and
during the night had bundled up and
departed. The Benders,at this time
had four horses, a COW, and wagon
load of household truck.
When the scouting party we're can
wasting the new state of affairs, Mr..
Dutroit and others went in search Of
the spot indicated by the tramp
They searched around for some time
in vain, as the ground had been re
Gently plowed over, but at last struck
a spot that appeared moister than
the rest, as though the ground be-
meath it had recently been turned up.
No shovel being found, three Of the
party set to work with shingles torn
from the roof of the house, and, af-
ter digging hole four feet deep, one
of them, with shout, reached down
his hand and pulled up the skirt of a
mans under-garment, and beneath
could be seen an exposed portion of
a human body. This was the corpse
of DR.. York, though at the time the
explorers did not know it.
The track of the Bender wagon could
be seen leading to the south west. The
horsemen followed it at full speed