The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-07-26

g =. -
Sometimes, when Kit to,lhinking Of the
sitting asthestable in that littltroom, ana
old Bender behind the curtain, rot twelve
feet away, ready tosput bullet Through
my heal. why, sir the cold chills go over
ager!'' .
" But he spared your'
$50 he did, and could never guess
why, 'cept that there are five brothers of
us, and he might have argued that tho
other boys would make q sharp hunt if
was missing. Travellers who didn't wear
rany better clothes nor I do, and who
didn't seem to carry any more money.
halted at the DEVILS Hotel for dinner, and
ground in less'n hour!''
"Was there nothing suspicious about
the house itself nothing in the looks or
actions Of the family to put the traveller:
on his guard ~ asked the passenger.
Eyes, there was, and then agin' there
wasn't. 1t was lone house, with no
neighbors to spy and NEEDLE; but it was
handy place for one to stop and get din
ner. l reckon that hungry man, riding
a tired horse, don't be suspecting as much
as a detective would. Old Bender wasn't
purity, but he'd pass muster as well as Il
thousand others out this way. The only
mean thing about him was the way he got
around. He didu't pick up his feet like
a man, but sort o. slid here and there like
a cat. He didn't look We in the face if he
could get rid Of it, but looked over be-
yond ye. Still, I've seen honest men do
the same way.''
And the Others?''
"Well. less see. There was the old,
man, then there was an old she. devil.
around there who was allus knitting stock
ings and singing religious songs. She
was fifty years old or more, and was prob
ably his wife. Then there was woman
about thirty years old called Kate. She
wasn't govd- looking nor bad looking, and
nobody could have told what . bloody
heart she had. The pspers said she was
Bender's daughter, but l don't believe II -
The papers hadn't "a many ways OF ind
ing out as l had. Some of them ne-er
mentioned the old woman at all, and yet
she was right there all the time. Then
there was one or two chaps hanging
around there most o. the time. One o.
them passed for Kate's husband, but I
don't believe they were ever married.
think the pair had laid in with the old
man to OPEN the tavern, help do the rum
ming OF it and the numbering, and take
half the profits. They we're q reg'la gang
o. horse thieves, robbers and murde:ers,
and nobody will ever know what relation
they were to each other"
1.-THE papers had an awful story to tell
when it come OUT" said the traveller.
$50 they had, butthey didn't tell it bad
enough. Those pale faced chaps with,
| lead pencils over their ears didn't git
around there to see the worst OF it. tell
you, sir, there never was such another
gang of cut-throats in this country. They
had been killing away and killing away
for years. Leastwise, some of the bodies
had almost gone 10 dust, and it takes tins:
for that. When man came along there;
who looked to have money they pOpped
him over, no matter whether ne was a
stranger or lived only dozen miles away.
around the house, and 'spect that we
didn't find half o. them. When they first
commenced killing they probably took.
the corpses further away to bury 'em, and
were more careful to cover up all signs.
I'll give you my word that the gang pas
over twenty travellers out o. the way"
"And what finally aroused suspicion
against thein?"
"Well, several things. The chap who
passed for Rates husband had too many
horses to sell. They got reckless, and left
revolvers, riding boots, fancy OvercOats,
and other such things in sight. Them
Senator York's brother was murdered
there, and the crowd who was on the hunt
for him tracked him to old Bender's to a.
dead certainty. The old man stood up as,
bold as a lion, and even asked them to-
search the house. II they hadn't been,
bluffed, they would have found two.
corpses in five minutes search. wasn't
with that party, but with second, and
we got around there that night. The
Blenders had taken the alarm and made
tracks"
"Isn't it curious that the family could
have escaped the country, when hundreds
of men were on the lookout for Them"
observed the traveller.
"Waal, yaas, ;" slowly replied the strange
old man.
"And how do you account for it,"
lie chuckled and looked out of the win
dow. There was an interval of three or
four minutes, during which he chewcd at
his tobacco. Finally, he said:
"They won't find old Bender In Mary
land, nor in Mexico, nor anywhere else on
ton the earth, and they needn't look for
any o. the rest o. the gang"
fare they dead -
".Purty likely they are. stranger! When
you see any more newspaper items about
any of the Benders turning up, you jest
AK yourself if cOrpses can turn up and
walk aroundv' ua
"When you and the others discovered
that the family had fed, what did you
dor' asked the traveller, hoping to draw
the old mans secret.
"Sat right down and sucked our
thumbs, of course !" he chuckled. That's
what we did; but some of the rest had
more pluck. They started ont on as plain
trail as they wanted to foller, and before
sunrise there wasn't any further use Of
anybody hunting for the Benders!'
Whvy"
"Whye Well, what's the use o. look
ing for anybody after they have been shot
full o. holes and planted? / reckon that
the old woman quit knitting and singing
religious songs Jest about daylight! Bout
that time, also, that she-devil Kate and
her hoss-thief Of husband pulled hair
and called each other hard names for the
last time. The stranger who was with the
family might have been hOss.thief, u
preacher, or an angel, but ! guess our
boys did't wait to ask many quest:ons!'
land old Bender himself?"
81 guess he didn't git away, stranger!
| I guess there are men in Kansas who
could dig up what's left o. him without
much trouble! Law is good enough in
some cases, but in other cases 1t is bout
as well to plant family in sandy sile and
not have any fooling aroundy'
"And that's the reason the Bendcrs
have not been discovered ~
"Purty much the reason. I reckon,
though folks can keep ON looking If they
want to!"-N. Y. Sun.
| 1T Is said that the late Gen.-Admiral
Ward, of China, who was q native of