Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-08-20
WHAT BECAME OF THE BENDERs.

!
Of the McGregor tramps and their claim
to be members Of the murderous Bender
family, saysi EIIfI slifI.
1.-THE Bondors are dead. I speak thus do
| oisively because know whereof l speak. II
! l9 not customary for one TO boast Of acts Of
iawlessness and II e not in that spirit that
the bloody career of the british Blenders.
. II Is not .necessary 90 go into q detailed
account Of the murders. In point Of fact,
| very little IS actually known on that point. No
! one In tbe land OF the living willhuve tho hard
hood to say that he saw the deeds done, and
rcsslon that know o. T6e McGresor liars
/ we're a little on in their description Of the mur-
ders, They always had Kute, or Maggie, her
| cousin, or John, cutting the heads of the vic
| Tins to pieces with hHtChets, whereas they
were invariably Drained with hummer and
"The Benders, John and his wife, and their
/ two children, Kate aud John, kept wayside
| tteNeIh hpout Wy s mile ana hat southeast OF
! dependence TO the Usage Mission. They were
there when moved into the county two years
were well known then. Kate was a red-faced,
| low-browed, aquare-shouldered amazon, strong
enough TO throw a bull by the tail, and every
| body stood In awe OF her. She made a pre-
tense Of practicing the healing art and was
known far and wide as "spirtualistic
doctor" Her cures were permanent,
| people avoided the Bender tavern. As the
/ country hereabouts harbored good many des-
!
! raise row, and the protest went no further
! than avoidance. When search was instituted
t9r the body of Dr York, in April, 1913, sus,,
| picion was directed against the Benders, and
| contrary TO the general belief close watch
/ was kept on them for a while. They must
| have been aware Of the surveillance, for at
/ the nrst opportunity they decamped. The re-
/ port that they took the train at Thayer, a sta
| tion few miles north of Cherryvale, and went
| to HUMBOLDT, from which place they took
| passage for Texas, is a mistake. They simply
bundled their goods into two wagons and start
ed for Indian Territory. They did not pro-
| they had any destination marked out but
crossed over into Montgomery County, and
squatted near Verdigris River to await devel-
| Opments. The distance from their farm was
/ something like twenty miles. John, Jr., or
John, Sr., made daily trips back to the vicinity
/ of Cherryvale and took observations. IL was
/ their intention to return If the excitement
/ should blow over, but II it continued warm
they would go on as originally planned. They
/ knew Of the discovery of their crime within
an hour after the bodies were dug out of their
| shallow graves, and they lost no time in strik-
| ing their tents. They struck out for the west
bank of the river and started southward post
| haste. Their flight soon became y panic, and
to add to their discontinue one of their
wagons broke down. Packing what they
| could of the load on their horses they piled up
| what was left, set fire TO 1t, and hurried on.
I'm the meantime vigilance committee
| had been formed. This move was taken with
| the greatest secrecy, and none but trustY men
| were admitted to the organization The ut
that in a new community like this the doubt
| full assistance of suspicious characters was q
thing to be dreaded The Yigilantes did not
| number more than one hundred men all
| told, but they meant business, as the sequel
| proved. 1t was my good or bad fortune to be
| one Of the elect. Scouts were sent out In all
| directions, and within forty-eight hours of the
! departure of the Blenders from their camp in
the next county, the fact was duly reported
| to US. .|.
| "About forty of us organized into pursu-
ing party and started after the butchers. Once
| on their trail, we had no difficulty in following
It, The murderous quartet had taken TO the
open country west of the river, but were keep
ling within convenient distance of the thick
| timber that grows in the valley watered by the
stream. They were, expecting pursuit, and
! hoped to escape by losing themselves in this
/ timber If 1t came to the worst AS we pro
| Ceeded the trail freshened, and ere long We
came across the halfoOnsumed ruins of the
| wagon left by the Blenders in their flight.
From the direction they were taking IL be
! came evident TO the mind of those acquainted
! with the country that they were pointing for
! that paradise of cutthroats located near the
| mouth of the Red fork Of the Arkansas.
The country hereabouts is a bleak and
! halt-breed Creeks, PaWnees and Cherokees.
! Once there they knew they would besafe from
| pursuit. Even the United States troops have
| never been able TO penetrate that terra llcO0-
fld. IL Is safe retreat for the border r1fiians,
and is known to be such all through this sec
| tion of the country. This haven for the wick
! ed Is distant about one hundred and forty
| miles from the point where the Verdigris
River enters Indian Territory. The murder
! ers had about forty miles TO travel before
reaching the boundary of the Territory, and
they were probably twenty miles beyond
| of them. Burdened they were with
much cumbrOus baggage, they had
not been able to make very great
speed but they used every possible effort to
put space behind them. II was about three
| O'Clock on Il hot, sultry May afternoon that we
came in sight Of the party. They saw us e
everything they broke for the forest. They
plunged into the woods and scattered; We
! were close upon their heels, however, and they
did not succeed in eluding us long. The old
man and his wife and Kate were under arrest
| in less than an hour. John, Jr., was more for
| tunate than the other members Of the tribe,
for he oontrived to evade us for an hour
longer, but he was at length run to cover and
! forced to surrender.
the exception of Kate theyall weakened when
il came TO the scratch. This charming border
into our faces, but her aim was bad and she
did no serious damage beyond maiming one of
| our horses and clipping n lock Of hair from
| my temple, The bullet raised a ridge along
the skin, the work Of which shows TO this day.
| she finally succumbed to superior strength,
butte the last maintained the same daredevil,
4 Having captured the assassins the ques-
] tiOn now arose, What are we to do with themP
Some were for taking them back and letting
the law take its course. The ADVOCATES of
| this line of policy were largely In the minori-
| ty. There were those amongst us whose rela-
tives had fallen victims 10 the deadly hammers
| and knives of the wretChes and they would
not listen to the suggestions Of the oonserva,
tive clement They threatened to do some
killing then and there If their demands for In
| stant vengeance were not regarded, No one
would have offered very strenuous oppOsf
1t was thought best TO do the job up after the
most approved form obtaining in the courts
presided over Dy Judge Lynch.
THE prisoners we're acco rdingly arraigned
and asked what they had to say in their de
fense The old woman was sullen and ugly,
hut the two men showed signs Of talterlng;
have made full confessions. beyond doubt
The amiahle Kate perceived this, and, think
ing it would please the ylgiIants too much
TO hear confessions, she fell 10 cursing her
brother and father for their cowardice. Foul
er language was never uttered than came from
to G app,y to her relatives. They took Il s,ilen.
| ly at INST, but soon something of her reckless
spirit infused them, and they TOO Joined in
the urade. The chorus OF blasphemy that
| went up from that hardened lot caused O
| shudder to run through our party, With death
staring them In the face, they united in ours
ing us and lamenting their inability TO do ne
| harm. such malignity never saw equaled
Even The old woman ohipped IN occasionally,
| approved OF the family demonstration. t 49,
"0ur court went through Within form pro
Bcribed and then pronounced sentence OF
death; The announcement was received with
Jeers from the hardened criminals, who had
! determined TO brave IL out to the last. 1t was
decided that the murderers should be shot, as
it would take too much time to hang them.
| The sun was already nearly down, and the
shadows Of approaching night we're deepening.
There on tho borders of the forest the cruel
killers we're tied to saplings and told TO pre-
pare for death. One Of our number, who had
not quite forgotten his carly education, UNI
dertook to offer prayer, but the lovely Kate
\ spit in his face while he was udd rpssng the
throne OF grace, and he quit right in the mid
die Of a sentence and drew OF IN disetfst.
i "The four died with curses on their lips,
hardened and unrepentant to the last There
in that lonely dismal spot, away beyond the
retribution, and their souls black with crime,