The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-08-12
THE CRIME Of the CENTURY.
DERER, BENDER, RUN
TO TIE EARTH
His Positive Identification and Safe Judgement
in Prison.
LEtnrn the Kansas City Tinnesl
lpIOu inc haubds Clly 1lues'I
THE STORY OF THE BENDER BUTCHERS.

From the Kansas City Times.
THE STORY OF THE BENDER BUTCHERS.
On the OH of March, 1869 DR., William
II. York left Fort Scott on horseback for
his home in Independence, Kansas. He
never arrived at home. On the 28.h OF
March the Lawrence Tribune gave a brief
account of his disappearance and limited
at foul play. York was we'll known
throughout the State.-a brother of Col.
A. M. York, whose expose of old Senator
Pomeroy had at that time made him ia.
nous. The story of York's disappear
anCe was now in every mouth, and every
effort WAS put forth to solve the mystery
of his absence. Rivers were dragged,
spots fit for an ambush were probed foot
by foot, lonesome places were quested as
keen hound scents trail that is cold,
and still no traces Of the lost man were
discovered, Not a shadow of evidence
rested any where to say that DR.. York had
been murdered-not a sign anywhere
told how he came to his death, if indeed
death had overtaken him unawares. He
was traced to Cherryvale, in Labette Co.,
but no further. There all track and trace
of him ended
About two miles south of Cherryvale,
in rude frame house standing in a lot
of two acres in dimensions lived the Ben
der family, There were four of them
father, mother, son and daughter, The
mother was a Spiritualist. She called
herself medium; the neighbors called
her shs.devil. She had way of boil.
ing herbs and roots that were supposed
to have charms and spells about them,
and she dealt in incantations. Size was
repulsive in aspeCt-tall, angular and
scrawny, with hard, steel gray eyes, and
thin, ragged gray hair struggling over her
templas. The family seem to have been
totally under the influence ofthis ungain-
ly creature, Her word with them was
law. The Benders ostensibly kept gro.
cery. A sign was displayed in front of
their rude dwelling. The only articles
they dealt in was cheap native wine,
which they served on the spot. There |
were two rooms in the house, one used |
as a kitchen and dining room, and the |
other as a sleeping apartment.
While the excitement over the myste.
rious disappearance of DR.. York was at its
height a party of Cherryvale citizens
dropped in at the Bender mansion and
casually inquired ofthe family if they had
at any time during the past six weeks
seen anything of York. The answer was
in the negative and the subject was
dropped. The visit and the questioning
Of the Cherryvale party had strange ef
tect upon the Benders. They suddenly
disappeared nor we're they seen again
lntil their apprehension at Femont, Neb.
asst week.
A man riding into Cherry vale from the
country one day was impressed by the
deserted appearance of the Bender place.
de entered the yard. In the stable he
ound dead calf There was every in.
lication from the appearance of the mis-.
,rabe creature that it had starved to
ieath. The man walked up to the house,
opened the door and looked in. Not an
article Of household furniture had been
removed, bat the dust lay heavy on ev.
twas suspicious. The man
vent to Cherryvale and told his story.
senator A, NJ. York, the brother of the
missing man, was there. To hissuspicious
mind the sudden aud strange flight of the
Sender family was arevelati1ng He had
ound the frstclew to his missing brother.
ae divulged his suspicious, and 3 band
y men accompanied him to the Bender
arm The front room Of tho house was
arefully searched, every crack and crew