Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-08-13
CRIME OF THE CENTURY.


The crimes for which price has beer
set upon the heads of the Bender family
are Of q tien1ish and revolving nature
It seems strange reflection upon tho
capacity of the authorities in Kansas
that such hideous butcheries should
have, for SO long time and so success
fully, been perpetrated in that so-called
model commonwealth.
On the 9th of March, 1873, DIR VIII
liam II. York left Fort Scott on horse
back for his home in independence
Kansas. He never arrived Mt home
and on the 2Sth of March the Lawrence
Tribune gave brief account Of his dis.
appearance and limited Mt foul play
York was well known throughout the
state--a brother of Col. A. M. York,
whose expose Of old Senator Pomcroy
had Mt our time made famous. Thcst0ry
Of York's disappearance was now III
every mouth, and every effort was put
forth To solve the mystery Of his alb
sence Rivers were dragged spots fit
for an ambush were probed foot by foot,
lonesome places were qucstcd rs keen
rs IL hound scents Il trail that Is cold.
Still no traces Of the lost man we're discov-
cred. Not ii shadow Of evidence rested
anywhere to say that DR.. York had been
murdered not II sign anywhere told
how he came to his death, if, indeed,
death had overtnken, him unawarcs.
He was traced to Cherryyalc, in l4abctte
county, but no further. There NIL truck
and trace of him ceased,
About two miles south Of ChcrryvaIc,
in rude frame house standing in II lot
Of two acres III dimension, lived
THE BENDER FAMILY.
There were four of them; father,
mother, son and daughter. The moth
err was Spiritnalist. She called her.
self n medium; the neighbors called
her shc-deyil. She had II way Of
boiling herbs and roots that were sup
posed to have charms and and spells
about them, md sho dealt in incanta-
tons. She was rcpulsiyc IN aspect
tall, angular and scrawny, with hard
stce-grny eyes, and thin, ragged gray
hnir struggling over her temples, The
rest of the family seem to have been
totally under the influence Of this un-
gninly creature. Her word with them
was law. The Blenders 0atcnsibly kept
grocery; sign to That effect WINS dis
played in front Of their rude dwelling
However the only article they dealt in
WIS ehcup native wine, which was
served on the spot. There were two
rooms in the house-onc used as II
kitchen and dining room, and the
other as u sleeping apartment,
While the excitement over the mys-
terious disappearance of DIR, York was
nj It's height, party Of Chcryynlc
citizens casually dropped in ut the Ben
der mansion and NJ casually inquired
Of the fnmily if they had amy time dur,
ing the pust six weeks seen anything of
York. The answer was in the negative
and tho subject WINS dropped The
writ and the questioning Of the Cherry
vale party had il strange effect upon
the Blenders, They
SUDDENLY DISAPPEARED
from their former homo, nor were they
seen again till their apprehension at
Fremont, Nob., was accomplished last
week.
4 mnn riding into Cherryvalc from
the country one day was impressed by
the deserted appearance of the Bender
place. lie entered the yard. In the
stable he found dead calf There
was every indication from the appear
ancc Of the miserable creature that il
Ind starved to death The man walked
up To the house opened the door and
looked in. Not an article of house
hold had been removed, but the dust
lay heavy on everything 1t was sus-
picioW. The man went to ChcrryvNlc
and .od his story. Senator A NJ,
York, the brother of tho missing man.
was there. 10 his suspicious mind tho
sudden and strange flight Of the Ben
der family WAS i revelation, He had
found the first clue to his lost brother
lie diyulgod his suspicious, and il band
Of men accompanied him tothc Bender
fnrm. The front room Of the house
WIS carefully searched, every crack
and crevice being minutcly looked into
and subjected 10 the application Of rods
and levers to see if the flooring was
either hollow or loose. Nothing came
of it. No blood spots appeared. The
floor was solid. The walls were solid,
Next the party searched the back room,
The beds were removed. In their
flight the Renders had left everything
untouched.
A slight depression was noticed in
the floor, which upon closer cxamina-
ton revealed n trap door This wus
lifted up and i'll the gloom pit out
lined itself, forhidding, caycmous, i'm.
known. Lights were procured and
some Of the men descended, They
found themselves IN IN abyss shaped
ike we'll, six feet deep and five feet in
diameter. Here and there little damp
places could be seen, rs though water
had come up from tho bottom Or been
poured down from above They CROPPED
around over these splotchcs and held n
handful 10 the light. The oozc smcnrcd
itself over their palms and dribblcd
through their fingers. II was blood
Every suspicion was realized The
murdcrers had fled, leaving behind
damning evidences of their hidcous
guilt But where were the bodies o
the Victims For m hour the pnrty oI
nypttnI nnnnln trn vnrlnl ihn lnnpl 4