Smyrna times., 1880-08-11
Omnhn. MI. AnnltSt ,.

omaha, Ntb.. Augu8t ,.
The story of the crimes of tho Bender
family is upon everybody's lips. The great
est crime of the century is likely, in q
small measure at least, to be attoned for.
But the most horrible death that old John
Bender could be put to would but in a
slight degree ayenge the suiferings of his
many victims. In the Jail at Fremont, in
Dodge county, man is locked up who is
supposed to be the fend that the authori
ties of Kansas have been looking for for
seven years There hardly seems doubt
of his identity. With him is woman
repusive, hard .fsted and old. She may be
the original Mrs. Bender or she may be his
mistress. Opinions differ on this point.
When they reach Kansas the authorities
will have hard work to guard the couple
from the attacks of the populace, who are
thrsting for their blood. In 1873 old
Bender and his wife and their son John
and his wife lived near Cherryvale, Labette
county, Kansas. Their house was about
two miles out of town. 1t was q rude frame
structure, standing in lot of two acres.
The old woman called herself medium.
She had way of boiling herbs of roots that
were supposed to have charms and spells
about them and she dealt in incantations.
She was repulsive in aspect-tall, angular
and scrawny, with hard, steel-gray eyes and
thin, ragged gray hair struggling over her
temples. The family seem to have been
totally under the influence of this unganly
creature. Her word with them was law.
The Benders ostensibly kept a grocery. A
sign was displayed in front of their rude
dwelling to attract visitors, but the stock in
trade consisted principally of sort of
cheap wine. There were only two rooms
in the house. One was a dining room and
kitchen combined. In the other the four
Benders slept.
MANY SUDDEN DIsAPPEARANCEs.
In 1873 number of persons travelling in
the direction Of Cherryvale mysteriousy
disappeared. No traces of then could be
found. The first disappearance that attrac.
ted attention was that of an old man and
his granddaughter, who left Cherryvale
in February, 1873, in q twohorse wagon
to 80 to Fort Scott. but who never reached
that place. All inquiries failed to eecit a
clue to their disappearance until about the
beginning of March, DR.. William II. York
recognized the wagon and team at Fort
Scott. He ascertained that the wagon had
been purchased the Fort from some person
who had come from Cherryvale, and he
determined to ferret out the mystery. lie
| left Fort Scott on March O. and he too dis
| appeared. DR.. York was well known and
the greatest efforts were made to discover
traces of him. A large reward was offered
rivers we're dragged, spots fit for ambush
were probed foot by foot, lonesome places
were quested as a keen hound scents trail
that Is cold, and still no traces of the lost
man were discovered. Not n shadow oi
evidence rested anywhere to say that Dr.
Y 1Ork had been murdered-not a sign any
where told how he came to his death, il
indeed, death had overtaken him unawarcs
He was traced to Cherryvale, in Labette
county, but no further. There all track
and trace Of him ceased. The excitement
was at high pitch. One day an explor
ing party stopped at the house of the
Benders. Had they seen anything of DR.
York? No, the answer came, they had not
They knew nothing whatever concernn.
him. But this visit had strange effect
The next day the Bender family disap
peared, and almost as mysteriously as haC
DR.. York. This suspicious circumstanct
aroused curiosity. A man riding int
Cherryvale from the country one day wa
Impressed by the deserted appearance o
: the Bender place. lie entered the yard
. In the stable he found dead calf. Ther
was every indication from the appearance
: of the miserable creature that it haC
starved to death. The man walked up t.
the house, opened the door and looked in
! Not an article Of household furniture haC
, been removed, but the dust lay heavy ol
everything. The man went to Cherryval
r and told his story. Senator A. NJ. Yorl
the brother of the missing man was there
) To his suspicious mind the sudden an,
strange fight of the Bender family was
\ revelation. He had found the first clue t
f his lost brother. He divulged his susp
f cions and a band of men accompanied hin
D him to the Bender farm. The front room
Q of the house was carefully searched, ever
crack and crevice being minutely locke,
e into and subjected to the application of rod
o and levers to see if the flooring was eithe
t hollow or loose. Nothing came of it. N
v blood spots appeared. The floor was sold
3 the walls were solid. Next the part
!, searched the back room. The beds wer
i removed. In their fight the Benders ha
/, left everything untouched.
AHORR1BLE DISCOVERY.
=. Tho axnlorara xvara oho,,t - .o.:.o - =.