St. Landry democrat., 1880-08-14

searched the back room. The beds
were removed, In their flight the Ben
ders had left every thing untouched.
A slight depression was noticed in
the floor, which upon closer examina-
ton revealed trap door. This was
lifted up, and in the gloom pit out
lined itself, forbidding, cavernous, I'M
known. Lights were procured and
some of the men decended.- They found
themselves in an abyss shaped like a
well, six feet deep and five feet in d.
ameter. Here and there little damp
places could be seen, as though water
poured down from above. They CROPPED
around over these splotches and held a
handful to the light. The ooze smeared
itself over their palms and 'dribbled
through their fingers. 1t was blood.
Every suspicion was realized. The
murderers had fled, leaving behind
damning evidences of their hdeous
guilt. But where were the bodies of
the Victims For an hour the party
of excited people traversed the lonely
garden in the rear of the human slaugli-
ter pen, prodding the earth with long
iron rod. All at once the iron seemed
to strike a heshy matter. In moments
time dozen eager spades had resurrec-
ted from its shallow grave the decaying
body of a human being. It had been
buried face down. They turned it to
the sunlight. A cry of terror went up
from the crowd. 1t was York's corpse.
Although far advanced in the stage of
recognizable. How the murderous deed
had been done was speedily and easily
learned. A terrible blow on the back
of the head had crushed the skull upon
the brain and the throat had been cut
from ear to ear.
The work OF discovery went on. One
after another was laid bare the graves
of ten murdered people. Most of the
bodies were identified and the roster of
recognized victims were as follows:
w. H. York, Geo. w. Longcar,
T.. G.. Brown, Miss Longcar,
w. f. McCrotty, Henry F. Mckenzie,
Peter Boyle, John Bogert,
Two men unknown.
The body of the second daughter of
Mr.. LOngcar was not fonnd. It was
buried in the corner of the garden that
was not carefully probed. These vic
tins had probably been attracted to the
Bender house by the conspicuously dis
played grocery sign. A stranger was
inveigled into the death trap, invited
to glass of wine or something to eat.
AS he sat at the table in the back room
one of his treacherous hosts smote him
with hammer, crushsng in the skull,
and killing him instantly. But to in
sure death his throat was ripped from
ear to ear, and he was hurriedly drop
ped throgh the trap door into the
bloody cavern beneath. In the dead of
night the body was removed to the
garden and buried.
These CHASTITY crimes were committed
solely for gold. Whoever entered the
Bender mansion alone and with money,
it mattered not how little, died like a
brute.
Longcar was one of DR.. York's neigh
bOrs, and had started for Iowa with a
view to locating permanently. Cas-
ually stopping in at the Bender place
he was brutally murdered. His skull
was mashed to a jelly, his throat cut
and his body mutilated. His little
child had evidently been tossed into
the grave upon the mangled corpse and
buried alive.
The discovery of the inhuman butch
cries perpetrated by the Bender family
was made seven years ago. For seven
years diligent search for the bloody
murderers has been pursued in every
land upon the face of the earth. Up to
four days ago the search was unavail-
ing. But Justice, though tardy, is sure,
and once in the tolls of q grossly out
ragged law, the Benders will speedily suf-
fer the penalty Of their fendish atroci-
ties. The gallows upon which they die
should be built so high that all the world
might see and enjoy the death throes
of the most inhuman wretches with
which civilization has been cursed since
the days of Sawney Bean and his in
cestuous family Of cannibals.