The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-08-13
THE BENDERS.
History al Their Horrible Grimes.

History al Their Horrible Grimes.
The history of the Bender family and
of the crimes which they perpetrated is
one of the most revolving recorded in
the annals of crime in this country. The
family consisted of two men and two
women, and they occupied one-story
frame house, or rather cabin, twenty
feet long by fourteen wide, on the south
side OF the Usage Mission road, about
two miles from the town of Cherryvale,
III Labette county, Kan. The house
was on the prairie, and was kept as II
kind OF wayside tavern forthe accommo-
dation of travellers. The building was
divided into two rooms, the front and
anger one being used as dining-room,
and the rear rs a sleeping apartment, III
which We're two beds. Attached to the
house III the rear was garden, and the
land ON which the house was located
embraced two acres. The Benders were
all OF them repulsive in appearance, and
the neighbors stunned them, so they
had few visitors. The two women were
Spiritualists, and pretended to he heal
ing mediums, but, from subsequent de-
velopments, it would appear that their
claims III this respect were only put for
ward to lure persons to the house in
order to murder them for their money.
! The two men were reputed TO be broth
ers, and the two women passed rs their
wives.
Shortly after the settlement of the
Benders i'll the house near Cherryvale,
remarkable dlsappearances of travellers
began to he noted. The first that at
tracted public attention was that of an
old man and his granddaughter, who
left Cherryvale in February, 1873, in
two-horse wagon, to go to Fort Scott,
but who never reached that place. All
inquiries failed to elicit clew to their
disappearance, until, about the begin
ing of March, DR.. William HI. York
recognized the wagon and team at Fort
Scott. He ascertained that the wagon
had been purchased at the fort from
some person who had come from Cher
ryvale, and he determined to ferret out
the mystery. He left Fort Scott on
March 8, and he, too, disappeared. Large
rewardsw were offered for his body and the
search madefor him was longand careful
one, but no clew to his fate could be OBJ
tanned. The search, however, for DR..
York led to the finding of the bodies of
the old man and child in the ravine near
Drum creek, with their Threats cut from
ear TO ear. During the search for DIR.
York the house of the Benders was Wis
tied often, but all the family denied hav-
ing seen him. They were evidently
frightened, however, mt the persistent
search that was being made, and one
night in the middle of April, 1873, the
entire family disappeared. Their flight
was not discovered for week afterward,
as none of the neighbors were in the
habit OF visiting the house. When it
was made public everybody became con-
WINGED that the Benders had left for
some good reason, and party from
Cherryvale started TO make an inyestiga-
ton.
The house was found exactly as the
Benders had left it, and nothing sus-
picious was noted until, on moving one
of the beds III the rear room, slight
depression iii the floor led to the discov.
cry of trap-door. Upon raising this a
well about six feet deep and five feet
wide was discovered, from which arose a
horrible stencil. Upon exploring it the
floor and walls were found to be satur-
ated with thick, fetid blood, which
ClullS W lllt llllStIS Ol IlOSe WHO were
cropping around in the bottom of the
well. There was no doubt that whole
sale murder had been committed in the
house, and that the bodies of the vic.
Tins had been thrown into this well.
But no corpses were found here, and the
party continued its explorations in the
garden to the rear of the house. Sharp
rods were used to penetrate the
ground, and, after an hours fruit.
less search, one of the rods struck
something which felt like human
body. Shovels were quickly brought,
and the ground upheaved, when the
body of man lying face downward was
unearthed There was no coffin, and q
torn, discolored shirt was all that GOV.
cred the body. The corpse proved tC
be that of DR.. York, and n wound Oh the
back of the head disclosed the cause OF
his death. This discovery encouraged
the laborers to continue their work, and
; in short time nine more graves were
discovered, eight of them containing
, single bodies of men, and one of them
an old man and little girl. Most Of
the bodies were SO far decomposed as to
: make recognition of the faces impossible
: The Threats of all, except DR.. York anC
the little girl, had been cut, and the CIR
had apparently been buried alive.
The mysterious disappearances Were
now accounted for. The Blenders ha(
murdered the travellers who stopped al
their house, stripped them of money
and clothes, thrown them bleeding into
the well under the rear room, and thel
! ! buried them at convenient times il
, the garden. Descriptions of the fugi
tives were sent all over the country, anC
! the whole land was secured for them
Parties were organized in Kansas t.
hunt for them, and weeks were spent il
pursuit, but the Benders had too mucl
of a start, and their trail was lost.