Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1882-05-03

The Bender family Were criminals of tn,
5.ackest type. No story in romance eve
excelled in atrccity their bloodthirsty
system OF assassination. They dwelt in
house on the prairie. near Cherryvale
Labette county, Kan, which was used a.
a wayside inn. Travellers slept there. anc
If ;ney seemed to have well-flled purses
their sleep was the sleep OF death. Il
came to light afterwards that they killed
their victims by striking them on the heac
with hammer and afterwards cutting
their throats. They lest their caution,
and Instead of coDcsaling the body o!
their last victim, they allowed it to be
found near their house. The murdered
man was identified as brother of Colonel
forke, the legis lator who exposed the at
tempt at bribery of Senator Pomeroys.
Suspicion Immediately pointed at the
Bender family, and they fed panic
stricken. Their house was searched, and
In the cellar the corpses of five men and
one infant were found. This was In Nay,
1879. The country was secured after the
fugitives, and traces of their flight toward
Mexico were disc ,v,red. A man named
Marion was caught by the pursuing party,
and there was ample proof OF his connec-
tion with the criminals. On his waJ back
10 Kansas he made some important
admissions. but fearful Of being lynched,
he shot himself dead.
On the 4th INST, Hermann +. Griem, q
German. lsborer, of St. LOUIS, informed
the police that old Bender was at the
wharf-that he knew Bender we'll had
dined at his house during the war, and
had seem him frequently at camp selling
vegetables. The police arrested the sup
posed Bender IN skiff at the wharf,
where they found three mer, two of whom
were young men, who gave their names as
August Kloots and Charles Hammond re-
spectively. The third, who was an old
and very singular looking Individual,
SAID that his name WAS Jacob Balies, and
that he came from Kansas. When taken
TO the station on Tuesday they were all
locked up. The young men said that
they met the old one up in Usage county,
near the mouth of the Missouri, some time
age, They hsd told him that they were
going to Arkansas TO settle and he said he
was going to the same state. They were
not ready and he waited for them and told
them that his name was Bales and that he
thought Arkansas good place to settle.
These two men were dismissed, but Ben
der alias Bales was retained prisoner.
The n. Y. Herald representative
visited the prisoner in his cell and found
HIM in a very excited frame of mind. In
appearance he is villainous and wretched in
the extreme Wlckedness and cunning
are portrayed in every feature, and in thus
he resembles the monster for whom he is
arrested. Before saying anything to him
| took good look at him IN his cell. He
answers The description of the Kansas
butcher as near as 1t ls possible for human
eye to detect. He is an old man about
feet s inches In height; says ne Is rs
years old, but does not look it. lie is
round shouldered and stopped, his hair is
matted and gray, his forehead low, the nose
hooked and cured downward. He has
restless gray eyes, sunken in his head, and
the face is tanned by exposure and saffron
hued as though from a soaking of malaria.
HIS teeth are prominent, and Just In the mid
die of the upper row there is large gap,
the edges being broken and rotten on
either side. His chm retreats. His whole
expression, when he becomes interested
is unlnvitIng and ferocious. He is good
picture of an ogre which would throw a
sensitive child into fits. His clothes are
collection OF rags and patches, and when
taken out of his cell he threw q tattered
old yellow overeoat over his arm and put
on dilapidated slouched hat of a light
cclor.
He was elger to converse and SAID in
broken English:
''Thls is shame, mister, to keep me
here. | did nothing. / did not kill any
body. Why don't they let me gol"
do you know what they are keeping
YOU for 2" asked the reporter.
"Ies," he said eagerly and with EVIL
dences of considerable excitement. ''They
think | am old Bender. That's not my
name. My name is Balies-Jacob
Bales
do you know who Bender IL ~
"Oh, yes; | heard of him often. Once
the people around my place used to talk of
HIM. He murdered lots OF people-dldnt
her"
."Have you q daughter Katei" asked
the reporter.
mo, | never had a daughter by that
name. Ny daughters name is Margaret,
and she is married and living in New
Mexico. My names is Jacob Bales, 1
tell You. Just let them write to Union
town. Bourbon county. Kansas, and they
will find out all about old man Bales. 1
trra
"Where is your wifel"
'.My wifei Oh, she has been dead
twelve or fourteen years. My son is q
farmer in Karsas, and my daughter is in
New Mexico"
But Griem says he knows you well,
and that you are Bender
..My God," said the old man excitedly,
81 tell you l am not. l would not be
Bender for--for anything. l am Bales
and nobody else"
"The man who gave the information to
the police says that he knew you right
well for long time, and that he is sure
you are old man Bender"
81 never saw him before, so hep me
God, mister, did not. He never knew
me; am sure he did not. How could
be Bender p
s.Are you q German !" ssked the re-
porter, noting that the old man spoke with
q German accent
"No, | came from Weisenbacb, in
Alsace; am FIench."
"Where are you coming from now!"
II was in Texas with my daughter
Then | came TO where met these two
men, and was gong down South"
When told that his companions sus-
pected that there was something mysteri-
Gus about him, caused by his strange con-
duct. he rolled his eyes together and called
on God to witness the lngratitude of such
men.
The authorities will investigate the case,
and IN few days the identity Of the old
man will be settled.