Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-01-25

when the detectives,of the city clapped
/ 3 guileless citizen into the calaboose
upon the statement of . man named
| Green. He was discharged from Gus.
tody a few days afterward. 'sf's'@
The Blenders kept, an linn on lone
some road near Cherryvale, Lapette
County, kas. The road passed through
.he middle of q prairie, six miles from
Cherryvale, and at the inn travellers
often stopped to get lodgings for the
night. Travellers stopping there, sup
posed to have money, were seated at
the table, and while they were taking
their meals a curtain, which was sus-
pended behind them, showed the posi-
| ton of their, heads. A blow with the
head of an ak from behind the curtain
| would stun or finish them. The bodies
were lowered into a cellar underneath
I through trap-door, where the pockets
would be rified of money and valuables,
and then the bodies were buried in a
hole dug in the lot in the rear of this
| hospitable tavern. The disappearance
| of DR.. York led to the discovery of
these. terrible crimes, and the sudden
departure of the Bender family.
Many statements of the manner in
which the Blenders met their retribution
| have been made, but the circumstances
of the affair have for long time been
enveloped in mystery. A now version
of the fate of the Benders sets the mat
ter beyond all doubt ,rs... },.t.F AS
The. following statement of Capt. j.
G. Reeves, who was First-Lieutenant of
Capt. Burrows Battery, United States
Volunteers, and who was living at indie.
pendence, Kas., at the time the Bender
family were detected as the murderers
of, DR.. York and others, was given to
Col. ID. w. Wear Of this city, who fur
nished it to the Republican. According
to Capt. Reeves statement, DIR. York
lived at Independence, Kas., aud went
from Independence to Fort Scott to sell
house and lot at that place. He ne
gotiated the sale, but the purchaser did
not pay any money down. York started
for, his home in Independence, Has,
where he purchased some cigars. He
was next met ON the road from Parsons
to iBender's and recognize by three or
four parties, but he never could be
traced beyond Bender's. !, r. 5...ts
DIR. York'5 wife being indisposed, her
husbands return was expected that
night. His brother, Col. York, aware
of the delicate. condition of his brothers.
wife, started out after him. and the first
trail he struck was at Parsons, where he
learned that the Doctor had gone
through Parsons on his way home. the
day before. From this place he set out
On the trail, and heard of his brother
three or four times between Parsons
and the Bender place. Col. York
stopped at the Bender place and
made inquiries for his brother,
ha q Tho - III
that he had ever been there. Col. York
then went to Independence, Mont
gomery County, Kas., and got Sheriff
Stone. They both Colonel York and
Sheriff Stone) made visit to the Ben
ders. On arriving there they had
conversation with John Bender, and the
information they got from him was
unsatisfactory, but enough was obtained
to arouse their suspicious. =
Colonel York and Sheriff Stone then
returned to Independence and raised
party of men. They started out to
Bender's the very next morning, and
when the party arrived at the place it
was discovered that the family had all
decamped. They then hunted around
the house, and finally prosecuted their
search in the garden, where they found
that the ground had recently been dis
turbed. On removing the surface soil
they found the body of DIR. York and
others, who had been murdered, buried
in these crude graves. Hon. William
Wright and S. S. Peterson, Deputy
United States Marshal at that time, fol-
lowed the wagon-traek across the open
prairie to Thayer, Kas., which is about
twelve. miles distant from the Bender
house. There they found the Benders'
wagon and horses, which had been
abandoned. They there learned that
the Blenders had taken the train on the
L., L. & G. Railroad for the north.
The pursuing party telegraphed the con-
ductor of the train, and he telegraphed
back that the Benders had stopped at
Chinutse or New Chicago. They next
autographed the ticket agent at Chicago
or Chinutte. He answered that he had
sold the Blenders tickets to Chetopa,
Kas., which is just two miles from the
Cherokee line. ...e
Messrs. Wright and Peterson, after
obtaining this valuable information,
mounted their horses and rode rapidly
back to the Bender place, where they
found Colonel York and Sheriff Stone.
The four men at once procured fresh
horses and started in all haste for Che.
topa. at Oswego they again procured
fresh horses and started anew for Che
topa, only distant eight miles. Then
they ascertained that the Benders had
taken a team and wagon, which was
awaiting them there, and had gone in a
southeasterlv direction toward the Grand
River, in the Indian Nation. Chetopa is.
about thirty miles from the Grand River.
When the pursuing party reached Che
topa they were only about three hours
behind the Benders. They pushed rap
idly ahead, and the four men came up
with the fugitives four miles from the
Grand River, and there, without further
ceremony, the Blenders met the retribu-
ton due their crimes. They were al
shot to death, and the bones of old man
Bender, his wife, John and Kate lie
there in hole dug in the ground, where
they remain at this day. ta
Mr. Wright is now living in Iowa,
and Peterson is resident of Indepen-
dence, Hans. Stone is living in Mont