The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1884-09-09
The Killing of the Desperadoes,
Related by Capt. J. Q. Reeves,
An Witness of the
Tragedy.
The Names of the Party Given,
and the Story Of the Staying
Told in Its Details.
81. Louis Republican.

all efforts to discover the whereabouts
of the fugtives, enshrouded the whole
affair with an air of impentrable
mystery. The veil was not lifted
until some twelve months ago, when
the Republican Published the story
Of one of the avenging party which
overlook and annihilated the whole
family in the Indian territory not far
from the banks of the Grand river.
The author of that graphic narrative,
Capt. j. c. Reeves, of Appleton
City, Mo-, is at present transient
guest at the hotel Barnum, and when
seen by a Republican reporter last
night he cheerfully consented to give
all the details of the Bender's tragic
ending, except the name of the man
by whose hand they were slain.
when DR.. York was missed" the
captain began, as ne lighted a fresh
cigar, "Col. York traced his brother
to the house occupied by the Blenders.
Being unable to obtain any further
information of his lost brother he re-
turned to Independence, Kas., and
communicated the result of his inves-
tigation to Capt. Stone, sheriff of
Montgomery county. The next day
Col. York and Capt. Stone visited
the Bender residence and they were
received by the man who married
Kate Bender, and who went by the
name of John Bender. John Bender
admitted that DR.. York had stayed
al their house and asserted that he
had heard nothing of the doctor since
Being unable to obtain any satisfac-
ton Col. York and Capt Stone re-
, traced their steps to Independence.
A posse was formed and the company
started forth determined to investigate
the matter to the bottom. When
they arrived at the Bender homestead
the birds had flown. The house and
garden were examined, and in the
garden were found nine bodies of
which one was recognized as that of
DR.. York. Public Indignation att his
discovery knew no bounds, and the
excitement became intense"
"What was the next step taken for
the purpose of avenging this whole
sale butchery?"
ga party consisting of S. S. Peter
SOD, deputy United States marshal,
Col. York, Bill Wright, George Daw-
son and myself was formed to follow
the trail OF the Blenders. We tracked
the wagon to Thayer, Kas., where we
found the wagon abandoned. At
this point we took the railroad cars
for Chanute, on the nj. K. & I. rail-
road. At Chanute We procured an
other wagon and proceeded in the d.
rection of the Grand river, which
runs through the Indian territory.
1t was in the Indian territory on the
banks of the Grand river that Col.
York, who was in the van of the
party, overhauled the Blenders. They
all died very suddenly and they are
buried in the Indian territory near
where they fell. [ have nothing
more to say. That ends the story.
"Were they shot?"
Eyes they were shot with a six
teen-shot repeating Henry ri L."
"Who did the shooting?"
THAT l am not at liberty to state. ,
''Did Col. York offer any reward
for the discovery of the Benders?"
mo, he did not. although he wa
worth 100000 at the time. The
government offered $4,000 reward
but nobody claimed it"
"Do the Blenders lie close to the
river ?"
eyes"
"Are you certain that they are all
killed ?"
81 saw them killed, all four o.
them-old man Bender and his wife,
John Bender and Kate Bender"
"Were they shot by one man."
Eyes, by one man only. He kille'
them. Bang, bang, bang, bang
Every shot counted"
"Where were you when the shoot
ing was done?"
81 was sitting on my horse few
yards from the man who did tn
shooting. / entered into an agree
ment not to tell anything about it.
"Were there any United State
troops present"
mo"
"Did you see the bodies buried ?
'sI did,"
''Could you find the place again
81 could very easily"
"How were they buriedw
"We just dug hole tumbled ther
in and covered them up"
"Did you find anything on tn
bodies ?"
"We did not search them.
Guo- ,,.-o +bov shof from n.