Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-11-12
THE BLOODY BENDERS.
Their Methods of Numbering Trav-
eIers-A Tale of Crime Almost With.
ont n Parallel

Ed. Wright, the stenogra pher, has
ust returned, says The Cincinnati
Enquirer, from a trip TO Kansas,
where he has been visiting friends.
During his absence he visited the
neigh borhood made famous by the
horrible crimes of the Bender family,
the discovery CT which SO startled the
whole country about twelve years ago
He relates some interesting facts, and
"reminiscences of the faeily and the
location.
Where the house once stood nothing
now remains to mark the spot except
the half filled vacuity that once an
swered tho purpose of cellar. Curl
Gus relic hunters have carried away
the last remnant of the building and
all its appurtenances, even to the last
stone that helped to compose the cellar
wall.
One circumstance that serves to
maintain an interest In this event, so
long past, is the fact that few, If any,
know whether the Bender family es-
capped and are living today IN some
distant country, or whether they
were captured by small nob who
quietly put them 10 death and forever
acid their peace Regarding this
point, some are of one opinion and
some of another. The story has many
variations, but runs substantially as
follows:
In early days, while that region was
sparcely settled, this family, consist
ing Of an old man and his wife, and q
son and daughter, took ap their
abode at the place referred to, which
is about ten miles west of little vii
lage called Galesburg, in Neosho
county. There they kept a sort of
wayside inn, making a business of
keeping travellers over night, and, we
might add, 10 see that they never
proceeded any farther in the direction
of their desired destination.
RlWhen a traveller was beheld aD-
preaching, some member of the
family would station him
self at the roadside In front of the
house, and as the unsuspecting indi-
vidual drew nigh would accost him
pleasantly, inquire IN friendly man
ner where he was going, and If 1t was
anywhere pear evening would assure
him that 1t would be impossible to
reach his destination before nightfall.
and propose that he should remain
over night with them, while the tray
eler generally acqulesced to the hospi-
table proposition.
It seemed that the inside OF the
building had been arranged with q
view to the accomplishment of their
CHASTITY designs. The front room and
a small apartment back of it were
separated by a thin curtain drawn
across somewhat in the manner of
the curtains used on folding doors,
while In the center of the room was a
trap door.
When a man whom they had mark
ed as victim entered the door of that
room his doom was sealed. He would
be offered a chair sitting so that It's
back would be toward the curtain and
so near that when he sat down the
back of his head would be against it.
Behind this curtain, in the little
apartment above mentioned was con-
cealed the female fiend, Miss Katl
Bender, having near at hand two
hammers, one large and the other
small, ana a sharp knife. When the
unfortunate victim would become
deeply interested in some exciting OF
amusing conversation with Other
members of the family, who pretend
ed to be exceedingly jolly and viz a
ciOus, the murdererss behind the cur
tain would deal him a blow in the
back of the head with the large ham,
mer that would drop him senseless
upon the floor; then, rushing from
her hiding place, she would deal him
another blow in the temple with the
small hammer, whereupon the male
members would drag him TO the trap
door over which they would hold him
while the insatiate monster IN wom>
ans fern drew the knife across his
throat, after which they allowed the
bleeding corpse to fall through the
aperture into the cellar.
Sometimes there would be two OF
three travellers stop at one time at this
abode, upon which occasions as many
members of the family would take
their places behind the curtain, select,
ing their victims at the critical mo-
ment. Again there would occasional
ly come man who, when offered the
fatal chair, would unconsciously re
move into some other position, render
ing it inconvenient 20 strike him a
sure blow from the place of conceal
ment. Under such circumstances the
family would always be very mirthful
and finally propose game in which il
would become incumbent upon the
stanger, in acting certain part, tc
fall upon his knees and clasp his hands
in the attitude of prayer. The place
selected fer him to do this would be
on the trap-dosr. When in the re-
quired position Miss Kate would steal
softly from behind the curtain and
strike him dead as he knelt. They
always aimed to make death certain
provided they thought the stranger
had valuables worth the trouble.
Their discovery came about as fol
lows: A man lett his wife somewhere
in eastern Kansas to go and make ar.
rangements for settling further west
saying that as soon as matters were
adjusted, which would be within 6
oortoir ctotod t,poa y a would no t,,ry