Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-11-12
TIE BLOODY Blenders.
Their Methods of MurderinE tray
eIers-A Tale of Crime Almost with
ant a Parallel

cut a Eah "
IA Wright. the stenographer, has
- returned, says The Clncinnatti
Enouirer. from a trip 10 Kansas,
lire he has been visiting trends
pnrinc his absence he visited the
o;nh borhood made famous by the
borTible crimes of the Bender family,
tba discovery CT which so startled the
hole country about twelve years ago
IIa relates some interesting facts, and
-erninisc.nses of the family and the
location.
,,orc remains TO mark the spot except
tbe half filled vacuity that ohce ans
swersd the purpose of cellar. Cun
ous relic hunters have carried away
he last remnant Of the building and
eli its appurlenances, even to the last
sfone that helped to compose the cellar
wall.
One circumstance that serves TO
,,ointain an interest in this event, so
1ong past. is the fact that few, if any,
Irnow whether the Bender family es-
caped and ere living to day in some
distant country, or whether they
we're captured by small mob who
Quietly nut them 10 death and forever
held their peace Regarding TINS
point, spme 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
inc Of an old man and his wife, and
son and a daughter, took up their
abode at the place referred to, which
is about ten miles west OF little VII
age called Galesburg, in Neosho
county. There they kept a sort Of
wsvside inn, making a business of
keeping travellers over night, and, we
might add, to see that they never
prCceeded any farther in the direction
of TIER desired destination.
When a traveller was beheld an
preaching, some member of the
family would station him
self at the roadside in front OF the
house and as The unsuspecnng indi-
vidual drew nigh would accost him
pleasantly, inquire m friendly man
her where he was going, and II it was
anywhere rear evening would assure
b.m that 1t would be impossible to
reach his destination 5efOfG nightlalI,
and propose that he should remain
over night with thsm, while the trav
eler genera ly acqulesced TO The hOspi-
table proposition.
II seemed that the inside OF the
building had been arranged with q
view To- the accomplishment of their
CHASTITY designs. The frontroom and
small apartment back of ii were
separated ~ a thin curtain drawn
across somewhat in the manner OF
the curtains used on folding doors,
while In the center of the room was q
trap door.
When q man whom they had mark
ed as a victim entered the door OF that
room his doom was sealed. He would
be offered a chair sitting so that its
back would be toward the curtain and
so near that when he sat down the
back Of his head woul3 be against it.
Behind this curtain, in the little
apartment above mentioned was con
cealed the female fiend, Miss Kate
Bender, having near at hand two
hammers, one large and the other
small ana q sharp knife. When the
unfortunate victim would become
deeply interested in some exciting or
amusing conversatian with other
members of the family, who pretend
ed to be exceedingly jolly and viz a
clous, the murdererss behind the cur
tam would deal him 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 woHld hold him
while the insatiate monster in wOm~
ans form 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 or
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 a 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 it
would become incumbent upon the
stanger, in acting a certain part, to
fall upon his knees and clasp his hands
IN the attitude of prayer The place
selected for 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 be 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
engagements for settling further west,
saying that as soon as matters were