Omaha daily bee., 1885-10-26

! HtNcliCS NC NlSllcu the htihuboiHoO
made famous by the horrible crime Of the
Bender family, the discovery of which so
startled the whole country about twelve
| years ago. lie relates some interesting
facts and "reminiscences OF the family
and the location.
| Where the house once stood nothing
now remains 10 mark the spot except the
| half filed Vacuity that once answered
the purpose of n cellar. Curious rcliclt
seekers have carried away the last rem
nant of tho building and and all its ap.
! purtcnanceS even To the last stone that
| helped to compose the cellar wall
One circumstance that serves to main
tain an interest in this event 50 long past
is the fact that few if any, know whether
the Bender family escaped and are living
| to-day in some distant country, or
whether they We're captured by a small
mob who quietly put them to
death ana forever after held their
peace. Regarding this point,
some are Of one opinion and some Of an
other. The story has many,variations,
but runs substantially as follows:
In early days, while that region was
sparscly settled, this family, consisting
OF an old man and his wife, and son
and u daughter, took up their abode ut
the place referred TO, which is about ten
miles west of II little village called
Galesburg, in Neosho county. There
they kept sort of wayside inn, making Il
business of keeping travellers over night,
and we might add, to see that they never
proceeded any further in the direction of
| their desired destination.
When a traveller was behcld approach
ing some member of the family would
station himself at tho roadside in front
of the house, and a.. the unsuspectng in
Il. Il
| pleasantly, inquire in n friendly manner
where he was going, and if it was any
where near evening would assure him
that it would be impossible to reach hie
destination before nighttall, and propose
| that he should remain over night with
them while the traveller generally acqui-
csced TO the hospilablo proposition.
lt seemed that the inside of the build
| ing had been arranged with q view TO
| the accomplishment of their ghastly de
| signs The front room and 4 small
| apartment back of it were separated by
| thin curtain drawn across somewhat
! in the manner of the curtains used on
folding doors, while in the center of the
room was trap door.
When man whom they had marked
as victim entered the door of that room
his doom was sealed. He would be
offered chair sitting SO that its back
would be toward the curtain, and 80 near
il, that when sat down, the back of his
head would be against it.
Behind this curtain in the little
apartment above mentioned, WAS
concealed the female tiend. Miss Kate
Bender, having near at hand two ham.
sharp knife. When the unfortunate
victim would become deeply Interested
in some exciting or amusing conversation
with the other members of the family,
who pretended TO be exceedingly jolly
and vivacious, the murderess behind the
curtain would deal him y blow in the
back of the head with the large hammer
that would drop him sensclesS upon She
floor; then rushing from her hiding place
she would deal him another blow in the
temple with the small hammer; where
upon the male members would drag him
to the trap door, over which they would
hold him while the inSatiatc monster in
womans form drew the knife across his
throat, after which they allowed the
bleeding corpse To fall through the apcr-
ture into the cellar.
Sometimes there would he two or three
travellers stop Ut one time at this abode,
upon which occasions aS many members
of the family would take their places
behind the curtain, selecting their victims
at the critical moment. Again there
would occasionally come man who,
when offered the fatal chair, would
unconsciouSly remove it to some other
position, rendering it inconvenicnt to
strike him sure blow from the place of
concealment. Under such circumstances
the family would always be very mirth-
full and finally propose II game in which
it would become incumbent upon the
stranger, IN acting certain part, to fall
upon his knees and clasp lis hands in
saecd the ainds f" b Gt praGyeTi Gn ri n, Ihe place
the trap door, Wien in the re;
curtain and strike him dead as he knelt.
They always aimed to make death GER
tain; provided they thought the stranger
had valuables worth the trouble.
Their discovery, came about rs
whore in eastern Kansas to go
and make arrangements for set
Ting further west, saying that us soon
MS matters were adjusted, which would
be within certain stated time, ne would
return and take her west with him. He
went and the time set for his return
came, but he didn't come with it. Be
coming alarmed ut his prolonged alb
sence, his wife set out To overtakc or
meet him, She, too, stopped 10 remain
over night with the Bcnders IL didn't
seem to be their Intention To murder her;
At least not in their usual manner of per-
forming the hellish act While sitting
in the room alone, she picked up u lOckot
that was lying ON stand o. peniug il
She was surprised toperccive her own
picture in il and that of her little girl op-
pOsitc. She knew then that the locket
had belonged To her husband, having
been Worn by Linn as a charm on his
watch chain. Her suspicious were
aroused, but someone coming in prevent
ed her from escaping, and finally she was
taken up stairs 10 retire, but not Ia sleep
She was planning an escape from the
building. After u time she arose and
looked out of the window, aud was as
tonished To see the light of II lantern
swinging in n distant part OF an apple
orchard on the premises She succeeded
in stealing softly Out of the house with
out discovery, and drew near the hight,
winch she watched till the parties went
away, and then went to the place and
found a ncwly-made grave. She hid out
on the prairie all night, and when morn
ing came, went 10 Il neighbOr's house,
and told her p z tory, The alarm
soon spread abroad and peo.
Pile locked to- the house from
far and near in great crowds. But the
4. As