Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1886-07-01
Pack PeddlerS' Stories.
AN ADVENTURE IN THE HOUSE or
BENDER, TIE NOTED KANSAS
MURDERER.

1
he whitfield away at his pipe 10 get it II.
light, 'and You may suppose have met
with some stirring adventures. | have
| travelled a great deal in Missouri, Kan
sas, Nebraska and Minnesota, and for
weeks aud months | have been on the
alert, not only to preserve the contents
of my pack, but to defend my life. My
line of trade has been Yankee notions,
with jewelry added, have had with
fme at one time as much as $1,000 worth
of gold and silver watches, ear rings,
finger rings, &c. | have sat on log
| beside a highway in Kansas and SOLD
| S400 worth Of stock to three or four
men, and l haye disposed of $50 worth
of ladies' jewelry at pioneer cabin
which had neither floors nor partitions.
On two different occasions ate din
ner at the cabin of old Bender, the
Kansas liend. On the first occasion the
old man was away, and saw only two
women about the place. Six months
later. when I called again, it was about
IL O'Clock in the forenoon. Then l
saw old Bender for the first time. l
have heard him described as pleasant
faced old man who no one would sus-
pect, hut I tell you the very frs. look
at him put me on my guard. For the
first time in year felt that my life
was in danger. The same two slattern-
ly women were about the house, and
there was young man whom took to
be old Bender's son. This young man
disappeared soon after / arrived, but
whether he hid l. the house or rcda off
across the prairie I never knew. Ben.
der's women purchased about s. worth
of notions, and the old man dickered
with me for over an hour over gold
watch. 1t seems that he had but a
small stock of cash, but he offered me
personal property in exchange. He
had three or four silver watches, all of
which had been carried, two or three
reyolvers, two bosom pins, made of
Jumps of pure gold, and three or four
pairs of valuable cuff buttons. We had
nearly effected an exchange when he
suddenly decided to leave the matter
open until after dinner.
Months afterward, when the discov-
cries of his crimes came out, thought
the matter over, and could remember
just how nicely he played me. Without
seeming to interrogate me for informa
ton, he asked how long tlip had
made, what success | had met with,
who I was, where / lived, and what |
knew of that locality. The old mur
derer was figuring up the chances of
my being missed in case he put an end
to me, and he had a curiosity to know
beforehand what the harvest would be.
While l told you that l did not like his
looks, and that l had creepy feeling
in his presence, had no idea of an at
tempt to murder by daylight and in the
manner he was planning for. | had a
trusty revolver and | had the courage
to defend myself. Had met him out
on the prairie, or had we cen jogging
together along some lonely highway.
should have been prepared to pull my
natal of bis fret mnvpmpnt
Dinner was announced soon after II
O'Clock. l took my pack with me into
the dining room, where | found the
table set for one. There were three
rooms in the house The front room
was a general sltting room and Office
combined, Bender kept a sort of tav-
ern, you know, ard travellers had this
front room. The Eext room back was
the dining room and family room COM
bined. There w9s a bedroom leading
off. On the walls of this family room
were few old fashioned prints in odd
fashioned frames, shelf on which
stood q clock, and few scant evidences
of women's presence. The back room
was the kitchen.
Il had my eyes wide open when l en-
tered the dining roum, and the very
first thing noticed was that the table
was set lengthwise of the room, and
that my chair and plate had been so
placed that my back would be toward
the kitchen door, which was not over
five or six feet away. Had it been at
the other end my blck would haye been
toward the office door. The first mov3
[ made was to turn the chair around
to the side and sit 'wn. | now faced
the bedroom door, and had the other
doors TO my right and left, while there
was no window behind me. The young
er woman was in the room, and she
looked at me i'm queer, strange way as
upset the arrangements she had per-
fected. Bender did not look into the
room for two or three minutes, and
then retired without speaking. A min
ute later lie passed around the house
and entered the kitchen by the back
door. While I could not see him,
heard him and the woman whispering
together, and | caught the words as