Richland beacon., 1888-04-21
THE BENDER FAMILY.
Apparent Light on the Mys'erI OF
Their Import ~nce

Ever since tho notorious lenders. I"
Kansas. Disappeared nom their home
stead in 1874. leaving their garden IN
the condition IT private cemetery,
curiosity has been rife art" what '"s"n,o
of them. Many stories have been toiu'
oply to bc contrdictcd. about tho i"m,y
being living or dead II some plao" IN tho
Far West, but tho following Statenen''
published by tho 81. Louis t"''e, ftm'-
crat, has an appcaranco at r'aosu''''y'
The narrator il Major T. Il. Hicks, eN-
pioneer, Kansas FREQ so,lcr, Pontmnnler
and prospector, and now n justice "i w"
peace mt Americus, Kan. Tho story WAS
obtained from an old friend who was
diving, and the Colonel" alluded To was
Colonel Yorke, who somc years ny"
made u sensation of national magnitude
by rising in his place III tho Kansas
Legislature and making some state
ments, accompanied by n show OF green
backs, which prevented the rc-eicct'oh
of United States Senator ). &. Pomeroy,
better known us Subsidy POM"
John had been living near where
the Blenders lived at the time OF the
murder of DR.. York, and when we
talked of the Benders always thought,
from Johns way, that he knew some
thing about what became OF them. !
was mighty curious to find out, ana
many's the time I've asked him, John,
what did become of the Benders3 but
he always put me off with one answer.
Each time he would say, The Bendersi
The Benders are all right So, although
T Il II Iar
for my curiosity was great never
could get any wiser. Well, we pros
pected along until We got to Fort
Yuma, A. T. There John took sick.
1t was while John was sick, and not
long before he died, that Iquizzed HIM
again about the Benders. So at last he
told me all about it, and sat there
and made notes in my memorandum
book" .
"Was this man an eye witness OF
what he told you about 2 asked the
reporter.
Eyes; what he told was from actual
knowledge. He mentioned no names,
but l knew who he meant when he
talked about the Colonel You know,
too, the Colonel had traced his
brother from Fort Scott right along up
to the Bender place, and there the trail
ended. Beyond that point he could
find no trace of his brother and no signs
of his horse. The disappearance OF the
horse was an important fact IN his
mind"
ave always understood that they
were never able to explain how that
horse was gotten out of that county
without some one knowing something
about it.
"Thats true" said the Major. "My
understanding has always been. and l
think it comes from what sohn told me,
that DIR. Yorke's horse was killed and
buried In the pond near the Bender
place. Anyway, Johns story was that
there W. re seven men in the party, aud
Colonel Yorke with them, and that the
Colonel had come to the conclusion that
the Blenders knew where his brother
was. He begged and implorsd of Kate
Bender to tell him what they had done
with his brother, but Kate wouldn't tell,
He offered to take Kate and Mrs. Beu
der back to town and see that 10 harm
came to them if they would only confess
what had become OF his brother. Blu
Kate wouldn't tell a word. Her eye
flashed and she said, You can't TAKE
me-. The old woman whipped oat
pair Of pistols AMI said she would tel
nothing. You cant take me- She wa
overpowered and disarnied in an instant
for the Colonel wouldn't let there b.
any shooting. Don't fire shot wer'
his words. Finding he could learn moth
ing from the two women, he got on hi
horse again and went back to town.
"And then what!'
, sJohn said the bodies of the Bender
could be found, II any one chose to lool
: for them, in the olt, unused well SON
three hundred yards northwest Of tn
Bender house. That's where they wer
: put. He didn't give me all the detail
; Of the affair, but l remember askin,
John Wasn't it an awful british thing
And he said NO, not at an. The Onl
! instruments used were the mallet ant
two pound hammer that had been use
e bv the Blenders in their own murderou
$ work. He said there wasn't shO
D fired; that it was all done decently an
quietly. When it Vas all over the part
dispersed and went to their homes"
"How about the Blenders team an
wagon that was found hitcbed to fenc
near Thayer, some twelve miles or MOI
from the Bender place.
: "That team was driven off by one
: the party, whether to mislead peopl
who might want TO make inquiries b
: creating the impressions that the Bel
: llcrs had left the country on the train
e to serve some more convenient purpose
u But ut any rate it was the Blenders wal
II on, though, and driven off as have d
= scribed. Whether the party ever tol
y the Colonel what had occurred l don
y know, but 1 do know that John had a
: wavs commended that the Colonel cOul
). tell something if he only would"