St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-17
THE BENDER FAMILY.
Some New Light on the Mystery Of
Their Disappearance.
STORY OF A DYING MAN.
A Remarkable Story Told by One Of the
Party Of Seven Who Earliest Inves-
tigated Dr.. York's Death.

LIVER Slice Tile lyncllnS OF the Kelley
family in the Texas Panhandle there
mas been more OF less told of the fate of
the blenders. Several citizens Of Amer
icus, it seems, had been discussing the
Blenders and the Kelleys, and in the
group was an old ''fOrty-niner,o who dis
played such interest during the talk
that he was pressed to tell what he
knew. A hint of what was told or could
De told led to the reporters trip.
LII Is nearly fifteen years since the
Blenders achieved a criminal fame. The
FAMILY consisted of four persOnS-Oid
man William Bender, pretty stout
herman; his wife, woman not particu-
larly different from the average German
woman OF low degree; a son, George,
about twenty-five years old; daughter,
nate, OF fair complexion, with light
eyes and yellow hair, who pretended to
De SplrltuallSt, and who was decidedly
uncanny. if she was nothing else.
The Bender claim was located near
Big Hill creek. in Labette county, and
only short distance from the town of
Cherryyale. The house was One-stOry
tWo-ro0m frame, the front room, or dim
lng-r0om, being separated from a
Scantlly furnished sleeping room behind
canvas partition. There was an
ordinary garden plot near the house.
and small amount of stock. The
BenderS had come to their claim some
time in 1871. and probably came from
Indiana. They were an unSOciable lot,
ana Rates pretensiOnS to Occultism
kept tlmid people still more aloOf.
1t was on March 8, 1878, that DR.. Will
liam IL. York, brother of Colonel A. Nj.
York. who figured so cOnspicuously in
the Pomeroy senatorial scandal, left
Fort Scott on horseback, bound for In
dependence. Nothing being heard of
him for nearly three weeks, mention
was made in the press of his supposed
disappearance. Colonel York worked
hard to find his brother, and traced him
to the Bender place. 1t could not be
learned that DR.. York had gone beyond
this point, and as he was well mounted
The question arose, what had become of
his horse? 1t was believed to be impos-
Slble to have got the horse out of that
section without some one knowing it.
After Colonel York'S first visit to the
Bender place he returned to his home,
having, as the story goes, learned moth
ing as to his brothers. whereabouts.
Later, early in April, men from Cherry
vale went out to the Bender place and
returned. On May 5th it was learned
that the Bender house was vacant and
iireleSs, and that the stock were perish
ing from starvation. A wagon and team
were found hitched to the fence and
abandoned at Thayer, railroad station
twelve miles from the Bender place.
WHERE DID THE BENDERS GO?
When it was known that the Bender
home was abandoned, two things hap
pened. An enterprising citizen at once
tackled his homestead claim papers on
the frame walls of the house, and an i'll
rnt Of 1,n
tuted. The walls and floor were care
fully examined. In the back room a
trap-dOOr was found leading to a sort of
cellar.
The cellar floor was examined and
showed unmiStakable traces of blood,
The garden-plOt was probed with iron
rods and nine bodies found buried, the
first one discovered being that of Dr.. w.
nj. York, whose brother was at once
notified. All the bodies had their skulls
broken and their Threats cut. except
little girl, who was probably suffocated.
The theory OF the crime was that each
person killed by the Benders was seated
near the canvas partition between the
two rooms; that blow from mallet
or hammer on the head was given from
the other side of the frail partition, and
that the unconscious victim was
dragged out to the trap-dCOr to the Gel
lar, where his throat was cut, the body
being buried i'll the garden lot at dead
of night. The sensation created by
these discoveries was tremendous, and
the name of Bender has passed into his
tory as descriptive of the coolest
thuggery known.
What became of the Bpnders has
never been definitely known. They
were generally supposed to have taken
the train at Thayer and gone no one
knows where. From time to time par
ties were arrested and held for quite
long periods Oh suspicion of being the
real, original Blenders or some one of
that family, but the identifcations were
never successful, and no one suffered
legally for the Benders' crimes. AS
late as the summer of 1888 man and
woman hung around the GiObe-Demo-
crat office for days in the hope of being
employed to guide its reporters to
point in Southern Arizona where it was
claimed the BenderS were still living.
Then there was story that the Benders
had been lynched, but how. when and
where was never accurately stated. 1t
was always supposed that Col. York
knew something as to the fate of the
Blenders, but if he did know Col. York
never told.
y
In company with Mr. j. l.. Butler the
reporter walked down the main street
across the railroad track TO neat little
frame building which displayed the
sign: Justice of the Peace" There
was found Maj. T. Z. Hicks, a white
haired, vigorous looking man, whose
veracity and general high morality were
sturdily vOuched for by all the leading
citizens of Americas. 1t was Mai.
Hicks who was supposed to know what
became of the Blenders, though he had
never made the story public, and MIR.
Butler went along to aid the reporter in
inducing Maj. Hicks to tell what he
knew.
AS soon, therefore. as the converse
ton was Oh a peace footing the reporter
explained his mission.
''They say, major, that you know all
about what became of the Benders, and
that you have old man Bender's written
confession of his crimes.'
mo, l haven't got that. / never saw
old man Bender, and never had his CON
feSSiOn."
But you know what became of the
Blenders, don't yOu?"
sob, the BenderS are all right"
This with smile that made Mr.. But
Ter smile in turn.
WELL" said the reporter, 81 under
stand there are people who claim to
have seen and met the Blenders some
where in. Arizona" and he told the
major of the visit to the Globe Democrat
office, in the fall of 1888, of an old man
and woman who claimed to know Just
where the Benders were, adding that
Gov. George w. Click had been quoted
by the old man and woman as refer
ence.
Il don't think George Click knew
about it," was the majors reply. sit
was some time before 1888 that learned
what | know. You see
/ 1t looked as if the major was going to
tell what he knew, but he continued,
after a pause: