Telegram-herald., 1889-11-01
AFTER MANY YEARS.
Belssf That the Famous HeEcsrs
Have B8sn Caught
TWO xICElCn MONEY ARRESTED.
CileuuastaHess Poiat >troaEiy Toward
Hhen a. Ola Mother Bsadef aa4
Her Dsughter h4ts - tney
Ars Iahea - kz2s4s-


Mrs. Mch. Ocl 81 nrs. Aonro
All her daughter. Mrs. DAVIS, believed
10 be tie famous Mrs Bender and her
daughter. Kate Bender. who s. ere lua-
plicated IL the terrt Ole series of uurcers
in Labeute CoaHty kan years ago,
started West Wednesday ia charge of
Deputy sheriff L. + ulck The par
tiell4r charge laid - tAeir door Is The
assassinatiQn of Colonel i0rA II 1879
I1s history of tie Bender family,
and especially of their atrOcious mur-
ders of Dr. ork and others in Labette
County. Kan. eighteen or twenty ye4rs
ago. bids fair 70 be again made fresh IN
the public mind Their home on the
roadside Ia that new and sparsely set
tied country was a veritsole charnel
house Their murderous deeds scarcely
have parallel IN history.
Mrs. Frances T. NcCann, OF McPher-
son County. Kan, the wife Of a wealthy
and respected merchant OF that place, is
credited With discovering the Identity
between Mrs. Monroe and old Mrs.
Bender. Mrs. McCann's story is about
as follows.
Mrs DAVIS went % Mcpherson. Kan, a few
years ago. was taken sick. and was visited ty
Mrs. MoCann. Mrs. MCCAIN related dream
IL whlcn she appeared 20 be "a house,
and hearing . scream OF terror IA the
cellar ran down stairs and there saw a man
With his throat cut and bleeding. woman
seeing hcr cried; MY Godl take her away"
Mr.. Dsvis promptly replied. stop this is no
dream, 10 is a reality. / know your people and
know all about you"
Mrs SfcCan. begged her for further details,
and the woman said: That was no dream. IL
IS al real You saw that when a mere child.
You- mother was ms own sister. Your father
came into our family away back in Canada.
Ny two sisters. Elizabeth and Rose, fell M love
With him He married Elizabeth against the
wish Of the other sister and our mother. The
plot 70 dispose OF him then began. Sanford
Tor that was his real name, had moved away.
Mother and Rose went 10 visit them.
Rose went down stairs ostensibly after pota-
toes and SO placed a rope IS 10 trip any one
coming down. She gave a terrible scream and
Sanford ran down into the cellar, was tripped,
and my sister cut his throat"
Mrs Davis told Mrs MeCann Of other crimes
and murders committed by her step mother,
supposed to be Mrs Bender, and was asked:
Isn't your mother old Mrs. Benderf' The
woman new into passion and refused 70 talk
further
In q subsequent conversation she acknowl-
edged that they wero the Bender family. She
then threatened Mrs. McCaun II she ever
revealed what she had told Mrs Nc
Cam drew from her the statement that old
John Bender and his son John were in
the woods in MOntcalm County Mich and that
Mrs Bender was in Niles. Mrs.
McCann at once opened up a correspond
erce with DR.. =. J. Bsiene, then postmaster
here, and with Marshal Shillady. subsequently
she came here and convinced herself that she
was on the right track, and she has been en-
gagged ever since I'm gathering proofs Mrs.
Davis also told Mrs. Mccain that her step
mother had killed woman in Portland,
this State and committed various other
crimes including the burning OF a child and the
murder OF one Of her husbands at Dowagiac
twelve miles frorl here. It is known that the
man did mysteriOusly disappear from Dow
agiac.
The woman, Mrs. Monroe, supposed
to be Mrs. Bender, has been wanderer
all her life. She has had many hus-
bands and many temporary homes. She
has lived here about ten years, but
claims she was here at the time Of the
Kansas murders.
A tintype of the suspected woman
sent 90 a man named Cole in New York.
who knew the Benders and was at their
house in Kansas two weeks before their
flight, was sent back with this reply:
This picture is an exact likeness of
Mrs Bender" One sent 10 ]. 3. Smith,
Of Parsons, Kan, was recognized as Mrs.
Bender.
Several months later Mrs. Sarah
Davis made an affidavit that her mother,
than Mrs. Bender, one of the Kansas
family of murderers. She also
charged Mrs. Monroe with various
other crimes before and after
the Kansas horror. After the Kan
sas affair the family, nine In number,
moved and came to Michigan. The old
woman settled at Niles and travelled
about the country as a peddler.
Mother and daughter quarreled
which resulted in the daughters
confession. Peace was patched up and
Mrs. Davis came TO visit her mother at
Niles few weeks ago. Here she was
arrested on a charge Of larceny and in
the trial that followed Mrs. Mon
roe was put on the stand and
great efforts made TO wiring
from her some corroborative evi-
dence Of her daughters story. She
proved herself remarkably adept wit
ness, Notwithstanding her illiteracv,
out enough was CLEANED from mother
and daughter TO make il advisable to
communicate with the Kansas author
tiles.
Many facts were adduced tending 20
show that Mrs. Monroe was connected
with the Bender murders. BY her own
admissions Mrs. Monroe has had seven
husbands, and a number OF them have
mysteriously disappeared. Her daugh-
ter Eliza. insists positively that Mrs.
Monroe ia old Mrs Bender.
Much interest was manifested and
many blood-cu-dling and horrible reve-
lstions were brought out during the ex-
animation. The trial ended with rhs 70
lease OF Hrs. Davis but she and her
mother were Immediately arrested
on the charge of committing
tho Kansas murders Officers from Kan.
sas have been n she state for ten dsv.
irvestiea Tho case and are 50 wei
satisfied they have az last discovered
.ho notorious Bender family that a
-eouis.ti0n vas secured from Governor
Lrc0
fFrr s~verai years previous 20 1873 John n-n
der ana nls wife ard go children Kate 81
John uref the nerft ~ort corner ~ Laastfs
rrrrtr Kar atoat tsr mi - frvu. Thare1 I'D
eve srI rrr bag mites -r..a lh rrvtaie To
r-.f ta.~g fHaf Iet fn fae discovery ~ th- boz
rffr er-es ~ nurt--s -oaaaitfsd tT tAe arn